Deposits, lending, and profit all climb for the customer-owned bank
Great Southern Bank has posted a strong FY26 result on the broker channel, ranking among Australia's top four mortgage lenders by brokers and taking the top spot among non-major banks, alongside broad gains across lending, deposits, and profitability.
Strong growth across lending, deposits, and profit
Home lending grew 7.6% to $18.78 billion over the year, while deposits rose 10.4% to $16.02 billion. Net profit after tax climbed 27.3% to $55 million. The bank's customer net promoter score rose five points to 56, keeping it in the top quartile, and it was separately recognised as one of Australia's most trusted banks by Roy Morgan.
CEO Paul Lewis (pictured) said the bank's results reflected performance across the business rather than any single line item.
"This was a very strong year for Great Southern Bank," Lewis said, pointing to gains in lending, deposits, profitability, and customer numbers alongside continued investment in technology and service capability.
First-home buyers a standout for the non-major
The bank helped more than 14,000 Australians into home loans during the year and captured around 3% of the national first-home buyer market – more than three times its overall mortgage market share. Lewis said the gap between that figure and the bank's broader footprint was a point of pride.
"Homeownership remains at the heart of our purpose," he said.
Small business and community lending also grow
Its Business+ Savings Account attracted more than $200 million in deposits since launching in FY26, supported in part by an embedded finance partnership with MYOB, with total active small business customers passing 5,500 during the year.
Great Southern Bank's overall active customer base, which includes small business customers, grew by more than 12,500 to over 434,400 in the same period. The bank also renewed its partnership with Mission Australia in August 2026, committing a further $3 million over three years toward community housing support.
The results add to a run of industry recognition for the customer-owned bank, including Canstar's Customer-Owned Bank of the Year for Savings for an eleventh consecutive year and a Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for the third year running.
The result comes as the lending environment shifts again: all four major banks now expect the RBA to raise the cash rate at its September meeting, a development likely to shape funding costs and competitive positioning for non-major lenders like Great Southern Bank into FY27.
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