CBA Cuts Inactive Broker Accreditations: What Borrowers Should Know

Commonwealth Bank has revoked accreditations for inactive brokers who haven't lodged a CBA loan recently — here's what it means if your home loan is with CBA.

Commonwealth Bank has moved to remove the accreditations of an unconfirmed number of mortgage brokers, with letters sent to affected brokers on Thursday confirming that the bank would no longer work with those it considers inactive. According to MPA Australia, correspondence seen by the publication makes clear this is part of CBA's regular processes, citing Clause 33 of the Mortgage Broker Code of Conduct — which requires brokers to maintain "an adequate level of skills and knowledge to ensure that you deliver good customer outcomes for CBA customers."

The exact number of brokers affected has not been disclosed. The disaccreditation takes effect from Friday, 19 June, and is believed to potentially affect thousands of brokers across the country. It is understood the bank has not conducted such a widespread move in years.

Why CBA is making this move

In a statement to MPA Australia, Baber Zaka, CBA's general manager of third-party banking, said: "Brokers play a critical role in helping Australians achieve property ownership. As the third-party channel grows, we are focused on deepening relationships with those who actively work with us to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience for customers."

The commercial logic behind the move is straightforward. Deal writers who infrequently use a particular lender tend to have higher loan decline rates because they are not fully up to date with that lender's credit policies and processes. This creates processing delays and added costs — outcomes CBA wants to reduce as it concentrates resources on active, experienced broker relationships.

The trigger for disaccreditation appears to be inactivity — specifically, not having lodged a loan with CBA over a 12-month period, or having breached the Mortgage Broker Code of Conduct. CBA's letter to affected brokers confirmed the decision was based on "careful review of the information available to us, including our records of application activity." Importantly, the bank confirmed that the action "does not impact any future membership or insurance renewal" for those affected.

For brokers remaining accredited, CBA has confirmed continued investment in the broker experience, including enhancements to the CommBroker platform. Platinum-tier brokers will continue to receive one-day service level agreements, fully assessed pre-approvals, increased credit assessment support, and access to dedicated credit coaches to quickly discuss and lodge deals.

The move comes approximately 12 months after CBA adjusted its broker tier structure, which is scaled on a balanced scorecard that incorporates quality outcomes and application volumes. The higher the tier, the more relationship management support a broker receives, including relationship managers, relationship assistants, and dedicated credit coaches.

The broader strategic context is also relevant. Just a third of CBA's overall mortgage flows now come through the broker, or third-party, channel. The bank has been directing an increasing share of investment into its digital and AI tools and recently hired its first AI scientist — part of a broader shift toward proprietary lending channels.

What it means if your broker is affected — and what to do next

For borrowers, the key question is whether your mortgage broker is still accredited with CBA. If your broker has had their CBA accreditation removed, they can no longer lodge new loan applications with the bank on your behalf — though they can still work with you through other lenders on their panel.

If you are in the middle of a CBA application or pre-approval process, speak directly with your broker to confirm your position and understand your options. Most full-service brokers work across a broad panel of lenders, and losing one accreditation does not necessarily affect your ability to access competitive rates elsewhere.

It is also worth noting that CBA is not the only major bank tightening its broker strategy. National Australia Bank has also signalled a move toward a more targeted approach, with its chief executive stating the bank intends to focus on a "smaller cohort of brokers" where it can get lending flows closer to its cost-of-capital targets. The NAB CEO said: "We'll be focusing on those brokers where we believe that we'll get flows that are closer to our appetite in terms of above-cost-of-capital lending."

For borrowers who have not reviewed their home loan rate in some time, this is a prompt to do so. Use the [refinance savings calculator](/calculators/refinance-savings) to see whether moving to a more competitive rate would reduce your monthly repayments meaningfully. Lenders are actively competing for quality borrowers, and [refinancing options](/home-loans/refinance) are worth comparing — particularly if your current rate has not been reviewed since rates began rising earlier this year.

If CBA's products no longer suit your circumstances or your broker relationship has been disrupted by the accreditation changes, it may also be worth [comparing the cheapest home loans](/home-loans/cheapest) across a wider panel of lenders to ensure you are getting value for your mortgage.

As MPA Australia reported, Zaka confirmed the bank is continuing to invest in those broker relationships it does maintain: "We are continuing to invest in the broker experience, including through enhancements to CommBroker and targeted support for Platinum brokers."

[Read the full story at MPA Australia](https://www.mpamag.com/au/news/general/commonwealth-bank-removes-broker-accreditations-following-internal-review/579383)