Resources

Frequently asked questions

Borrower eligibility and credit assessment

• 1. How does MA Money support self-employed borrowers?

  MA Money offers a range of lending solutions for self-employed borrowers, including Full Doc, Simplified Self-employed, Alt Doc and Light Doc options, depending on the product. We take a practical approach to credit assessment, offering multiple income verification methods and considering a broad range of business structures and income scenarios. With experienced credit support and a 48-hour SLA to conditional approval, brokers can help more self-employed clients secure finance with confidence.

• 2. What are the minimum ABN requirements?

  Prime customers must have ABN registered for more than 24 months and GST registered for more than 12 months.

  Near Prime customers must have ABN registered for more than 12 months and GST registered for more than 6 months.

  Near Prime Plus and Specialist customers must have ABN registered for more than 6 months and GST registered for more than 1 day.

• 3. Do you lend to non-residents and expats?

  MA Money offers flexible lending solutions for eligible non-residents and Australians living overseas, subject to product criteria, country of residence and acceptable security. You can find the right home loan and interest rate for your customer with our simple and quick Loan Finder tool.

• 4. Do you offer construction loans?

  We’re currently not offering construction loans.

• 5. Do you use Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR)?

  We take a practical, story-based approach in our credit assessment process. We look beyond pure metrics, with no credit score, comprehensive credit reporting or DTI requirements for assessment.

• 6. How do you assess living expenses and serviceability?

  Serviceability is assessed using verified borrower information, living expenses, existing liabilities and lender policy requirements. Brokers can use our Serviceability Calculator to help check borrowing capacity before submitting an application. This gives a clearer view upfront and helps ensure the application is assessed with the right information from the start.

• 7. How do you assess borrowers with credit impairments?

  We assess credit impairments by looking beyond the credit event and understanding the customer’s full story. This includes what caused the impairment, whether the event or life issue has now been resolved, and what has changed to reduce the risk of it happening again. We’ll consider things like the type of credit event, the timeline, the customer’s current income or working status, and whether the explanation makes sense.

  Strong broker notes and supporting commentary are important. If you asked the customer about something during your assessment, we’ll likely ask about it too. The more context you can provide upfront, the easier it is for our credit team to assess the application clearly and confidently.

Security and valuations

• 1. What property types are acceptable security?

  Acceptable security includes a broad range of residential and commercial properties, subject to valuation, location and marketability requirements. Commercial security may include retail shops, strata offices, industrial properties, warehouses, commercial vacant land and storage units, subject to policy.

• 2. What types of valuations can be used?

  Valuation options include AVM reports, desktop valuations and short form valuations. AVMs are data driven, desktop valuations involve a valuer assessment without an inspection, and short form valuations include internal and external inspection with a more detailed report. The required valuation type will depend on the LVR, risk rating and security type.

• 3. When is a valuation required?

  Valuation requirements depend on the product, LVR, property type, transaction purpose and risk profile. MA Money will check that the correct valuation type has been ordered for the application, including whether a full valuation is required for higher-risk or higher-density properties.

• 4. What information should brokers check before ordering a valuation?

  Brokers should ensure the property details are correct, including the full address, lot or DP numbers where relevant, property type and use, zoning, ownership and title particulars. These details should match the contract of sale, title search and council rates notice where available.

• 5. How long is a valuation valid for?

  A valuation is valid for 90 days from the date of inspection. After 90 days, a new valuation is required.