published 18 Dec 2025
ING Makes Home Loans Easier for Self-Employed Australians with Broker-Driven Policy Refresh
Self-employed Australians now have a simpler path to home ownership, thanks to ING’s new lending policy designed in partnership with brokers. The refreshed approach reduces paperwork and expands eligibility, making it easier for small business owners and freelancers to secure a home loan. This marks a significant step in the bank’s broader strategy to support underserved customer groups and expand its residential lending footprint.
The announcement follows strong growth in ING’s investor lending portfolio and signals the bank’s intent to build on that momentum by targeting the self-employed segment – an area where 62.5% of Australians* currently operate. The new policy is designed to make home ownership more accessible for small business owners and freelancers.
ING’s National Sales Manager – Broker, Sergio Delvescovo, said:
“This is about listening to brokers and removing barriers for their self-employed clients. We want brokers to feel confident recommending ING as a genuine alternative and we want them to see that this new policy reflects the feedback that they have given us over the past few years.
Although this is a segment we haven’t actively played in for 7–8 years, we’ve taken the time to understand what’s needed, and the result is a policy that positions ING as a genuine alternative for self-employed Australians.
This is the beginning of a journey for us in residential lending for the SME segment. Having seen how important this market is through our commercial and business banking arm, we’re now bringing that focus into our home loan offering. Over the past 12–18 months, only a small percentage of brokers have submitted self-employed applications with ING, and we’re looking forward to changing that.”
Key updates include:
- Streamlining the application process by now accepting just one year of financials, instead of 2 years
- Directors with at least 50% ownership of a company are now eligible to utilise company profits
- Single layer trust income (i.e. company to family trust) now accepted for serviceability
The refreshed policy is already live with supporting materials for brokers and the opportunity for brokers to join a national launch webinar. Broader promotional activity is planned for early 2026. ING is encouraging brokers to explore the new offering and help more self-employed Australians achieve their home ownership goals.
More information
Notes to editors
*Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) (n.d.) ‘Number of small businesses in Australia’. Available at: https://www.asbfeo.gov.au/small-business-data-portal/number-small-businesses-australia (Accessed: 10 November 2025).
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