If you ask a commercial broker what’s changed in the last two years, most will say the same thing: the deals that used to fit the banks don’t anymore. Not because the deal is bad, but because it doesn’t fit a credit policy written for someone else.
That gap is why more brokers are picking up the phone to non-bank lenders in 2026.
Here’s what’s driving the shift, and what it means for how you place deals.
What’s Pushing Brokers to Non-Banks
1. Speed that matches the deal
When a client is racing a settlement date or a vendor deadline, a bank timeline that can stretch to months isn’t a delay, it’s a dead deal. Non-bank lenders can move in days, which often decides whether your client wins the opportunity at all.
2. Criteria built for real businesses
Banks build their rules around residential security and clean, salaried income. Non-banks take a more commercial view, weighing up the project and the borrower on merit rather than running everything through the same automated filter.
3. Deals the banks won’t touch
Complex, mixed-use, half-finished, or outside an approved postcode. These are exactly the files banks decline and specialists fund. A non-bank partner means you can say yes to clients you’d otherwise turn away.
4. A partner, not a portal
The best non-bank relationships give you a decision-maker to talk a scenario through with, not a form and a wait. That access lets you shape a deal before it’s formally lodged, so you’re not burning enquiries on a maybe.
What This Means for Your Business
Going beyond the banks isn’t about dropping them but It’s about having somewhere to go when they say no, so a declined application becomes a placed deal instead of a lost client. Brokers who can solve the hard files, not just the easy ones, are the brokers clients come back to and refer their mates to.
Buildfund works with commercial brokers on exactly these scenarios, take a look at how we can help. We give brokers conditional approvals within 48–72 hours. We look at each deal on its own merits, not against a checklist. If it works, you’ll know fast. If it doesn’t, we’ll say so rather than leave you waiting
If you’ve got a scenario you’re not sure where to place, we’re happy to take a look.