Brokers drive SME lending for NAB

Mr Kane said NAB’s commercial lending piece has been increasing rapidly over the last few years.

“We think brokers are now accounting for somewhere between 25 and 30 per cent of that business,” he said, adding that brokers have a distinct advantage to capitalise on their existing customer base when looking to boost their commercial business.

"Twenty-five per cent of all broker-introduced housing loan customers are small business owners, so there is a natural affiliation when you look at a ‘whole of relationship’ concept that brokers have with their customers.

“That will continue to grow and follow the trajectory of the residential market in terms of how brokers service their customers," Mr Kane said.

NAB launched its commercial broker business two years ago and has been steadily ramping up its offering, recognising that small businesses are the engine room of the Australian economy.

While the major bank has been without a small business offering for brokers in recent years, Mr Kane explained that the group has been piloting one over the last couple of months with a small group of select brokers in New South Wales and Victoria.

“We're going to roll that out at the end of this calendar year to the wider market and it's really going to be providing small business with firm funding,” he said.

“It will primarily be backed by residential security but it will be that sub $1 million small business loan so we'll roll that out in the last calendar quarter of this year.”

[Related: MyState credits brokers for loan growth]