At Bank Australia we believe we have a responsibility to create positive social and environmental change, and part of this responsibility is to ensure our products enable our customers to be a part of creating this change.

Our customers have told us that taking action on climate change and promoting a transition to renewable energy is important to them.

That’s why we have a special feature on our home loans called an Eco Pause. A feature that helps our customers make their homes more sustainable.

Our Eco Pause lets customers take a break from their mortgage repayments and redirect their money to eco upgrades such as solar panels, batteries and water tanks.

How long can you pause your repayments for?

With an eco-pause, customers can pause their repayments for three months or halve them for six months.

Are there any eligibility criteria?

There are some key criteria customers need to meet to be eligible for the pause.

• Borrowers can be an owner-occupier or investor to be eligible.
• Loans must be on principal and interest repayments.
  
• We will need to see evidence of what the funds will be directed to (i.e. what upgrades).
• Loan has to have been established with Bank Australia for at least 12 months before applying for a repayment pause.
• While repayments are paused, interest will still accrue.

We believe that everyone should be able to create a life that reflects their values, and our eco pause is one way of enabling this at individual level. But the buck doesn’t stop there. If you have a Bank Australia home loan, you are also helping create positive change on a global scale. We will never lend to harmful industries such as fossil fuels which means your home loan will never be supporting these investments.  

Terms and conditions

Customers may apply for a 3-month break in repayments, or a 6 month reduction (up to half) of their repayments on their loan, subject to the following conditions:

• A request must be provided with evidence detailing what the funds will be redirected for the purpose of installing water and/or energy saving devices.
• Owner occupiers and investors are eligible.
• The loan must be established with Bank Australia for at least 12 months before applying for a repayment pause.
• Accounts must be operated within Bank Australia terms and conditions prior to the request, and loans must not be in arrears or have had any repayments missed within the six months prior to the request.
• Excludes Bridging loans, Interest Only loans and Home Equity loans.
• Subsequent repayment pause can be made no sooner than 12 months from the completion of any previous repayment pause.
• A maximum of 2 repayment pause breaks are permitted for loans that are subject to Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI).
• Loans that exceed a loan to value ratio (LVR) of 90% are not automatically eligible.
• Loan repayments may need to be recalculated at the conclusion of the pause to ensure the loan term does not exceed the maximum permitted by Bank Australia or the LMI insurer.