The new partnership expands an existing commercial relationship, with ORDE saying it would bring flexible, property‑backed solutions onto Connective’s lending panel.
ORDE Financial, a specialist non‑bank lender focused on SME and investor clients, has been appointed to the Connective lending panel in a move designed to expand property‑backed commercial options.
ORDE reiterated that the appointment reflected its existing footprint in the business community.
The non‑bank said it had built its proposition around SMEs and investors using property to secure premises, recycle equity, and support expansion plans, often in scenarios where standardised settings fell short.
ORDE’s head of strategic partnerships, Tim Ford, said the lender’s book was already dominated by business‑owner borrowers and that this had shaped its product design and risk appetite.
“Commercial lending has been central to ORDE since launch, reflecting the fact that around 80 per cent of our borrowers are SME owners and business operators,” he said.
“Brokers support these clients across a range of commercial needs – from buying business premises and investing through an SMSF to using property‑backed equity to support growth.”
Ford said that focus had driven a deliberate build‑out of people and processes to handle more intricate transactions.
“That’s why we’ve continued to invest in and scale our commercial capability – including expanding our BDM and relationship management support nationally – so brokers can confidently support more complex commercial work,” he said.
Expanding an established relationship
ORDE’s inclusion on the panel comes after a longstanding commercial relationship with Connective.
ORDE said many Connective‑accredited brokers had onboarded directly with the lender to place deals where business structures, cash flows, or timelines demanded more nuanced credit settings.
Ford said the new arrangement was designed to make that pathway simpler and more visible.
“We were already working with hundreds of Connective brokers who had accredited with us because they needed a commercial lender built for real‑world complexity,” he said.
“Joining the panel makes it easier for more brokers to tap into the commercial opportunity with confidence.”
To back that up, ORDE said it added senior frontline support in two of the country’s busiest markets.
“This includes the appointment of Bettina Lumsden and Claire Byrne in the QLD and NSW markets respectively, adding experienced, on‑the‑ground support for Connective brokers,” Ford said.
“Both are well known to many brokers and deeply familiar with how Connective members work with their clients.”
Connective expands its commercial bench
For Connective, the move lands as more business owners lean on property assets to support growth, lifting the volume and complexity of commercial scenarios flowing through aggregation groups.
Brent Starrenburg, head of commercial and asset finance at Connective, said that backdrop was driving continued expansion of the group’s commercial offering.
“Commercial lending continued to grow as more SME clients look to property to secure premises, invest or unlock equity for expansion,” he said.
Starrenburg added that ORDE’s appetite for property‑backed transactions would sit alongside existing funders to broaden solutions at the sharper end of the market.
“ORDE’s focus on property‑backed commercial lending adds another strong option for our brokers, particularly where deals require flexibility and commercial judgement beyond standard bank policy,” he said.
[Related: ORDE locks in third $1bn RMBS as investor ranks swell]
