ING vs Macquarie Home Loans for Brokers 2026

ING vs Macquarie home loan choices turn on the client’s banking needs and policy fit. Choose ING Orange Advantage when the client wants their existing Orange Everyday account to offset the loan. Choose Macquarie Offset when the client needs several separate offset accounts against one variable loan account.

For either choice, the client must meet the lender’s income and security rules. The final rate, accepted valuation and borrowing capacity decide whether the preferred feature is affordable. An offset feature alone doesn’t establish that one lender is cheaper or will approve the application.

Conditional Verdict by Scenario

For the fictional purchase below, ING suits a client who wants to keep using Orange Everyday as the loan’s offset account. ING’s Orange Advantage product sheet, effective March 2026 and checked on 3 October 2026, supports that arrangement. The account must be in the same names as the home loan.

Macquarie suits the same client when separating household spending from savings requires multiple offset accounts. Macquarie’s facility guide, checked on 3 October 2026, allows up to 10 offset accounts per variable rate loan account. Its annual Offset facility fee is also lower than ING Orange Advantage’s annual fee, but that fee difference doesn’t establish the lower total loan cost.

If the client doesn’t need an offset, compare ING Mortgage Simplifier with Macquarie Basic instead. Both remove the ongoing account-keeping fee and retain a variable-rate option. The preferred offset arrangement changes product fit, while credit assessment and the actual loan quote still decide the recommendation.

Compare Policy Fit on the Same Scenario

Apply one fact find to both lenders so the comparison measures their rules instead of two different borrowers. This example is fictional and describes a file for assessment, not an approval result.

Scenario fact	Identical input for both lenders
Borrowers	Australian-citizen couple, aged 35 and 36, living and working in Australia, both borrowing and on title
Employment	Permanent full-time employment for two years with each current employer
Income	Base gross salaries of $110,000 and $90,000, without overtime or bonuses
Household	One dependant and declared living expenses of $4,000 per month
Liabilities	One credit card with a $10,000 limit, paid in full monthly. No other debt
Purchase	Established owner-occupied detached house in metropolitan Perth, postcode 6155
Price and loan	$800,000 purchase and $640,000 loan over 30 years
Deposit	$160,000 accumulated savings, with purchase costs funded separately
Loan-to-value ratio (LVR)	80%, assuming the lender accepts an $800,000 security value
Repayments and timing	Variable rate, monthly principal and interest repayments, proposed settlement in 60 days
Banking need	A 100% offset account with $30,000 retained after settlement

ING’s March 2026 Orange Advantage sheet permits personal borrowers and owner-occupied purchases with principal and interest repayments. Macquarie’s credit guidelines version 14.1, dated 10 September 2026, also include that loan purpose and repayment type. Their published owner-occupied purchase ceilings reach 95%, subject to their respective capitalised charges and all other policy limits.

At 80% LVR, this example doesn’t rely on either lender’s maximum lending percentage. The $640,000 request still needs a servicing assessment, which tests whether verified income covers repayments and living expenses. The credit card’s limit remains a liability input even when its balance is cleared monthly.

A valuation of $780,000 would make the unchanged $640,000 loan approximately 82.05% LVR. That single changed valuation moves the file above 80% and changes the required deposit or higher-LVR costs. ING identifies lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) above 80%, while Macquarie uses a low deposit fee under its higher-LVR lending rules.

Keep standard-policy fit separate from an exception request. For an exception, retain the exact departure from the rule and the lender’s written response against this file. A representative’s willingness to discuss a scenario isn’t approval.

Bulma’s Policy Advisor quotes the lender wording behind policy answers. Its Scenario Planner checks the same client facts across 52+ lenders and groups lenders by policy fit, with borrowing power and required documents. That combined workflow helps you see whether either shortlisted bank needs conditions or an exception before preparing the application.

