What’s changing across the lending market, and what it means for you
At the UFinancial Annual Conference, we brought together representatives from AFG, Fintelligence, Bankwest, Commonwealth Bank and ANZ for a panel discussion on where lending is heading. The conversation, hosted by our CEO, Bryce Deledio, covered everything from lender appetite and application preparation to the rising role of AI and fraud detection.
A few themes clearly stood out: clearly.
Applications are being approved quicker
Bankwest shared that they are now approving 40% of applications within as little as four hours, a figure driven largely by investment in automation and speed to decision. Across the panel, there was broad agreement that speed is now a baseline expectation. What increasingly sets lenders apart is how well that speed is paired with support when an application deal doesn’t fit neatly into an application.
Lender appetite varies more than borrowers expect
One of the more striking examples came from Fintelligence’s Mark Darmanin, who described a scenario where a buyer had been assessed as ‘fully extended’ on servicing their home loan, yet was approved for a car loan through a different lender a week after settlement. It’s a reminder that a decline or a tight assessment from one lender does not necessarily reflect your borrowing position. Different lenders weigh risk, income and commitments differently, which is exactly why comparing options matters.
A well-prepared application makes the biggest difference
Asked what one change would most improve outcomes over the next year, Michael Elliot’s answer was straightforward: organisation. A complete, well-structured application continues to be one of the most reliable ways to avoid delays, regardless of how much automation a lender has introduced. Preparation beats speed when the two are in tension, and that’s where the UFinancial team guide you through the process, and why our team ask you so many questions
Fraud checks have tightened
Several panellists pointed to a sharp rise in fraud related conduct, driven in part by AI’s growing ability to detect anomalies in documents that would previously have gone unnoticed. Michael Elliot noted that Bankwest has deliberately increased the sensitivity of its fraud detection systems, meaning more applications are being flagged for review even when nothing is wrong. For borrowers, this means additional checks are increasingly standard practice rather than a sign of a problem.
Why lender panel size matters for asset and equipment finance
AFG’s Christa Malkin and Fintelligence’s Mark Darmanin highlighted a gap that often goes unnoticed and acts as a good reminder of UFinancial’s offer.
Our business and asset finance team has access to over 50 asset finance lenders, well above the 4-10 a broker typically has through a single aggregator panel. For borrowers looking at car, equipment or business asset finance, that breadth means more room to match the right lender to your circumstances on price, appetite and structure. It’s one of the reasons we’re able to offer options a narrower panel simply can’t.
The bigger picture
Across every panellist, from CBA’s Jaron Lamaro to ANZ’s Michael Petidis, the same idea kept resurfacing: technology is changing how quickly decisions get made, but it hasn’t changed the value of understanding a borrower’s full circumstances. AI can process information. It can’t provide context, and it can’t replace a conversation about what someone needs.
There is rarely one lender or loan structure that is right for everyone. Understanding the differences between lenders, and how appetite, policy and turnaround times vary, can help borrowers find options better aligned to their position, priorities and future plans.
A big thank you to our panel members for sharing their time and expertise: Christa Malkin (AFG), Mark Darmanin (Fintelligence), Michael Elliot (Bankwest), Jaron Lamaro (CBA) and Michael Petidis (ANZ).
If you’d like to talk through your own lending position after reading this, speak with one of our UFinancial team.
