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Australia's residential mortgage-backed securities market has ground to a virtual halt, creating huge funding headaches for the country's non-bank mortgage lenders. With some companies at risk of collapse, bankers claim the government needs to intervene to ensure a competitive mortgage market. By Wietske Blees

Australia's non-bank mortgage lenders are staring down the barrel. With demand for residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBSs) shrivelling, the main funding mechanism for the country's specialist mortgage companies has all but seized up. While those banks with access to retail deposits have largely been unaffected, even increasing market share, those without have been forced to scale back mortgage origination. With a handful of firms already shutting up shop, lenders claim the government