Non-bank lenders' rapid growth poses risks — report

Funding for such lenders is not guaranteed, says credit ratings firm

By Abel Riototar

29 Jun 2018

The rapid growth of non-bank lenders reflects the positive quality of their loan books and residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) – but growth should happen in a sustainable way, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

Moody's vice president and senior analyst John Paul Truijens said in a statement that although “investment and interest-only mortgages have historically been riskier than owner-occupier principal and interest mortgages, they are less risky than the non-conforming or alternative documentation loans that most non-bank lenders have traditionally focused on”.

The conclusions are found in Moody’s recently released study, "Financial institutions and RMBS – Australia: Growth opportunities not without risks as non-bank lenders push into investment and interest-only mortgages”. The report was written by Truijens and another Moody's vice president and senior analyst, Daniel Yu.

The report stressed that the push into investment and interest-only lending has further captured the interest of private equity investors. And this has led to three acquisitions of non-bank lenders in the last nine months.

"If the current rapid growth rate were to be sustained over a prolonged period or even rise, or if non-bank lenders were to push into the riskier segments of the investment and interest-only mortgage markets to maintain growth, this would pose risks," Truijens and Yu said.

According to them, non-bank lenders may need to rapidly expand their underwriting teams, and this could compromise the quality of their staff experience and risk controls.

If the banks return to pursue strong investments and interest-only lending, increased competition would make it difficult for non-bank lenders to sustain their rapid growth and this could push them to the riskier segments of the mortgage market.

Moody’s still believes non-bank lenders are generally suited to underwrite and risk-price investment and interest-only loans. But borrowers’ financial situations need to be scrutinised even more for these mortgages than for owner-occupier principal and interest loans. The experience of non-bank lenders in underwriting non-conforming loans enables them to demonstrate such scrutiny.

Risks are further lessened by the legislative amendments made in February 2018 that now allow APRA to regulate non-bank lenders.

Funding of non-bank lenders is not guaranteed, according to Moody’s. These lenders depend on “bank funding via warehouse facilities for the initial organisation of loans and RMBS investors for RMBS issuance”. Both funding sources depend on market confidence and economic conditions.

Non-bank lenders are increasingly getting into the investment and interest-only loan market after APRA released a series of measures in 2014 that limit banks from offering such loans. Non-banks accounted for almost 35% of investment loans originated in 2017, up from around 15% in 2014. Their share of interest-only mortgages was around 25%. However, the report said the non-bank mortgage sector still remains relatively small in Australia despite massive growth, accounting for just under 4% of the $1.7trn mortgage market.