Queensland Country Bank is proud to be awarded the 2023 Canstar Award for Customer Owned Bank of the Year – First Home Buyer Queensland.
Canstar’s First Home Buyer Award is granted to financial institutions that provide the strongest combination of products and services across the first home buyer market in Australia and offer support to their customers right from the planning stage to settlement of the loan.
Queensland Country Bank CEO, Aaron Newman, said winning this award from Canstar is a true testament to our range of competitive home loan products and providing an end to end service to first home buyers throughout the loan process.
“It’s our commitment to support our Members to attain long-term financial security, and help them achieve their financial goals, such as purchasing their first home.
“We are a regionally focused Queensland bank that always puts its Members first and supports the financial wellbeing of our Members by providing better rates and services tailored to each individual,” said Mr Newman.
General Manager, Research and Insights at Canstar, Mitch Watson recognised how Queensland Country Bank’s support of their Members made them a good contender for this award.
“Queensland Country Bank particularly stood out for its flexible home deposit arrangements that can potentially assist more first home buyers to get into the market sooner. This area has increased in its relevance recently with renters wanting to escape the rental roundabout as property prices continue to rise and rents hit historic highs in some regions,” says Mr Watson.
“In addition, Queensland Country Bank offered a range of competitive fixed and variable home loans rates to first time buyers, providing affordable choices for prospective homeowners.”
Queensland Country Bank is one of the participating lenders in the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), offering both the First Home Guarantee and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. Under both these guarantees, first home buyers can provide as low as five per cent for their deposit and still avoid paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance.
“Last year, we funded the first ever Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. We’re extremely proud we could help this young Townsville couple buy their first home, as it was a goal they had been working to achieve,” said Mr Newman.
Ms Abbey Walters and Mr Corhan Remfrey, the first successful recipients of the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, say they couldn’t be happier with how Queensland Country Bank helped them achieve their goal of owning their very own home.
Ms Walters and Mr Remfrey said, “From the commencement of our application process, Queensland Country Bank jumped hurdles for us to get us to where we wanted to be, to gain our first home.
“We have been working immensely hard over the last few years to be able to tick this off our bucket list and Queensland Country Bank were more than helpful every step of the way to get us across the line.”
“We are absolutely stoked at how Queensland Country Bank managed the entire process with us and had it all sorted for us within just three weeks.”
“We couldn’t be any happier as we got to move into our new home together sooner than we thought we could - thank you very much Queensland Country Bank!”