Weekly Credit Crunch - 20th July 2026 🌟

After taking a few weeks off, I'm back on deck and ready to jump straight back into pulling together all the latest highlights and updates from lender land.

And what a week to come back to.

We've seen some big additions to the LMG Lending portfolio with the launch of Skip by LMG and Thinktank by LMG, more fee changes on the horizon from AMP, policy shifts from Westpac and ANZ that could impact how you structure refinance and investment deals, plus a handful of niche policy updates that could make placing your next complex scenario that little bit easier.

As always, I've gone through the announcements so you don't have to. Below are the updates that actually matter, what they mean for your deals, where the opportunities sit, and the things I'd be double-checking before you hit submit.

Let's jump in! 

🚀 Huge News: LMG Lending Just Got Bigger!

While I was away, LMG Lending just got significantly bigger with the launch of two massive additions to our portfolio: Skip by LMG and Thinktank by LMG. And LMG aren't stopping there – Brighten by LMG is set to join the family later this month. 

These aren't just standard panel additions. This is a deliberate, strategic expansion. LMG lending have hand-picked these specialist lenders because of their incredible product depth, flexible policies, and their proven track record of leading the market in their respective niches.

For you as a broker, the outcome is simple: lightning-fast service designed to get deals approved, and products that perform no matter how complex the scenario is.

Here is a quick look at how our new partners fit into the portfolio:

💥 Skip by LMG – The 2% Deposit Disruptor

• The Sweet Spot: This is your absolute go-to lender when a client has the strong income to service a loan, but lacks the massive upfront deposit.
• The Edge: If you thought a 2% deposit product was for First Home Buyers Only - think again! Skip is a genuinely disruptive low-deposit option that maximizes your client's purchasing power without penalizing them on rates, fees, or the lodgement experience. It’s designed for investors, families rebuilding after divorce or separation and even upgraders.
• 🎙️ Check This Out: I actually sat down with the founder of Skip to bust all the classic High LVR myths. You can listen to that full podcast episode by clicking here!

🏢 Thinktank by LMG – The Complex & Commercial Heavyweight

• The Specialty: Your specialist for Commercial, complex Residential, SMSF, and Private Lending.
• The Rebrand: If the name sounds familiar, that's because Thinktank is the official rebrand of our existing Go Beyond partnership.
• What Changes? Same lender, same exceptional products, but with a new name that truly reflects what this relationship has always been: a deep, strategic partnership with one of Australia’s most respected specialist lenders.

🌟 Coming Soon: Brighten by LMG 

The expansion isn't over yet.

• The Specialty: Your go-to lender for complex residency, construction finance and reverse mortgages. Brighten is built for the deals that fall outside the standard lending box. 
• The Edge: Whether you're working with expat returnees, non-residents, foreign income earners, visa holders, construction clients or older borrowers looking to unlock equity through a reverse mortgage, Brighten offers clear policy and specialist expertise where many lenders become restrictive. It also brings strong capability across SMSF lending, company and trust borrowers, self-employed (full and Alt Doc) and PAYG clients with foreign income.
• 🎙️ Get Ahead of the Launch: Brighten officially joins the LMG Lending portfolio later this month. Want to see where it fits before launch? Join the webinar on Tuesday, 28 July at 12:00 pm AEST for a walkthrough of its policy niches, product offering and ideal client scenarios.

📅 Tuesday 28 July | 12:00-1 pm AEST

👉 Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_51UdidYaSSqN5o5St6zfIQ#/registration

🛑 ANZ: Simpler Switch Suspension

Just circling back on an important update from earlier this month regarding ANZ’s suspension of their Simpler Switch (Simplified/ Streamlined Refinance) policy. This was a highly popular pathway for rescuing clients trapped in "mortgage prison" by allowing streamlined, dollar-for-dollar refinances with minimal documentation requirements..

While ANZ has exited this specific space, the good news is that we still have over 15 lenders inside TBB who actively offer simplified refinance policy exceptions.

As you look to transition these scenarios to alternative lenders, please keep these two critical points in mind:

• Varying Lender Niches: Document verification and credit guidelines vary significantly across the remaining panel options. 
• Compliance is Non-Negotiable: A reduced lender document requirement does not absolve you of your Best Interests Duty (BID). You are still legally required to make reasonable inquiries and collect a complete file in accordance with your licensee’s minimum document checklist. Just because the banks don’t require it does NOT mean your aggregator does not require you to collect and keep on file.