Compare Borrower and Property Eligibility

The example’s Australian-citizen borrowers and established residential purchase support considering both routes, subject to each lender’s assessment. ING’s Orange Advantage target market determination dated 3 October 2025 requires eligible individuals to work and reside in Australia. Macquarie’s version 14.1 guidelines, dated 10 September 2026, apply standard parameters to Australian citizens or permanent residents with a current Australian residential address.

Compare the following facts separately so a product feature doesn’t hide a credit or security problem.

Assessment factor	ING Orange Advantage	Macquarie standard home loan
Employment and income	Evidence must establish steady income and satisfy ING credit guidelines	Two years in the current permanent role exceeds the published six-month employment-history threshold. Verified base income is considered at 100%
Residency	The determination includes Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents who work and reside in Australia	Citizenship and Australian residential address are assessed through the residency matrix. Temporary-visa joint borrowers have additional conditions
Borrower structure	Personal borrowers only, with a maximum of two borrowers for Orange Advantage	Natural-person borrowers and guarantors, with joint-ownership and relationship rules
Credit conduct	The applicant must satisfy ING’s credit approval criteria	Credit reports are required. Outstanding defaults are unacceptable under the published guidelines
Occupancy and purpose	The named product includes owner-occupied and investment residential purchases	Owner-occupied and investment residential lending are included, with purpose-specific parameters
Property and location	Residential security is required. Acceptance of the particular address and dwelling remains part of ING’s assessment	Residential house and land are acceptable, with postcode, valuation and security-specific restrictions
Valuation	The accepted security value determines the file’s LVR	Property HUB selects the valuation type. A full valuation is required above 80% LVR

For a single-property change, replace the detached house with a 45-square-metre studio while keeping the purchase price and loan amount unchanged. Macquarie lists studios below 50 square metres of living floor space, excluding balconies and car spaces, as unacceptable security. That removes the standard Macquarie route even though the numerical LVR stays at 80%.

That exclusion doesn’t establish ING acceptance. ING must assess the replacement property’s type and address under its own security rules. Retain an ING decision for that property before presenting it as an available alternative.

Keep product limits attached to the product they govern. Orange Advantage’s two-borrower limit doesn’t establish the borrower limit for every ING product. For broader policy questions, use the ING policy guide and Macquarie policy guide.

Compare Product Features and Fees

For the base scenario, compare Orange Advantage with Macquarie Offset on an owner-occupied, variable-rate, principal-and-interest basis. ING’s product sheets effective March 2026 and Macquarie’s facility guide were checked on 3 October 2026. The figures below are Australian-dollar lender fees, not subscription prices.

Feature or fee	ING Orange Advantage	Macquarie Offset
Offset	100% offset through a linked Orange Everyday in the same names	Up to 10 offset accounts per variable rate loan account
Annual ongoing fee	$299 per Orange Advantage loan	$248 per Offset facility
Variable extra repayments	Additional repayments allowed	Unlimited additional repayments on variable loan accounts
Variable redraw	Available, subject to the home-loan terms	Available on variable loan accounts, subject to the home-loan terms
Fixed-rate structure	Can be split with an ING Fixed Rate loan	Fixed and variable accounts can share the facility. At least one variable account must have a minimum limit of $20,000
Fixed-account offset and redraw	Compare the separate Fixed Rate product’s terms	Neither offset nor redraw is available on the fixed loan account

Macquarie’s annual ongoing fee is $51 lower for these named offset products. A different interest rate can outweigh that amount. Compare quotes for the same $640,000 loan and the same expected offset balance before treating the annual fee as a saving in total cost.

ING’s Orange Advantage sheet also lists a $350 settlement fee per application and a $250 discharge fee per security, plus legal and third-party costs. These belong in the cost comparison alongside Macquarie’s corresponding charges in the loan offer. A comparison of annual fees alone leaves settlement and exit costs out.

For the fictional $30,000 offset balance, interest is calculated on the loan balance reduced by the eligible offset balance. That gives an illustrative $610,000 interest-bearing balance while the $640,000 debt remains. Splitting the same savings between several eligible offset accounts changes how the client organises money, not the total amount offset.

