In July 2022, a significant health event made me take a hard look at my life, my values, and the impact I wanted to make. With 25 years of experience in finance and a deep network of industry contacts, I felt a calling to create meaningful change beyond my immediate circle. I founded RateUnity with a clear mission: to challenge the unfair power banks and mortgage brokers hold over mortgage holders. It’s unacceptable that banks make record profits—one bank, for example, reported profits almost twice the GDP of Fiji—while the average Australian struggles with skyrocketing living costs and mortgage repayments that have tripled in recent years. This financial burden is causing real hardship, putting some Australians at risk of losing their homes. I know firsthand how much our own mortgage eats into our income, and when my health threatened my salary, we faced tough decisions just to stay afloat. RateUnity was born from the idea of uniting everyday Australians, leveraging our collective strength to secure fairer mortgage rates, and returning power to the community.

RateUnity is different from other Mortgage Brokers and Mortgage Referrers: Strength in Numbers: By using Strength in Numbers and uniting mortgage holders, we harness collective bargaining power in order to offer our customers a "wholesale" rate. Reduced Brokerage Commission: Mortgage broker commissions are paid by the bank not customers. However the bank is a business that needs to cover their costs so you pay for it indirectly through your interest rate. RateUnity offers low referral fee and no ongoing commission to banks in exchange for lower mortgage rates for customers. Hero Bank: RateUnity negotiates directly with banks and has pre-arranged competitive rates for customers. We offer a streamlined form collecting only the information required to refer you to our Hero Bank. We focus on making the process as smooth and seamless as possible. So that you can start saving money sooner.

You may decide that the offer isn't compelling enough to change, or any other reason during the RateUnity process. In this case, there will be an opportunity to select a "no change" button to we will remove you from the Tranche or group of customers being negotiated. We may let you know of offers in the future, in case your circumstances have changed.

No, completing the Sign-up or Join-us form with RateUnity will not affect your credit rating. At the point that RateUnity offers you an amazing rate, if you accept this, it will start the mortgage application process which commences with a credit check, which is recorded as a "hard inquiry" on your credit report. This can temporarily lower your credit score by a few points. More Information: If you are rate shopping and submit multiple mortgage applications within a short period (typically 14 to 45 days, depending on the credit scoring model), these are often treated as a single inquiry, minimizing the impact on your score​ (RateCity.com.au)​​ (Home Loan Experts)​​(Home Buying Institute)​. It's important to note that multiple credit applications over a short period can also be perceived as a sign of financial instability, which might affect lenders' perceptions of your creditworthiness. Therefore, it's advisable to limit the number of applications and focus on boosting your credit profile to improve your chances of approval​ (RateCity.com.au)​​ (Home Buying Institute)​.

The Hero Bank is a bank pre-approved by Rate Unity. It is a financial institution that offers reduced rates to our customers, recognises our scale, and that we do not accept commissions in any form.

Open banking allows you to share your banking data with third parties that have been accredited by the ACCC and will enable customers to switch products or banks more easily. Since 1 November 2020, Australia’s bank customers have been able to grant access to accredited third parties to their savings, credit card, mortgage, personal loan and joint bank account data. This convenient feature allows you to search for a better deal on banking products or manage all your banking in one place, bringing you relief and ease. As a bank customer, you can ask that your data be sent to accredited businesses, including RateUnity, other authorised banks, financial institutions, and organisations. You control how your data is used and to whom it is given. The ACCC rules protect the data. RateUnity may use Open Banking to complete customer validation, verification and credit review activities in order to speed up the mortgage application process. However, as mentioned above, this will only be possible if you provide permission, this is in addition to the acceptance of Terms and Conditions that is included in the Join-us or Sign-up form. For more information see: https://www.ausbanking.org.au/priorities/open-banking/

Fixed rate home loans have an interest rate that stays the same for a set period of time (typically one to five years). At the end of the fixed rate term, the loan will usually switch to a variable rate. Variable rate home loans have an interest rate that may move up or down throughout the loan term. These changes will affect the amount of interest you pay. Variable rates are highly linked to the Cash rate set by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), for current and historical rates, see the RBA website. Split rate mortgage is when a percentage is Fixed and the remainder is Variable, such as 70% Fixed, 30% Variable. The principal of your home loan is the amount of money you borrow from your bank or lender. The interest is the cost charged by the bank or lender to you to borrow this money Principle and Interest mortgage is a home loan with repayments of both principal and interest is one in which you pay interest and also repay part of the amount borrowed (principal) at the same time. Interest only mortgage is as the name suggests, you only have to pay the interest on this type of loan which means your payments over this time will be less than if you were also repaying the principal. However, the principal amount will remain the same – that is, your outstanding balance won’t be reduced – unless you choose to make extra repayments.

The Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) is the amount you would like to borrow compared to the value of your property. Your LVR is calculated by dividing the amount you'd like to borrow by the value of the property as a percentage. As a general rule, an LVR below 80% is a great ratio and will assist in the mortgage application process. Over 80% may require Mortgage Insurance

The Rate Unity will include you in a tranche of customers to receive a great negotiated rate at the time that your Fixed Rate mortgage lapses, so that you can transfer swiftly to your new rate. Seek independent financial professional advice if you wish to leave your Fixed Rate mortgage early as there are often fees and penalties associated with it.

No. RateUnity is not associated with Unity Bank or Australian Unity.

Traditional mortgage brokers are paid by the banks, so as a customer, you do not have to pay them directly. However, the customer is indirectly covering these costs. Mortgage brokers typically receive an upfront commission, usually between 0.165% - 0.21% of the mortgage value, and a trailing commission of between 0.015% - 0.02% annually as long as the mortgage is with the same financial institution. Each Bank/Financial institution has their own commissions, however according to Best Interest Duty, from Jan 2021 Mortgage Brokers have to provide the best mortgage options regardless of the commissions associated with them (see Best Interests Duty for more information) Additionally, banks incur customer acquisition costs, the expenses related to getting new customers to sign with them. RateUnity may receives a referral fee for securing you a better deal, creating a win-win situation where both parties benefit. For example: Loan Value

The Best Interests Duty for mortgage brokers is a statutory obligation for mortgage brokers to act in the best interests of consumers (best interests duty), and to prioritise consumers’ interest when providing credit assistance (conflict priority rule).

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