Home Loan Experts

Quick Summary

Founded

1834

Owned by:

ASX Listed

Funded by:

Retail deposits, superannuation and wholesale capital markets

LMI Provider:

QBE LMI for both NAB and NAB Broker

Lender type:

Banks, Major Bank

NAB is a popular choice for many home buyers and investors with an award-winning range of home and investment loans.

Occasionally, they've got some great interest rates, especially negotiated rates for home loans over $1 million. They also have some policy niches which allow some people who can't qualify with other major banks, get approved.

86 400 has been acquired by NAB and will shortly be operating in a merged form with UBank.

>How do NAB's home loans compare?

Pros

Cons

  • Their customers with loans over 3 years old are often on much higher interest rates!
  • They're actually two lenders: NAB Broker and NAB. Mortgage brokers can access both but the branch staff can't!
  • They have many restrictions with their family guarantee (guarantor) loan product and there are much better no deposit home loans available from other lenders!
  • Their credit scoring is tough and you may get declined for no apparent reason
  • Interest rates and fees are not always competitive if you have a small deposit
  • They don't capitalise LMI premiums so you need a larger deposit
  • Getting approved usually depends on the experience of the credit manager handling your loan
  • They have restrictions on their maximum loan size, which penalises professional investors
  • They're unlikely to help people with a bad credit history
  • They tend to make a lot of errors when dealing with construction loans
  • Their lending policy can be strict for self-employed borrowers
  • As they're a major bank, you may feel like just a number

NAB Broker or NAB?

NAB Broker used to be called Homeside and is only accessible via mortgage brokers. It’s now been rebranded and has different loan products and even has different lending policy!

NAB is available through both mortgage brokers and NAB branch lenders. It uses QBE as its mortgage insurer and has totally different products and interest rates.

Each has their own strengths and weaknesses. You’d go to NAB for an owner builder loan but you’d go to NAB Broker if you’re looking for a low rate for someone with a larger deposit or a lot of equity.

As crazy as it sounds, sometimes our mortgage brokers get a loan approved through NAB Broker that a branch lender couldn’t get approved. Or we get a special interest rate that the branch couldn’t access. It may not make much sense as they use the same brand, but remember NAB Broker is actually a different lender .

Not sure if you should use NAB or NAB Broker? Call us on 1300 889 743 or complete our free assessment form online and we’ll compare both options for you.

What home loans types do they have?

NAB’s Choice Package is their most popular home loan for people borrowing more than $250,000. You’ll pay an annual fee in return for a lower interest rate for the life of the loan. You’ll also get discounts on a range of banking products such as your offset account and credit card.

NAB’s Base Variable Rate Home Loan is a good choice for loans under $250,000, however, we think that other basic home loans from other lenders tend to be cheaper.

With Fixed Rate Home Loans, NAB tends to have occasional specials that puts them as the market leader. When they don’t have a special, it’s best to apply with another lender.

They also have FlexiPlus Mortgage and Portfolio Facility but they are far less popular.

NAB now has a single mortgage insurer

NAB has dropped one of its mortgage insurers – Genworth – as one of its mortgage insurers, and works exclusively with QBE LMI. All NAB customers now have QBE as their LMI Insurer.

NAB having a single LMI provider means:

  • A streamlined credit policy for NAB branch and NAB broker.
  • As mortgage brokers, we can access the same credit policy as NAB branches and can process loans we weren’t able to before.

NAB Refinance

NAB has established a dedicated specialist team for processing refinance deals, to reduce turnaround times. Eligible customers will be able to access ‘one-touch’ processing, where the team will prioritise their files to grant approvals even more quickly.

To be eligible for dollar-for-dollar refinancing with NAB:

  • The interest rate must be lower than on the existing loan.
  • The LVR must be below 80%.
  • The new limit must be no more than 5% higher than the existing limit.
  • No serviceability is required if there is good conduct in the last 12 months (clear repayment history for 12 months).
  • The new loan must be in the same name as the facility being refinanced.
  • There must be no change to the borrower’s primary income from the time the loan was established.

