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Bluestone Home Loans is turning 25.
The Australian non-bank lender is celebrating the quarter-century mark with a brand refresh and a 0.25% rate discount.
"We wanted to make a lot of noise and thank and recognize the people who have supported us, particularly over the last 18 months, but also over the last 25 years, as well," Tony MacRae (pictured right), chief commercial officer, told Australian Broker.
"We're extremely bullish about 2025," he said. "We think it's a great time to be a non-bank lender, and we think the market will continue to be conducive to growing volumes into helping more brokers and more customers. I think it will be a pivotal year for Bluestone."
Brokers can ensure borrowers receive Bluestone's rate discount by lodging applications between Feb. 10 and Feb. 28. Settlements must be made within six months and normal credit assessments apply.
MacRae explained that it's a variable interest rate. "So if the Reserve Bank [of Australia] were to make a cut to interest rates in the coming months, the borrower would be eligible to have any of that, that we would pass on would be passed on to their interest rate as well," he said.
Bluestone was founded in Australia in 2000. “In their early days, there was a UK Bluestone as well,” MacRae said. "But they've been separated now for a number of years.” Then in 2024, Bluestone sold its New Zealand business to focus on the Australian market. Today, Bluestone's origination volumes have reached $5 billion per annum, and 100% of its loans are originated through brokers.
“Our refreshed identity is testament to how far we’ve come and signifies a promise to continue making home loans accessible for more borrowers," Mark Jones (pictured left), Bluestone's chief executive officer, said in a statement.
In addition to the discount and updated look and feel of the brand, MacRae said Bluestone is hosting a number of activities throughout the year such as broker road shows around the country to help educate brokers on new solutions and an aggregator-CEO function.
In addition, in the fall, Bluestone is launching a new digital, cloud-based origination platform that uses AI to speed up the verification process and simplify document requirements, he said.
"Ultimately, we want to get to a large percentage of our loans being virtually, instantly decisioned – in a positive way," MacRae said. "We'll always maintain our ability to look beyond and understand customer circumstances. But we want to be able to make positive approvals for a whole bunch of our deals almost instantly. It'll make life easier for both brokers and borrowers when we implement it."
