Unloan Review: 6 things you need to know about CBA's digital home loan

1. It’s a world first digital home loan

By simplifying the Unloan home loan offer to one variable option for owner-occupiers and one variable option for investors, CommBank has suggested this is a world first digital home loan.

As it is being targeted as a simple loan not for “complex situations”, the repayments are only being offered as principal and interest, with no interest-only repayments or honeymoon rates on offer. Customers will simply need to ensure they meet the strict eligibility criteria to qualify.

2. You may get a loyalty discount

Approved customers are set to experience a ‘loyalty discount’ of 0.01% every year, up to 30 years. This equates to a discount of 29 basis points over the typical life of a loan. And given that interest rates have risen so significantly over the last year, a guaranteed rate discount may be a competitive offer for some customers.

Matt Comyn, CEO, CommBank said in a briefing today that the design of the pricing construction with this online loan was a “very conscious choice” as the loyalty discount means the product will “get better over time”.

“There’s nothing that says a customer should refinance their home loan five times over 15 or 18 years, or however long it takes you to actually pay off your loan,” said Mr Comyn,

“There’s a lot of cost in that process, and there’s a lot of time involved from customers to go to their lender or broker and go through that process… [and] the heart of what customers want is that they want a simple product that takes care of itself over time,” he said.

3. 10-minute application process

One of the biggest draws of a digital home loan is a streamlined application process, and the digital home loan offer from Unloan promises customers it should take “as little as ten minutes” to complete.

Further, in a briefing today for CommBank, it was revealed Unloan is aiming to offer customers information on full approval in only ten minutes as well. This will take longer to roll out over the next twelve months, but “applying in ten minutes to get approved in ten minutes” has been regarded as the goal for Unloan.

Typically, the process of a lender reviewing your home loan application and waiting to hear about approval can take days, if not weeks, depending on the lender. A customer gaining same-day full approval in only ten minutes would position Unloan as offering one of the faster approval times available.

4. Facial recognition to verify your identity

In terms of how a digital home loan application works, eligible customers will simply need to jump online and:

1. Add their property details
2. Add their personal details, including any other borrowers on the loan
3. Add their income, expenses, and existing loans or credit card details
4. Set up their home loan
5. Verify their identity using facial recognition technology
6. Upload any relevant documentation, such as pay slips or banking statements

5. Built to move at the pace of fintech

One of the downsides of choosing a big four bank has often been the delay in rolling out innovative fintech. While many customers still rely on face-to-face customer service, tech-savvy Australians may be looking for even more online-based financial products.

Unloan has been built to move at the pace of a fintech, while benefiting from the back-end banking, payments and compliance services of a big bank.

Matt Comyn said: “Driving digital innovation for our customers – including the delivery of distinct and differentiated customer experiences – is core to CBA’s ongoing strategy.”

“Unloan is a powerful example of what can be achieved by successfully bringing together the pace and innovation of the startup world with the scale and assets of Australia’s leading bank, which has always been central to our approach with x15,” he said.

6. Fewer overheads may mean lower rates on average

Online-based lenders have often been able to get a competitive edge over the big four banks in terms of passing on savings to their customers by having lower overheads. Unloan is set to compete in this space by being entirely digital, allowing it to offer a more competitive variable rate than other CommBank home loans.

Daniel Oertli, CEO, Unloan said: “We believe home loans should be simple to understand, easy to get, and easier to live with.”

“That’s why we built Unloan – a new kind of home loan designed to pass more value back to customers. We have a low variable rate, an ever-increasing discount, and an easy online application.”

How does Unloan compare to its competitors?

According to the RateCity database, Unloan is currently offering one of the lowest interest rates for owner-occupiers. This positions Unloan as a competitive option for refinancers to consider, if a low interest rate is a priority for your home loan.

Lowest rate variable owner-occupier loans (principal and interest)

Source: RateCity.com.au. Data accurate as of 04/08/22.

For investors, RateCity’s database shows that only four lenders are offering more competitive interest rates for variable home loans paying principal and interest.

Lowest rate variable investor loans (principal and interest)

Source: RateCity.com.au. Data accurate as of 04/08/22.