5-Minute Overview of Lending Assessment
Lending is risk-based, not product-based
Australian lending decisions are not made using a single rule, calculator, or benchmark.
They are assessed through a structured system that evaluates multiple dimensions of risk at the same time. As a result, borrowers with similar incomes, deposits, and credit histories can receive different outcomes — without any error having occurred.
This page provides a short overview of how that system works and how this site is structured.
Frameworks are consistent, outcomes are not
Across home loans, business lending, and equipment finance, lenders apply consistent assessment frameworks.
What changes are:
- how risks are weighted
- which policy constraints apply
- how borrower structure and assets are interpreted
- when reassessment occurs
The framework itself does not change.
Outcomes change because context changes.
The foundation: the Four Cs of Credit
The Four Cs of Credit — Capacity, Character, Collateral, and Capital — are the foundational framework used to assess lending risk.
They describe the core areas lenders evaluate when considering a loan.
Confusion usually arises not because the framework is unclear, but because the Four Cs are:
- constrained by policy
- influenced by structure
- affected by asset risk
- applied differently across transactions
This site explains how the Four Cs are applied across different lending contexts.
→ Read more: The Four Cs of Credit
Lending is a system, not a formula
Australian lending operates within a risk-containment system.
The system does not optimise outcomes for individual borrowers. It assesses whether a proposed loan fits within current policy, risk appetite, and regulatory constraints. Risk is layered, not averaged. Strength in one area does not automatically offset weakness in another. Each risk category must remain within acceptable limits for an approval to proceed.
The assessment pillars
In practice, lending decisions are assessed across five interdependent assessment pillars, each measuring a different category of risk.
These pillars explain why:
- income may be treated differently between borrowers
- borrowing capacity can change without income changing
- similar properties can receive different outcomes
- approvals may not always proceed to settlement
Understanding these pillars helps explain why outcomes vary even when numbers appear similar.
Why outcomes differ
Borrowers are often surprised when:
- higher income does not increase borrowing capacity
- equity exists but cannot be accessed
- similar properties receive different valuations
- approval does not guarantee settlement
These outcomes are not anomalies.
They are the result of how the lending system is designed to manage risk, policy exposure, and reassessment over time.
How to use this site
Use Model Mortgages to:
- understand why a particular outcome occurred
- sense-check advice or assumptions
- learn how lenders assess risk in practice
- ask more informed questions
This site is designed as a reference framework, not a step-by-step guide.
Each section can be read independently and in any order.
What this site is — and is not
Model Mortgages explains how Australian lending decisions are assessed in practice.
It does not:
- provide personal advice
- assess individual circumstances
- recommend lenders, products, or strategies
Understanding how the system works is different from having your own situation assessed.
General information only. No personal advice is provided.