Australia's largest home lender, the Commonwealth Bank, has seen home loan applications tumble 15 per cent since May, after three interest rate hikes and the federal budget's tax changes.

The bank, which reported a $1.8 billion quarterly profit, expects growth in investor demand for housing credit to more than halve over the next two years.

Westpac is the latest bank to report a sharp decline in home loan applications since the government’s curbing of tax concessions for property investors.