There’s plenty happening across lender policy this week, with some genuinely useful changes for brokers — particularly across bridging, casual and contractor income, genuine savings, Alt Doc, ATO debt and higher-value securities.

Here’s what you need to know.

🏦 Apollo by LMG

Bridging just got even better with Apollo Next

Apollo has made further enhancements to its bridging proposition, including a new Flexible End-debt option for situations where the client’s eventual end debt isn’t completely certain.

No End-debt

For deals where the final end debt is uncertain:

• 0.35% upfront commission with no clawback — so if the end debt changes, you don’t lose out
• The Next Modeller has been updated to allow brokers to model this option with clients
• Serviceability is verified on the estimated end debt amount only, with interest capitalised on the bridge

No servicing required

There is:

• No declaration of the client’s financial position
• No income verification
• No expense or liability information required
• 15% shading for clients under 59
• 20% shading for clients aged 60+
• Broker attestation — backing the broker’s assessment of the client’s circumstances

End-debt reminder

Apollo End-debt can also provide increased purchasing power, with:

• Bridge split rates reduced by 10bps
• The ability to combine this with new Apollo Max end-debt rates
• Serviceability assessed only on the end-debt amount, with interest capitalisation

🏦 ING

Casual income assessment gets more flexible

ING has updated the way it assesses both casual employees and contractors, which could open the door for clients who have previously been difficult to place.

Casual employees

Casual income can now be assessed using 52 weeks of earnings, provided the customer has been with the same employer for at least six months.

Documentation

For clients with six months or more YTD income:

• Two most recent payslips

For clients with less than six months YTD income:

• Two most recent payslips; plus
• Previous year's Income Statement or Payment Summary from the same employer

Tax returns are not acceptable for this purpose.

Contractors without leave entitlements

Six months or more with the current employer

Income can be assessed using 52 weeks of earnings, with the same assessment and documentation requirements as casual employees.

Less than six months with the current employer

The client must demonstrate:

• At least 12 months' income history across the current and previous employer/s
• Employment gaps of no more than 60 days
• Serviceability using the lower of current or previous employer income, annualised over 52 weeks

Required documents include:

• Two most recent payslips from the current employer
• Income Statement/s or Payment Summary/s from the current and/or previous employer/s sufficient to evidence at least 12 months' income history

Again, tax returns are not acceptable for this purpose.

Contractors with leave entitlements

Standard PAYG policy applies.

🏦 NAB

Update NOW LIVE! Gifted and inherited funds can now count as genuine savings

Effective 1 September 2026, NAB will accept gifted and inherited funds as eligible genuine savings.

Importantly, the usual 90-day holding requirement does not apply to gifted or inherited funds.

The 90-day rule remains in place for other forms of genuine savings.

Funds must be in the applicant's account at the time of submission and can be verified using either:

• A bank statement; or
• Transaction listing showing the customer's name and confirming ownership of the account

Customer attestation required

Applicants using gifted or inherited funds must complete NAB's attestation template confirming:

• Amount
• Date received
• Provider's name and relationship to the applicant
• Type of contribution
• That the funds are unconditional and non-refundable

The template is available in the NAB Broker Portal under:

Credit Policies > 11.0 Other Verification

Tasmania eConveyancing changes

NAB has also introduced changes supporting the rollout of eConveyancing in Tasmania.

From 1 September 2026:

• Paper Certificates of Title will no longer be issued or held
• Titles will instead be electronically managed by the Land Titles Office
• The existing TAS Production Slip process will be retired
• A new Consent Form will be generated by NAB's fulfilment team
• Tasmanian sale and purchase settlements will become visible through the PEXA Tracker

NAB has also released a new Quick Reference Guide for DocuSign loan documents to help brokers support customers through document acceptance.

🏦 Resimac

A solid round of policy enhancements

Resimac has made several changes this week across parental leave income, Alt Doc, private lending and ATO debt.

Parental leave income

Resimac will now use 100% of employer-paid and/or Government Paid Parental Leave income. That is double the previous amount accepted.

Alt Doc — Accountants Declaration

An Accountants Declaration can now be used to verify income on Alt Doc applications where a single applicant has a mix of:

• Self-certified income; and
• PAYG income

The PAYG component continues to be verified under normal requirements, while the self-certified component can now receive the same treatment as an applicant who is entirely self-certified.

Refinancing private or solicitor loans

Private and solicitor loans can now be refinanced into a Prime or Prime Alt Doc facility where:

• Interest is being paid monthly; and
• Evidence of those payments is available

Maximum LVR is 80%.

