• CommBank identified investors as a key driver of Australia's housing downturn; investor lending fell a record 32.3% in the September quarter.
• Total new housing lending dropped a record 15.5%, exceeding the bank's forecast decline of 6.8%.
• Owner-occupier lending excluding first-time buyers declined 5.3%; lending to first-time buyers fell 8%.
• New builds accounted for 27.6% of investor lending in September, up from 17.3% in March, reflecting relatively resilient borrowing.
• Housing debt excluding offset balances reached 115% of household income, roughly nine percentage points below its level when rate increases began in 2022.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Commonwealth Bank of Australia published the original content used to generate this news brief on November 12, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.