Some loans, such as using equity in a residential property to raise money for a small business, are under closer scrutiny as property prices continue to slide and small businesses, particularly in retail and building, are under growing financial pressure.

AMP and CBA, the nation's largest lender, both pulled out of SMSF lending last year amid rising regulatory concerns and falling property values. CBA was the last of the big four to exit the market.

AMP chairman David Murray has been a long-term critic of leveraging superannuation.

Macquarie offered up to 70 per cent of the value of the property to a maximum of $1 million.

"Bank of Mum and Dad", a term used to describe parents guaranteeing loans and lending to their children for property purchases, was estimated to be the 10th largest lender, bigger than ME Bank and AMP Bank, at the height of the property boom.

Younger property buyers are increasingly reliant on parents to get into the property market because of high prices, static wages, difficulty saving deposits and lender caution.

Macquarie allowed family members, such as parents, to use the equity in the family home as security for their children's loan.

The bank typically offered a basic home loan of up to $750,000 for an owner-occupier or investment loan. Any debt on the guarantor's property had to refinanced across to Macquarie.


Macquarie recently announced it had stopped underwriting new home-branded wholesale loans.

Last week National Australia Bank announced it was increasing wholesale mortgage funding rates by 15 basis points, triggering rises across dozens of products offered by mortgage brokers and aggregators.

The bank, which was the last of the big four to raise variable retail rates, said the move was the first wholesale rate rise since August 2017 and was prompted by "sustained elevated funding cost pressures".

The rate increases are to be announced by Advantedge, which is the bank's wholesale funder and distributor of home-brand, or "white-label" loans. a similar marketing strategy to home-branded products found in supermarkets. White-label home loans are available through more than 85 per cent of mortgage brokers and distributed under the brands of mortgage aggregators and mortgage managers. They are an alternative to loans from major banks.