<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>More than 1.4 million </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national" rel="" target="_blank" title="Australians "><span>Australians</span></a><span> are feared to be at risk of mortgage stress after rates were hiked for the second time this year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Roy Morgan research published today has found the Reserve Bank's decision to increase rates by 0.25 per cent in February raised the number of households at risk of mortgage stress by 1 per cent to 1.3 million people.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That figure is expected to rise again by 1.7 per cent to 1.4 million people – a quarter of all mortgage holders due to the second rate rise last week. </span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/commonwealth-bank-raises-home-rates-for-the-second-time-this-month/6d550bba-8437-464b-a2f0-d9310be2eab7" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Commonwealth Bank raises home rates for the second time this month</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Households are considered at risk of mortgage stress when repayments are greater than a certain percentage of household income (between 25 and 45 per cent, depending on income and spending).</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They are extremely at risk of mortgage stress when the interest-only payments are greater than that percentage of household income.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Currently, Roy Morgan estimates about 918,000 Australians are at extreme risk. </span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/1-million-aussies-feared-at-risk-of-mortgage-stress-after-double-rate-whammy/490e26c7-3bde-44dc-8013-a33cb8dcf7e0" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The research found figures could worsen if there is another 25-basis-point rate rise at the bank's next meeting in May. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An extra 287,000 people, or a total of 1.6 million people, could be at risk of mortgage stress.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Roy Morgan chief executive Michele Levine, however, warned the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/iran" rel="" target="_blank" title="US-Israeli war in Iran"><span>US-Israeli war in Iran</span></a><span> has put a "considerable amount of uncertainty into global economic forecasts".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The high degree of uncertainty about how the conflict in the Middle East has introduced an additional, and volatile, variable into the decision-making of the Reserve Bank over the next few months – although the Albanese government has been quick to provide assurances that Australia is well supplied with energy over the next few weeks at least," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The research also found that despite this year's increase in mortgage stress, the number of households at risk was down year on year by 232,000 people.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It attributed the decline to the Reserve Bank's cycle of interest rate cuts, which brought figures down by 0.75 percentage points to 3.6 per cent. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/finance/inflation-australia-february-2026-cpi/521eeb71-3877-4cb5-80f3-0f8bf7813b6d" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Inflation eases off for first time in months, but offers little reprieve</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Reserve Bank has reversed two of last year's cuts with its consecutive hikes this year due to resurgent inflation. </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/finance/inflation-australia-january-2026-cpi-interest-rates-implications/6b382a95-929e-4fda-9d88-1df3ed7cc0b0" rel="" target="_blank" title="surprise inflation jump in January"><span>surprise inflation jump in January</span></a><span> and the war in Iran.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Governor Michele Bullock suggested more rate increases could come if inflation does not decrease.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We don't want to have a recession, but if it's hard to get inflation down, then, you know, we're going to have to deal with that possibly," she said earlier this month.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Currently, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/finance/inflation-australia-february-2026-cpi/521eeb71-3877-4cb5-80f3-0f8bf7813b6d" rel="" target="_blank" title="inflation is at 3.7 per cent"><span>inflation is at 3.7 per cent</span></a><span> but Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said even a conservative forecast has it rising to 5.5 per cent later this year, and a Roy Morgan poll showed Australians expect it to reach 6.9 per cent in a matter of weeks, a 1.6 percentage-point rise from the last result.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><em><span>Google 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