CUA Ltd is one of the country’s largest customer-owned financial services companies. Launched in 1946, CUA has grown to have a nationwide member base of over 400,000 customers. Since then, there has been a series of amalgamations and today, CUA is made up of 171 credit unions. Formerly known as the Credit Union Australia, it was rebranded to just CUA in 2007.
CUA’s headquarters is in Queensland but it has 60 branches across the country. As a 100% customer-owned institution, CUA reinvests its profits and passes the reduced fees and interest rates to its customers.
In 2017, CUA was named Money Magazine’s credit union of the year, in part because of its low interest rates and excellent customer service. At the 2016 Australian Retail Banking Awards, it won ‘Mutual of the Year’. In 2015, it also won Money Magazine’s ‘Best of the Best Gold Award’ in the Best Savings Account – Regular Deposits category and was named ‘Member-Owned Bank of the Year’ by the Financial Review Smart Investor’s Blue Ribbon Awards.
CUA offers a wide range of products including bank accounts, credit cards, home loans, personal loans and insurance products. In terms of home loans, CUA caters for a wide variety of customers including first home buyers, upgraders, refinancers, renovators, investors, and self-employed. Customers can choose from a range of interest rate options including principal and interest, interest only, variable, fixed, split, and line of credit.
CUA offers lower home loan rates and fees than many of its competitors in Australia. To compete with the big banks, it offers mortgage rates that are generally lower than the market average. Depending on the product, CUA mortgages include added features such as offset accounts, the ability to make extra repayments, and redraw facilities.
To apply for a home loan with CUA, you will need to be over 18 years of age and a permanent resident of Australia. To support your CUA home loan application, you may also need to provide the following details:
- Personal identification details
- Personal income details
- Details of current debts and assets
- Details about the property you are looking to buy
Home loan enquires can be submitted online and a CUA home loan specialist will provide a call back. There is currently no functionality for customers to apply online. Applications can be completed face-to-face in a branch or over the telephone. For straightforward banking transactions, CUA customers can use internet banking and their mobile app 24 hours a day.