TOKYO -- The most popular mortgage lender in Japan is not one of its big established banks, but an online-only company known as SBI Sumishin Net Bank.
The reason: low mortgage rates. SBI Sumishin can afford to lend at very low rates -- a 10-year fixed-rate home loan carries an interest rate of 1.17%, compared with the average rate of 1.28% for major banks -- because it has a lean cost structure and no branch network. SBI Sumishin also offers other benefits, such as free mortgage insurance and refinancing.
