Hear from Baber Zaka at Commonwealth Bank on how brokers are guiding customers through changing market conditions, with a focus on consistency, clarity and
Australia’s mortgage and lending landscape is experiencing one of the biggest shifts in recent years. At the same time, economic conditions continue to challenge serviceability, reshape borrowing capacity and test confidence.
In this environment, I see brokers doing what they do best, advocating fiercely for their customers. They are navigating changes, interpreting policy, and seeking clarity from lenders. What they want from us is consistent credit guidance, predictable assessment experiences and meaningful engagement with Relationship Managers who understand the commercial and human realities behind every deal.
Brokers now write the majority of new residential mortgages in Australia. That is not simply a distribution statistic; it reflects a deeper shift in customer behaviour. Customers increasingly turn to advisers who can interpret macroeconomic change, lender nuance and policy movement and translate all of that into solutions aligned to their individual goals and values.
As I reflect on our direction in Third Party Banking, my focus is clear: brokers are not a channel to manage, they are a strategic ally in how we serve customers. The opportunity ahead is not about volume; it is about relevance, consistency and long-term alignment.
From transactional to relationship-led engagement
This is no longer a transactional environment. Heightened competition, sharper pricing cycles and sustained serviceability pressure mean brokers require more than turnaround times and rate sheets. They are looking for direct communication, genuine case ownership, proactive guidance and consistency in assessment.
For me, strengthening our broker proposition starts with investing in both technology and people. Enhancements to CommBroker, including digital settlement integration and self-serve escalation tools, are designed to reduce friction and increase transparency.
Equally important is investing in experienced Relationship Managers and operational teams who bring judgment, accessibility and accountability to broker interactions. Predictability builds trust.
Our tiering model reflects that philosophy. It is not about exclusivity; it is about creating a scalable and equitable framework that recognises quality, supports sustainable growth and values long term relationships.
The new era of lending complexity
What was once a preference for convenience has evolved into reliance on trusted guidance. Lending today carries far more variables and nuance than even a few years ago.
There has been a marked rise in complexity across customer scenarios, self-employed borrowers with evolving income streams, customers with multiple sources of income, layered government schemes, construction lending, and increasingly bespoke purchase structures. These are not edge cases; they are becoming the norm.
Brokers gravitate toward lenders who are transparent about policy pathways and open to constructive scenario discussions before submission. Where conservatism has increased across parts of the market, differentiation comes from thoughtful assessment, specialist expertise and a willingness to understand the full picture behind an application.
Our ambition is to be a lender who brokers know can support them with all of their customer needs, that specialise in the complex. That means designing policy pathways that responsibly accommodate complexity, whilst ensuring we do the basics right.
Complex lending should not mean unpredictable lending. My priority is ensuring that flexibility, where it exists, is supported by a common sense approach enabling our brokers to support more of their customers.
Simplifying the complex
Looking ahead, my focus remains on simplification. The market will continue to evolve, policy settings will shift and customer scenarios will grow more diverse. In that context, our role is to remove unnecessary friction through smarter technology, clearer guidance and stronger alignment between frontline teams and credit.
If we can make the lending journey more transparent and consistent, brokers can do what they do best, spend more time advising customers and less time navigating process.
