Aussie Home Loans yesterday asserted its independence from its 33 per cent shareholder, Commonwealth Bank, when it launched a new low-rate mortgage in partnership with Macquarie Bank.The Optimizer loan is a fully featured, standard, variable-rate mortgage, launched at 6.99 per cent, with no ongoing account fees and a waiver on the application fee until July 31.Aussie's chief executive, Stephen Porges, said: "Commonwealth is a very supportive shareholder and it has been our funding warehouse."But when it comes to product we are agnostic. Our priority is the customer and we go out and get the best product. We have partnerships with CBA, GE and Macquarie."Porges said sales of Aussie's own-brand home loans slipped to around three per cent of total sales during the financial crisis, but he expects that number to get back to 15 or 20 per cent this year.The 6.99 per cent rate (the comparison rate is 7.04 per cent) puts the Optimizer among the cheaper loans on the comparison websites.Porges said Aussie's research indicated that borrowers in the current market were looking for a low-priced loan. "They are hurting," he said.