Online lender loans.com.au, a subsidiary of noted non-bank Firstmac, has claimed a new low for home loan interest rates by slashing its variable rate to 3.52 per cent. The company's managing director, Marie Mortimer, predicted it would force  banks to lower their rates "or continue losing market share to loans.com.au. "We have grown from nothing in 2011 to almost A$6 billion in loans under management today by consistently offering the lowest interest rates to Australian borrowers," Mortimer said.  Boosted by loans.com.au's rapid growth, its parent company Firstmac has surged to become the 14th largest residential mortgage lender in Australia, ahead of household names including Citibank, Heritage Bank, and Newcastle Permanent. It is also Australia's largest non-bank lender with aspirations to become an ADI and compete even further in the online banking space.