Customer-owned banks take the spotlight as First Home Loan Deposit Scheme enters second month

The government’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme is due to be rolled out February 1, and customer-owned banks are experiencing a surge in interest.

Of the 27 names which make up the scheme’s panel of lenders, 20 are customer-owned. They will be competing for 5,000 of the 10,000 home loans that have been allocated to non-major bank lenders as part of the scheme.

Michael Lawrence, Chief Executive Officer of the Customer Owned Banking Association, said customer-owned banks have a long tradition of helping first homeowners enter the property market, thanks to their competitive pricing and dedicated customer service.

“Customer owned banking institutions have been helping prospective first home buyers with assembling documentation and preparing applications to help with timely lodgements from 1 February,” he said. 

What is the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme?

The First Home Loan Deposit Scheme is a government initiative which will help 10,000 eligible first home buyers purchase a home sooner by guaranteeing up to 15% of their home loan, allowing them to avoid paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance altogether.

A lack of a sizable deposit has long been one of the main barriers for Australians looking to buy a home. By allowing Australians to purchase a home with just a 5% deposit, the scheme hopes to help low and middle income earners who have up till now felt priced out of the property market.

Already 3,000 spots have been snapped up within a single week in January, and pre-approvals are expected to continue at a rapid pace. The good news is that a further 10,000 spots will be made available mid-2020.

“With the scheme going on, the area of the market that it occupies could start to move up, and this may pressure other first home buyers to hop onto the bandwagon as well,” said Mozo’s property expert, Steve Jovcevski. 

Which customer-owned banks have signed on?

So which customer-owned institutions have been selected by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) as panellists for the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme? The list includes the following:

• Australian Military Bank
• Bank Australia
• Bank First
• Bank of us
• Beyond Bank Australia
• Community First Credit Union
• CUA
• Defence Bank
• Gateway Bank
• G&C Mutual Bank
• People’s Choice Credit Union
• Police Bank (including the Border Bank and Bank of Heritage Isle)
• P&N Bank
• QBANK
• Queensland Country Credit Union
• Regional Australia Bank
• Sydney Mutual Bank and Endeavour Bank
• Teachers Mutual Bank Limited (including Firefighters Mutual Bank, Health Professionals Bank, Teachers Mutual Bank and UniBank)
• The Mutual Bank
• WAW Credit Union.

If you’d like to see how the above lenders stack up against larger lenders, head over to our home loan comparison page for an idea. And if you’re after more tips on entering the property market, be sure to browse our first home buyer guides.