🏢 Apollo by LMG: Company & Trust Features

• Niche Reminder: A quick refresher on their key features for Company and Trust lending.
• New Trusts: Policy is fully open to newly established trusts.
• Lending & Leverage: Lending available up to $3 Million and up to 85% LVR with no LMI.
• Buffers & Guarantees: Features a sharp 2% servicing buffer and requires no guarantees from trust beneficiaries.
• Turnaround: Fast turnarounds and streamlined SLAs to keep deals moving.

📈 AMP: Major Updates & Upcoming Fee Changes

• Upcoming Webinar: "AMP Bank Update" on Wednesday, 5 August from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm. Covering the AMP platform, assessment performance, SMSF SuperEdge, a new product launch, and professional package niches.
  
  👉 Register here
  

• ⚠️ Massive Fee Changes (Effective 30 July 2026):
• A new $2,500 application fee will apply to all new Company and/or Trust applications at settlement.
• Only applies to new applications submitted on or after 30 July (pipeline and reworks are excluded).
• It is a one-off fee collected at settlement. Note that SMSF applications are excluded from this.
• ⚠️ Fee Increases (Effective 25 August 2026):
• Annual Package Fee: Increasing from $349 to $415 (Professional Package & Select).
• Discharge Fee: Increasing from $390 to $490 across all loan products.

🏛️ Bank of Sydney: Residential & Commercial Policy Niches

Residential Highlights:

• Debt Reducer: Simple, common-sense policy for handling applicants with joint liabilities.
• No Auto-Declines: Applications with a lower CRR score won't be automatically declined if there are strong mitigating circumstances.
• No LMI: Available for Select Professionals up to 90% LVR (P&I, Owner-Occupied properties).

Commercial SME Highlights (Under $3M business/$6M aggregate lending):

• LVR & Security: Up to 80% LVR available when secured by commercial or residential property.
• Loan Terms: NEW Extended terms up to 30 years for residential security and 25 years for commercial security.
• Servicing: A reduced serviceability buffer of just 1.5% for SME borrowers.
• Interest Only: Terms available for up to 5 years.

🎟️ Deposit Power: Business Growth Webinar

• The Details: Hosting a masterclass on Wednesday, 29 July from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm.
• The Focus: Deep dive into how deposit bonds can eliminate upfront cash deposit barriers and keep buyers moving forward.

👉 Register here

🍏 Macquarie: Portal Enhancements

• Document History Tool: You can now view a complete ledger of all additional documents uploaded by you or your support staff, including exact file names and credit comments.
• Estimated Time to Complete: A real-time tracking tracker showing exactly where your application sits, whether it's on track, delayed, or requires broker action.

💵 MA Money: Alt Doc 101 Webinar

• The Details: Running an Alt Doc masterclass on Thursday, 30 July from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. 
• The Content: Designed to help you structure self-employed deals, walk through servicing calculations, and unpack real-life credit scenarios.

👉 Register here

🔵 NAB: Direct Debit Self-Service

• Digital Rollout: From 22 July, customers can set up and manage direct debits directly via the app/portal (Account > Manage > Your Repayments).
• The Rules: The direct debit must match the contracted repayment frequency and due date, and must cover the full minimum repayment amount.
• Out-of-Cycle Tips: If a client wants to pay out of cycle (e.g., fortnightly payments on a monthly contract), they need to set up a standard recurring transfer instead.

🏔️ Paramount Mortgages: Two Masterclasses

• Rural & Agri Masterclass: Thursday, 23 July 2026 at 3:30 pm AEST via Zoom. Practical guide on how to safely place and structure multi-billion dollar agricultural deals.
• Construction Masterclass: Wednesday, 22 July at 3:30 pm AEST via Zoom. Helping you navigate construction financing when other lenders drop the ball. 

🔴 Westpac: Negative Gearing & New Portal

• Credit Policy Shift (Effective 29 June 2026): Negative gearing is no longer automatically applied.
• The Action Plan: You must explicitly assess eligibility, document the client conversation in AOL, use the correct declaration template, and apply the Rental Income Tax Deduction (RITD) via the new calculator if negative gearing isn't allowed.
• Client Onboarding: They have launched a new Get Started with your Home Loan webpage. It is a post-settlement self-service portal for non-lending inquiries that you can share with clients to cut down on administrative noise.
  
  👉View customer web page