The latest Monthly Authorised Deposit-taking Institution Statistics (MADIS) for September has revealed an increase in the total loan book of Australian banks by $9.7 billion (up by 0.44 per cent) to $2.24 trillion from $2.23 trillion the month prior, according to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).
For owner-occupier lending, loan books increased by $6.4 billion to $1.52 trillion from $1.51 trillion. The pace of growth increased from 0.39 per cent ($5.9 billion) to 0.42 per cent.
Investor loan books grew by 0.47 per cent, up from the 3.9 per cent recorded in August, reaching $717 billion from $714 billion, further reflecting strong investor lending shown in recent months.
One stands out from the rest
Much like in August, September for the big four banks showed varied levels of growth, with only one major lender experiencing growth in either loan book of over $1 billion.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) was the standout during the month, with the largest dollar and percentage increases out of its competitors. Australia’s largest bank saw its total loan book increase by 0.61 per cent, up by $3.4 billion from $564 billion to just over $567 billion.
CBA’s owner-occupier loan book increased by 0.47 per cent (approximately $1.8 billion), reaching $377 billion from $375 billion, while its investor loan book grew by 0.87 per cent, up by $1.65 billion to $190 billion from $188 billion.
On the other end of the spectrum, at the second-largest Aussie bank, Westpac’s total loan book has held steady at $475 billion, with a margin increase of $52 million in its owner-occupier loan book and a small decrease of 0.04 per cent in its investor book, down by $58 million, falling to $159 billion from $160 billion.
August marked the first time that Westpac recorded a total loan book decline since October 2020, showing a decrease of $277 million during the month.
APRA revealed that ANZ’s total loan book increased by 0.39 per cent (up by $1.19 billion) to $304 billion from $303 billion the previous month.
ANZ’s owner-occupier book rose by 0.36 per cent, from $202 billion to $203 billion, increasing by $726 million, while its investor book rose by 0.46 per cent, or $468 million, to $101 billion from $100 billion.
Finally, NAB recorded an increase of 0.28 per cent, up by $896 million, in its total loan book, reaching $321 billion from $320 billion. Its owner-occupier rose by 0.39 per cent ($814 million) to stay about $211 billion, while its investor book only saw a slight increase of 0.08 per cent ($90 million), remaining at $109 billion.
[RELATED: Major banks show mixed growth in August]