Mortgage Broker Geelong: Commercial Banking Experience for Business and Home Loans

Before I started Mortgage & Finance Advisory in February 2026, I ran commercial banking clients at NAB in Geelong, working with businesses in the $10M to $80M space across health, agri, professional services and diversified groups. I came to that from commercial banking at ANZ, and before that from accounting and audit at Deloitte. In total that is 13 years in finance across accounting, audit and banking.

That history is why Geelong business owners come to me. I know how the local banks assess a business, and I know when a different lender will assess it better. My office is at 1/4-6 Gilbert Street, Torquay, and I work with Geelong clients in person, by phone and by video.

How Lenders Read Geelong’s Main Industries

Geelong’s economy includes health and education employers such as Barwon Health and Deakin University, a long manufacturing history, agriculture on its edges, and a large base of trades, transport and professional firms. Each sector has its own credit conventions, and a lender that understands one can be cautious about another.

• Health practices. Lenders look at practitioner income, the practice’s earnings, goodwill and the equipment and premises. Some banks have dedicated health lending teams and others do not. See our healthcare finance guide.
• Agri. Lenders consider land, seasonal income, commodity exposure and the structure of the farming entity. See our agricultural and farm finance page.
• Professional services. Accountants, lawyers and consultants usually have limited hard assets, so lenders rely on earnings, work in progress and the principals’ standing, and often ask for personal guarantees.
• Construction and civil. Cash flow depends on progress claims and retentions, and lenders examine contracts, work in progress and the debtor book. See our civil construction finance page.
• Transport and car repair. Equipment finance and invoice finance are common here, with attention paid to how security is shared between financiers. See our transport finance page.

Groups, Trusts and Multiple Entities

Many established Geelong businesses sit inside a group, with an operating company, a property trust, a family trust and personal guarantees running across them. Banks assess these as a connected group, so one entity’s debt or weak year can affect another’s borrowing. I map the group before an application starts, work out which entity should borrow, and check how existing cross-securities and guarantees will interact with any new facility. That preparation is where my time in commercial banking helps most.

A group application usually needs financial statements for each entity, a clear picture of the related-party loans between them, and the personal position of each guarantor. Having these ready, and reconciled to each other, is what separates an application that moves from one that stalls while the lender asks for more.

Commercial Property and Development in Geelong

Owner-occupiers buying premises and investors buying commercial property are assessed differently, and development finance adds feasibility, builder and exit questions. Signed leases are not required for approval, because lenders can accept a real estate agent’s rental appraisal letter as support for expected rent. Geelong’s growth corridors, including Armstrong Creek, Mount Duneed and Charlemont, bring industrial, retail and residential development, and the lender choice differs for each. Our pages on commercial property finance and development finance go into the detail.

The Full Business Finance Range

Equipment finance, invoice finance, working capital, business acquisition and development funding are covered in detail on our business finance Geelong page, and the full list sits on our business lending page.

Home Loans in Geelong

Home loans are the second part of the practice, and I prepare them the same way: assess your position first, then choose the lender.

• First home buyers. I explain the schemes you may be able to use, including the First Home Guarantee and the Help to Buy scheme, and how your deposit affects which lenders to approach.
• Refinancing. I compare your loan against the panel and handle the switch if a better option exists, whether you are in Newtown, Belmont, Highton or elsewhere. See our refinancing guide.
• Investors. Loan structure, security and equity use are what matter most when you are building a portfolio. See our investment loan structure guide.
• Self-employed and complex borrowers. If your income is variable, your documents are limited or you borrow through a trust, I know how to present the case. See our self-employed home loans guide.

If you own a business and want a home loan, the two are connected, because your personal borrowing and your business borrowing are assessed together in many credit decisions. I look at both before choosing a lender, so a home loan does not reduce the capacity you need for the business.

Geelong Areas I Work In

• Central Geelong: Geelong CBD, Newtown, Geelong West, South Geelong, East Geelong
• Northern Geelong: Corio, Norlane, Bell Park, Bell Post Hill, Lara, Little River
• Eastern and southern Geelong: Belmont, Highton, Grovedale, Waurn Ponds, Mount Duneed, Armstrong Creek, Charlemont, Leopold
• Also the Bellarine Peninsula, Torquay and the Surf Coast, and business clients in SA, QLD and NSW

Frequently Asked Questions

Melanie McNaughton

Director

Melanie has 13 years in finance across accounting, audit and banking, including Deloitte, ANZ and NAB. Mortgage & Finance Advisory was a finalist for Best New Business at the 2026 Torquay Business Awards.

This page is general information and not credit advice, and it does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Melanie McNaughton is a Credit Representative (575841) of Connective Credit Services Pty Ltd, Australian Credit Licence 389328.