Commercial broker data reveals two-speed lender recommendations

Data from the Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending, a monthly survey of commercial brokers, covering May to July 2025 reveals distinct performance patterns across Australia's three core commercial finance segments, with processing speed and customer satisfaction creating clear market hierarchies in commercial mortgages, asset finance, and business loans.

Ahead of the release of the latest data collected throughout September for August applications, we explore the last two rolling quarters of commercial lending data covering a total of 745 active commercial and finance brokers, including 345 over the last quarter.

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Key stats you need to know

• Commercial mortgages show ANZ leading with 33% broker usage and fastest processing at 6.1 days, 19% faster than slowest major lender (Westpac: 7.5 days).
• Asset finance is led by lenders who can approve at speed with Angle Finance taking the top spot throughout this three month period, ahead of Westpac and Metro Finance.
• Business loans reveal extreme variation, with the fastest lender (Prospa: 1.5 days) completing applications significantly faster than slowest (Westpac: 7.8 days) among the most commonly used lenders, highlighting the complexity of navigating these deals.

Commercial mortgages: ANZ leads market with combined usage and speed advantage

• ANZ achieves highest broker penetration at 33%, meaning one in three active commercial brokers submitted a commercial mortgage to the lender throughout these three months. ANZ also delivered the fastest processing at 6.1 days among the majors, demonstrating clear market leadership in both usage and efficiency.
• La Trobe Financial and Liberty rounded out the rest of the highlighted lenders with above 10% of brokers submitting applications to them throughout this three month period.
• Commercial mortgage markets show that broker penetration correlates more strongly with institutional strength than processing efficiency. ANZ's 6.1-day processing advantage creates meaningful competitive differentiation, yet NAB maintains a close hold on both broker engagement and turnaround times.

"The commercial property space is highly competitive and each of the major banks are reaching significant numbers of brokers ANZ has achieved the ideal combination in commercial mortgages - highest broker usage and fastest processing," notes Michael Johnson, Director at Agile Market Intelligence. "This dual leadership position is rare and demonstrates strong operational execution."

Commercial Mortgages Performance Table

Source: Agile Market Intelligence's Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending survey
Showing lenders with an average of > 10% broker usage over the last three months.

Asset finance: Angle Finance and Westpac are most commonly used by finance brokers

• Angle Finance leads asset finance with 33% broker penetration, closely followed by Westpac at 32%, though Westpac faces declining usage trends.
• Metro Finance reaches 26% broker usage with fastest processing at 1 day.
• Ten lenders have more than 10% of active commercial brokers submitting applications to them each month on average, the highest of any loan type measured.

Asset finance demonstrates the strongest speed-satisfaction correlation across all segments. Lenders are all extremely competitive and there is significant choice for brokers to support their clients.

"Asset finance is the most straightforward segment - faster processing directly leads to higher broker usage," observes Michael Johnson. "Metro Finance's 1-day turnaround and 26% broker penetration demonstrates this clearly."

Asset Finance Performance Table

Source: Agile Market Intelligence's Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending survey
Showing lenders with an average of > 10% broker usage over the last three months.

Business loans: ANZ holds market lead, followed by NAB as alternative lenders hold speed advantage

• ANZ maintains highest broker penetration at 26% of brokers despite 6.5-day processing, highlighting relationship strength in complex business lending. Followed by other majors NAB and Westpac.
• Alternative lenders (Prospa, Shift, Dynamoney) average significantly faster processing versus the major banks.
• Broker penetration shows less concentration than other segments, with no lender exceeding 26% usage, indicating diverse preferences.

Business loans reveal the most fragmented broker usage patterns, with extreme performance differentials creating switching opportunities. Traditional banks maintain relationship advantages despite processing speeds exceeding industry averages by over 100%, whilst alternative lenders capture market share through operational efficiency.

"Business loans have the biggest speed gaps we've seen - some lenders are 6 times faster than others," notes Michael Johnson. "ANZ still leads on broker usage. Ultimately turnaround times matter less in these deals - it is generally more about solving more complex solutions for clients"

Business Loans Performance Table

Source: Agile Market Intelligence's Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending survey
Showing lenders with an average of > 10% broker usage over the last three months.

About the research

Agile conducts Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending, a community-driven benchmarking initiative capturing the experiences of commercial and asset finance brokers across Australia. This analysis covers the three-month period from May to July 2025, compared to the previous three month period to provide stable performance indicators. This analysis compares rolling quarterly data sets ahead of the latest August data set to be released to subscribing brokers and lenders on 25th September.

The monthly Broker Pulse: Commercial Lending report includes data across asset finance, business loans, and commercial mortgages, and is conducted by Agile Market Intelligence in partnership with the Commercial & Asset Finance Brokers Association (CAFBA).

To receive access to these insights, join the community at www.brokerpulse.com.au