If the banking need changes to redraw without offset, compare Mortgage Simplifier with Macquarie Basic. ING’s Mortgage Simplifier has redraw and charges no monthly or annual account-keeping fee. It excludes an offset facility.

Macquarie Basic also has no offset accounts or ongoing facility fee.

Use ING’s current broker rates and Macquarie’s current broker quote for pricing. Apply the same purpose and LVR tier to each quote, including any relevant capitalised fee. Bulma doesn’t quote interest rates, fees or product pricing.

Compare Evidence, Application and Support

Prepare one evidence pack for the fixed scenario, then complete the lender-specific forms and upload steps. ING’s public forms and support pages were checked on 3 October 2026. Macquarie’s supporting-documents checklist and Broker Portal guidance were checked on the same date.

Evidence	Preparation for this scenario
Identification and residency	Identity documents for both borrowers, consistent names and Australian address details
Base employment income	Recent payslips for each borrower, showing the employer and gross income, plus employment details
Savings and purchase costs	Statements tracing the accumulated $160,000 deposit and the separate funds for purchase costs
Liability and expenses	Credit-card evidence showing the $10,000 limit and statements supporting the declared household spending
Property	Contract of sale, ownership details and the lender’s accepted valuation
Banking arrangement	Account instructions for the chosen offset, with the correct account holders

ING’s public first-home-buyer guide specifies two recent payslips for its direct pre-approval route. For the broker purchase file, complete ING’s application and identification requirements using its broker forms. The direct guide’s document list doesn’t replace a broker application’s requirements.

Macquarie specifies two computer-generated payslips for base income. At submission, the newest must be no more than 60 days old and the oldest no more than four months old. If two aren’t available, its guidelines allow one recent payslip with a signed employment contract or letter stating commencement and base income.

ING’s broker website has a Broker login and current application forms. Its Sales Support Unit supports application status and administrative enquiries, while its representatives handle scenario, policy and accreditation questions. The published residential supporting-document destination is mortgage.assessment.au@ing.com.

ING’s tips page directs brokers to MSA National’s LoanTrak for loan-document and settlement progress. Macquarie’s checklist uses ApplyOnline for initial supporting documents and Broker Portal for additional documents requested after submission. Macquarie’s Broker Portal also provides application tracking and chat, with settlement booking enquiries directed to the panel solicitor.

Policy fit and channel access are separate requirements. Confirm active accreditation and aggregator panel access before lodging either file, even when the scenario fits published policy. The ING broker-access guide and Macquarie broker-access guide explain their respective routes.

The proposed 60-day settlement doesn’t establish a lender speed winner. A complete application, an accepted valuation and completed settlement conditions determine readiness for that contract date.

Verify Current Terms Before Submission

Before recommending ING or Macquarie, refresh the file against the product terms and policy version available on the submission date. For this comparison, ING’s March 2026 sheets and Macquarie’s 10 September 2026 version 14.1 guidelines were checked on 3 October 2026. Keep those source dates separate from the client’s later application date.

1. Confirm that the selected product remains available through your panel and that your accreditation is active.
2. Reconcile the final property value, LVR and loan amount with each lender’s current security and income rules.
3. Obtain equivalent quotes, including annual fees, settlement charges and any higher-LVR costs. Match the repayment type and expected offset balance.
4. Confirm document ages and lender-specific forms, then record any written exception decision and remaining approval conditions.
5. Recheck the approval expiry, settlement requirements and any change to the client’s employment, liabilities or living expenses.

For the base scenario, a file note can explain that Orange Advantage preserves the client’s Orange Everyday offset arrangement. If separate offset accounts are required, record why Macquarie Offset meets that need and retain the comparable ING terms. Attach the actual quote and servicing assessment to whichever choice you recommend.

Bulma lets you copy the quoted policy into file notes and alerts you when a policy you’ve asked about changes. The lender’s assessment sets the final borrowing figure, and you retain responsibility for suitability and the recommendation. Lodge only when the chosen product meets the client’s requirements and every condition needed for submission has a recorded answer.