ATO debt consolidation

Clients can now consolidate ATO debt into a Prime refinance:

• Up to 80% LVR
• Maximum ATO debt of $200,000
• Debt must be paid out in full as part of the refinance

ATO debt retention

For Specialist applications, where the client already has a formal ATO repayment plan in place, they may now retain the ATO debt rather than being required to clear it at settlement.

Maximum retained ATO debt: $200,000.

🏦 Macquarie

Higher property value limits from 10 September

Macquarie is increasing its maximum property limits per security from Thursday 10 September 2026.

Metro — Category 1

LVR	New property limit
≤70%	$12,000,000
>70% and ≤80%	$6,000,000
>80% and ≤95%	$2,000,000

Non-metro & regional — Categories 2 and 3

LVR	New property limit
≤70%	$3,500,000
>70% and ≤80%	$2,000,000
>80% and ≤95%	$1,000,000

That’s a meaningful increase for brokers dealing with higher-value metro properties, particularly up to 80% LVR.

Serviceability calculator enhancements

Macquarie is also rolling out several calculator enhancements from 10 September.

The broker calculator is the same tool used by Macquarie credit analysts.

Changes include:

• Direct link to the latest rate cards
• Easier year-to-date income calculations
• A dedicated HECS field
• Reduced risk of HECS being inadvertently double-counted within expenses
• Updated property value limits built directly into the calculator

🏦 Bluestone for LMG

Now live in MyCRM

Bluestone for LMG is now live in MyCRM, becoming the seventh specialist lender within the LMG Lending suite.

It adds additional capability for clients who may not fit traditional lender credit scoring or policy, including:

• Near-prime borrowers
• Self-employed clients with complex income
• Applications requiring greater context than a standard policy checklist allows

Key features

• Discharged bankruptcy from day one
• Alt Doc and six-month ABN
• 80% LVR commercial
• 40-year residential loan terms
• Sub-one business day turnaround

Current offer

A 0.25% rate discount is available across products up to 80% LVR.*

*Conditions apply. Refer to the Bluestone broker portal for full details.

👉 Visit the Broker Portal

🏦 Bank of Sydney

Beyond standard commercial security

Bank of Sydney will consider a surprisingly broad range of specialised commercial assets where supported by real property security.

Security types can include:

• Childcare centres
• Petrol stations
• Co-living properties
• NDIS properties — established properties only
• Car parks
• Motels
• Hotels
• Boarding houses

Worth keeping in the back pocket for those commercial deals where the security itself is the sticking point.

🏦 MyState Bank

Refinance offer

Eligible new refinance customers can currently access:

• Variable rates from 5.99% p.a.
• Up to $650 in upfront fee savings

This includes:

• No establishment fee — saving up to $300
• No settlement fee — saving up to $350

A few things to remember

The 0.05% refinance discount applies to eligible new refinance applications across MyState's variable home loan suite, including:

• Owner occupied
• Investment
• Principal & Interest
• Interest Only

Offset accounts are available under the Special Residential Home Loan product.

Refinance applications from Auswide Bank are excluded.

How to apply the offer

Enter: REFI Campaign in the broker notes when submitting the application to ensure eligible clients receive both the refinance rate discount and fee waivers.

🏦 Granite

New broker policy resource

Granite has launched a new Key Policy Information resource designed to make it faster for brokers to find key lending settings while working through scenarios.

The guide covers areas including:

• Employment types
• Acceptable income
• Acceptable and unacceptable property types
• SMSF accepted contributions and assessment
• Easy Refinance
• Equity release / cash out
• Savings and equity requirements

…and more.

👉 View Granite's Key Policy Information

🎓 Training, Webinars & Broker Development

🏦 MA Money

Supply, Demand and the Property Market Opportunity

Tuesday 8 September | 12:00pm–1:00pm AEST

Katie McNamara from MA Money is joined by Jay Pace from Providence Property Group for a look at the Australian property market and where opportunities may be emerging.

Topics include:

• Why current conditions could represent a rare buying window
• How supply shortages, construction costs and migration are shaping the market
• Where investors are finding opportunities and value

Attendees receive 1 CPD point.

👉 Register here

🏦 Commonwealth Bank

More Ways to Say Yes

Thursday 24 September | 12:00pm–12:45pm AEST

CBA will cover several policies and servicing strategies that can help maximise borrowing capacity, including:

• HELP debt alternate servicing using a 1% buffer
• Boarder income
• Tax-free salary sacrifice
• Property Share
• The 5% Home Guarantee Scheme

The session also includes an economic update from Associate Director Harry Ottley.

