Borrow
Can you guess Australia’s 5th-largest lender?
New research has revealed a surprising source of loans is trailing only the big four banks when it comes to property assistance and mortgages in Australia — and it’s not a financial institution.
Can you guess Australia’s 5th-largest lender?
New research has revealed a surprising source of loans is trailing only the big four banks when it comes to property assistance and mortgages in Australia — and it’s not a financial institution.

Comparison site Mozo has revealed that the “bank of mum and dad” is now Australia’s fifth-biggest lender, having lent $92 billion in property assistance to children in a bid to help them on to the property ladder in the past two years alone.
It’s a 41 per cent increase to the total amounts lent by parents compared to last time the survey was conducted in 2018.
The research even revealed that almost three in five parents — or 59 per cent — don’t actually expect their kids to repay them for the favour.
Mozo found that 1.2 million parents across the country have been seen to provide financial assistance to their kids for the purpose of property purchases since the last survey.

The average mum and dad is offering their kids $73,522 for the pursual of property, it was revealed.
The comparison site also indicated parents are making some huge sacrifices to act in such a capacity.
Nearly 65 per cent of parents are dipping into their own savings to provide funds to their children, while almost half of mums and dads have indicated they are cutting expenses or delaying retirement in their bid to help their kids move on to the property ladder.
A further 16 per cent revealed they had pulled money from their own home equity to help out.
Mozo director Kirsty Lamont has highlighted that the move of the bank of mum and dad into fifth place reflects Australia’s property market being “incredibly challenging for younger generations to break into”.
She noted property prices had surged by 395 per cent in the last 25 years, and for this reason, “the bank of mum and dad has become an essential player in our nation’s housing market”.
“At present, the cost of buying a property is 7.2 times the annual income of a typical household, whereas 25 years ago it was 1.6 times the annual household income,” Ms Lamont said.
And with loan contributions having grown by 41 per cent in the last two years alone, “the bank of mum and dad will not be closing shop anytime soon”.
About the author

About the author


Loans
Beyond the mortgage: SME lending is where growth, margin and loyalty are shifting
SME credit is moving from branch desks to APIs, from collateral to cashflow, and from monoline lenders to embedded platforms. For banks, fintechs and brokers, this is not a side-bet—it’s where ...Read more

Loans
Debunking credit myths leads to big wins with transparent hardship design
New research from Arca’s CreditSmart initiative surfaces a stubborn problem: Australians under financial strain are avoiding hardship support because they fear lasting damage to their creditRead more

Loans
No-deposit home loans in Australia: The growth gambit that tests risk discipline
A new no-deposit mortgage has landed in Australia, promising to crack the hardest nut in housing—fronting a deposit—while raising old questions about risk and capital. For lenders, the product doubles ...Read more

Loans
Rate relief ignites a mortgage scramble — and a technology arms race
Australia’s rate easing has flipped mortgage demand from ‘defend and retain’ to ‘originate and grow’. Refinance waves and a rekindled purchase market are colliding with digitisation, broker dominance ...Read more

Loans
Trust is the moat: How brokers can win in an AI-accelerated, commoditised mortgage market
In an evolving mortgage landscape where algorithms are levelling the playing field, Australian mortgage brokers are finding that trust, rather than price or speed, is becoming their most valuable ...Read more

Loans
CreditSmart revolutionises hardship support and lenders risk missing out
Australians under cost‑of‑living pressure are sidestepping hardship help because they fear a permanent stain on their credit file. Arca’s CreditSmart initiative has thrust this misconception into the ...Read more

Loans
Australia’s 40‑year mortgage moment: affordability optics, lifetime cost, and the new risk calculus
Forty‑year home loans are shifting from niche to feature in Australia, led by challenger banks and mutuals courting first‑home buyers. The headline promise—lower monthly repayments—masks a material ...Read more

Loans
The mortgage-regret economy: Why borrower confusion is reshaping Australia’s home-loan playbook
Mortgage regret has become a measurable market force, driving record refinancing, rising arrears off a low base, and a scramble by lenders and brokers to redesign the borrower journey. With the ...Read more

Loans
Beyond the mortgage: SME lending is where growth, margin and loyalty are shifting
SME credit is moving from branch desks to APIs, from collateral to cashflow, and from monoline lenders to embedded platforms. For banks, fintechs and brokers, this is not a side-bet—it’s where ...Read more

Loans
Debunking credit myths leads to big wins with transparent hardship design
New research from Arca’s CreditSmart initiative surfaces a stubborn problem: Australians under financial strain are avoiding hardship support because they fear lasting damage to their creditRead more

Loans
No-deposit home loans in Australia: The growth gambit that tests risk discipline
A new no-deposit mortgage has landed in Australia, promising to crack the hardest nut in housing—fronting a deposit—while raising old questions about risk and capital. For lenders, the product doubles ...Read more

Loans
Rate relief ignites a mortgage scramble — and a technology arms race
Australia’s rate easing has flipped mortgage demand from ‘defend and retain’ to ‘originate and grow’. Refinance waves and a rekindled purchase market are colliding with digitisation, broker dominance ...Read more

Loans
Trust is the moat: How brokers can win in an AI-accelerated, commoditised mortgage market
In an evolving mortgage landscape where algorithms are levelling the playing field, Australian mortgage brokers are finding that trust, rather than price or speed, is becoming their most valuable ...Read more

Loans
CreditSmart revolutionises hardship support and lenders risk missing out
Australians under cost‑of‑living pressure are sidestepping hardship help because they fear a permanent stain on their credit file. Arca’s CreditSmart initiative has thrust this misconception into the ...Read more

Loans
Australia’s 40‑year mortgage moment: affordability optics, lifetime cost, and the new risk calculus
Forty‑year home loans are shifting from niche to feature in Australia, led by challenger banks and mutuals courting first‑home buyers. The headline promise—lower monthly repayments—masks a material ...Read more

Loans
The mortgage-regret economy: Why borrower confusion is reshaping Australia’s home-loan playbook
Mortgage regret has become a measurable market force, driving record refinancing, rising arrears off a low base, and a scramble by lenders and brokers to redesign the borrower journey. With the ...Read more