The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has reported a record half-year cash profit of A$5.45bn (£2.7bn), driven by a surge in investor lending that has outpaced owner-occupier borrowing. Australia's largest lender revealed it is settling over 3,000 home loans per week on average, with property prices at or near record highs across much of the country.
CBA data shows investors now account for 43% of new lending, up from 37% two years ago, while the share of owner-occupier loans has declined. The bank's chief executive, Matt Comyn, noted that home loan balances rose 7% year-on-year to A$622bn, with 97% of borrowers also holding a CBA transaction account. Shares in the bank surged over 7% following the announcement.
The record profit comes amid criticism from the Finance Sector Union, which surveyed over 1,700 CBA workers and found 72% were concerned about job security due to offshoring and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence. The union highlighted rising workloads and anxiety over automated processes.
Nationally, investors received two in five home loans in the final quarter of 2025, totalling a record A$43bn, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This exceeded loans to existing owner-occupiers (57,282) and nearly doubled first home buyer loans (31,783), which were supported by a government deposit scheme. The Reserve Bank of Australia's deputy governor, Andrew Hauser, acknowledged that credit growth had been stronger than expected, though recent interest rate hikes are expected to temper demand.