👉 Register here

Self-Employed Income Foundations

The second workshop in CommBank's three-part Self-Employed series covers:

• Reading balance sheets
• Profit & loss statements
• Depreciation schedules
• Common servicing add-backs
• Applying the concepts using a single-trading-entity case study

Upcoming sessions:

• Thursday 10 September | 3:00pm–4:00pm
• Tuesday 15 September | 11:30am–12:30pm
• Thursday 24 September | 11:30am–12:30pm
• Tuesday 29 September | 3:00pm–4:00pm

👉 Register here

Broker Development Pathway

CommBank's Broker Development Pathway includes nine on-demand modules covering:

• CommBroker
• Digital Serviceability Calculator
• CommVal
• Pricing Tool
• ApplyOnline
• Digital ID and NetBank
• Delegate access
• Tracking applications
• Managing your CommBank loan portfolio

Modules are available 24/7 via the Training Hub.

Broker Foundations

Wednesday 16 September | 11:30am–12:30pm AEST

Designed for newly accredited brokers, delegates or anyone wanting a refresher on CommBank's processes, policy and systems.

If you previously registered for the cancelled 19 August session, you will need to register again for the September session.

👉 Register here

🏦 People First Bank

Broker Evolution Update

Wednesday 16 September | 11:00am–11:45am AEST

The session will cover:

• People First Bank's niche lending opportunities
• Digital lodgement
• What makes a strong application
• How to use their national BDM support to get more deals across the line

👉 Register here

🏦 Pepper Money

Monthly BDM Update

16 September 2026 | 1:00pm AEST

Pepper Money BDM Keishan Subramaniam will cover:

• Latest policy updates
• Current promotions
• Operational changes
• Exception requests
• Complex lending scenarios
• Tools and resources available to brokers

👉 Register through the Pepper Money broker update invitation.

🏦 RedZed

Unlock, Refinance, Grow — Finding More Deals with RedZed

Tuesday 15 September | 11:00am–11:45am AEST

The session will look at:

• Strategic cash out and equity release
• SMSF refinancing using RedZed EasyRefi
• Residential and commercial opportunities the major banks may not accommodate

👉 Register here

💜 A little something different to finish this week…

On Saturday, I hosted my first charity event in support of Friends with Dignity and their incredible Sanctuary Program.

The Sanctuary Program helps women and families who are rebuilding their lives after leaving a home because of domestic and family violence.

Often, they are starting again with very little.

Friends with Dignity helps turn an empty property into a safe, welcoming home — giving families the household essentials, comfort and dignity they need for a genuine fresh start.

I invited a wonderful mix of my girlfriends, school mums and footy mums over for an afternoon together, and I was honestly blown away by the generosity.

The donation drive was incredible.

Between everyone, we collected:

• Linen in all sizes — both new and good-quality second-hand items
• Children’s quilt and cover sets
• Towels
• Brand-new pillows
• Saucepan sets
• Dinner sets and crockery
• Glassware
• Table lamps
• Electric frypans
• Kitchen utensils
• Toasters
• Irons
• Kitchen storage containers
• A blender
• Nappies
• An ice-cream maker
• Cushions and throw rugs
• Styling and décor items
• A sandwich press
• Cleaning products, detergents, sponges and cloths
• Tea towels
• Washing baskets
• Serving platters

…and plenty more.

What struck me most is that so many of us already have good-quality items sitting in our homes that we simply no longer use.

They may not be useful to us anymore, but they can make an enormous difference to a family setting up a new home from scratch.

Friends with Dignity accepts donations of clean, good-quality, working household items, with a full list of what they need available on their website.

Want to run your own donation drive?

I’d genuinely encourage you to do it.

It doesn’t need to be complicated. Invite some friends, your team, your school community or your network together and ask everyone to bring something from the donation list.

I’ve also created a Canva template you can use for your own Friends with Dignity donation drive — simply add your details, send it out and host your own event.

It was such a simple afternoon to organise, but collectively the impact was huge.

And, as all good ladies’ events should finish, we wrapped things up with plenty of dancing and a very enthusiastic rendition of Dolly’s “9 to 5” and “Islands in the Stream” into our microphones — AKA wooden spoons. 😂

More than 30 of my friends contributed, and between the donations, the laughs and the wooden-spoon karaoke, I think it’s fair to say we certainly made an impact.

If a few people reading Credit Crunch decide to run their own little drive too, imagine what we could achieve together. 💜

Kath