ANZ National streamlines its mortgage application process

This has included reducing the amount of information it needs to approve a loan, increasing staff training and putting staff who can approve mortgages with up to 90% loan-to-valuation ratios (LVRs) into most branches and business banking centres, says Kerri Thompson, managing director of the bank's retail division.

"We've done a lot of work on looking at all the questions we ask customers, looking at all the information, and working out which ones are best predictive of risk," Thompson says

That process has led the bank to winnow down the information it seeks to wanting answers on matters most indicative of risk, she says.

This has streamlined the process and means approval - or otherwise - is quicker.