Stability and the need to quickly address business challenges outweighed pressure for a major shake-up of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in the selection of internal candidate Matt Comyn as CEO, experts say.

Bank stakeholders were pushing for an external appointment to shake up the bank's culture with speculation that candidates including Medibank CEO Craig Drummond, Westpac executive George Frazis, CBA director Rob Whitfield and a foreigner remained in the running right up until the end.