How do I negotiate a lower interest rate with NAB?

If you’re applying for a home loan ask your mortgage broker to put in a pricing request with their relationship manager. NAB tends to offer good negotiated pricing for loans over $1 million and people who have a large amount of equity.

If you’ve got an existing loan you may find that NAB is quite tough to get a discount from. Like other major banks, their goal is to give you a credit card and cheque account with your home loans so that it’s a lot of work to switch banks. If your home loan is over 3 years old then you’re almost certainly paying too much!

A good mortgage broker will negotiate with the bank for you and if NAB won’t offer you a better deal then they can help you to refinance to a lower interest rate.

NAB no longer a good option for family guarantee loans

The NAB Family Guarantee loan is quite conservative in the realm of guarantor loans.

Typically, the parents are providing their home or investment property as additional security which allows their adult children to buy a home with no deposit.

However, unlike some other lenders, NAB still requires you to have a 5% deposit as well as funds to cover stamp duty and other costs!

Also, this type of loan can’t be used to buy an investment property and is not available if you or your partner if you have already purchased a property.

This restricts borrowers on lower incomes who get into the housing market by buying a small investment property rather than going straight into their first home.

If you’re interested in a family guarantee loan, read our guarantor loans page for information on what other lenders can offer.

Repayment at retirement

From 25 July 2020, customers will be asked about their home loan repayment plans when they retire.

In doing so, NAB wants to encourage its borrowers to set a realistic retirement age so that they can make repayments on their home loan after retirement.

Depending on when you plan to retire, NAB has outlined a few acceptable repayment strategies.

Your age at the time of application will determine which retirement status you fall under:

  • Imminently retiring: You are 55 years or older, OR you plan to retire within the next 10 years.
  • Not-imminently retiring: You are under 55 years and do not have plans to retire within the next 10 years.
  • Not applicable: You do not plan to retire during the life of your loan OR you’re already retired.

NAB: First Home Loan Deposit Scheme

NAB is one of the 27 lenders who is offering home loans under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (FHLDS).

The scheme allows first home buyers who have saved at least a 5% deposit to get a home loan without paying lenders’ mortgage insurance.

Compare NAB to other lenders

Not sure which lender is right for you? Our Home Loan Experts can help!

Talk to one of our mortgage brokers by calling us on 1300 889 743 or complete our free assessment form.

NAB Client Story

Victor,Vic

Goal

To buy two dwellings on one title as an owner-occupied property.

Situation

Multiple dwellings on one title, first home buyers.

Background

Renting and with a newborn at home, Victor and his wife needed a bigger place and wanted to get out of the rental rate race.

Victor was earning a great income in the IT industry and the couple had saved up a large deposit so they were looking to splash out on their first home.

They found just what they were after in a luxury property on a large acreage that was being advertised for $2.3 million.

The problem was that when they went to apply for a home loan, their lender wouldn't accept it as the land actually had two properties on it, making it a dual occupancy property. This was despite having a 16% deposit to put towards the purchase!

Most lenders are very conservative when it comes to first home buyers wanting to buy multiple dwellings on one title so their application was declined purely because it wouldn't be accepted by their bank's Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) provider.

Solution

After speaking with a mortgage broker, Victor was able to get his home loan approved with NAB, the only bank that has a Delegated Underwriting Authority (DUA) for loans over above $1.5 million. The total loan amount was $1,848,000.00.

They were able to sign off on the property on behalf of their LMI provider.

When assessing their income, NAB was also able to include up to 80% of their rental income from a couple of investment properties they owned.

Of course, since Victor was borrowing over 80% of the property value (LVR), the couple would be charged a large LMI premium.

Luckily, his father-in-law gave the couple a gift when their child was born so they were able to use part of that gift towards their deposit and borrow at 80% LVR, avoiding LMI altogether!

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Quick tip when applying with this lender

  • Use NAB's home loan application form to prepare for your mortgage application.

  • Note: This is the latest home loan application effective December 2020. Please refer to NAB Bank or contact our mortgage brokers for their most up-to-date document requirements.

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