Demand for commercial mortgages remains perky, a plus for lenders but not so positive for financial regulators setting out to chop back demand for residential property. The business credit demand index by Equifax for the June 2017 quarter shows that the level of business loan, trade credit, and asset finance applications increased by 2.7 per cent over the June quarter, compared to the same period last year.  That modest rise breaks down into persistent, robust demand within business loans, with mortgage applications rising 23.1 per cent over the quarter, year on year, albeit down from a 25.7 per cent rise (year on year) in the March 2017 quarter. Commercial mortgages is "a broad category encompassing business investment in new buildings and commercial property for both development and investment purposes," Neil Shilbury, general manager for commercial and property products at Equifax, said in a summary of the findings. Any oversupply of flats and multi-unit dwellings is one of the hot topics for the Reserve Bank of Australia, while it and APRA set out to temper demand for credit among the investors on whom developers depend. Growth in asset finance applications lifted by 6.5 per cent in the June quarter, though with wide regional variation in this credit index. By asset finance account type, Equifax said applications for hire purchase lifted 2.7 per cent, commercial rental rose 5.2 per cent, leasing by 9.1 per cent, and car and truck loans by 10.8 per cent.