We reveal the first 50 brokers of our Top 100, plus key statistics and analysis
Our Top 100 Brokers report is just about to hit desks, and here we reveal the first 50 brokers in the list
A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Westpac is proud to return as the sponsor for the 2015 MPA Top 100 Brokers list. As Westpac enters into our third century of
serving Australia, our partnership journey continues – to help our broker partners grow their business and assist their clients in reaching their home ownership dreams and financial goals sooner.
Award recipients will be honoured for their commitment to excellence, specifically highlighting those who have set a benchmark of high performance that can be celebrated, respected, and emulated by brokers alike.
This is an exciting time to be a mortgage broker, as most professional brokers continue to embrace changes in modern technology and digitisation, as well as overcoming the challenges of recent regulatory changes.
On behalf of Westpac, I would like to congratulate the brokers who have made this year’s MPA Top 100 Broker list, and for stretching yourselves to achieve nothing less than excellence in the mortgage and finance industry.
Tony MacRae,
General manager,
third party distribution,
Westpac and St.George Banking Group
YET ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR
We didn’t think it could be done … both the combined settlement totals of the Top 100 and the settlement total of the No. 1 broker have beaten 2014’s numbers.
MPA TOP 100 BROKERS: 100 to 50
100 Anthony Knight
Company: Mortgage Choice in Erina
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $70,717,596
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 233
99 Trevor Ryan
Company: Aussie
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $70,775,963
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 228
98 Stephanie Brennan
Company: Tiffen & Co
State: ACT
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $70,814,642
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 242
97 Erica Elvy
Company: Aussie Rouse Hill
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $70,853,307
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 133
96 Leeanne Scott
Company: Mortgage Choice in North Sydney
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,499,358
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 189
95 Peter Johnson
Company: Mortgage Choice in Cronulla
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,681,458
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 251
94 Norm Moon
Company: Aussie
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,779,452
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 174
93 David Thomas
Company: Trilogy Funding
State: ACT
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,787,523
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 309
92 Sahdeo Singh
Company: RDN Mortgages Pty Ltd
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,980,352
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 226
91 Angelika Darbinian
Company: Aussie Crows Nest
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $72,129,506
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 79
More on page 2...
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90 Hank (Hoa) Hong
Company: Home Loan Experts
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $72,617,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 140
89 Eugene Sholomov
Company: MINFIN Australia
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $73,319,875
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 106
88 David Wegener
Company: Real Wealth Money
State: SA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $73,360,527
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 192
87 Jason Zhu
Company: Janz Financial
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $73,371,250
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 88
86 Bianca Long
Company: Mortgage Choice in Glenwood
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $74,239,282
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 227
85 Richard Hoenig
Company: Arleon Capital Pty Ltd
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $74,266,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 114
84 Daniel Hustwaite
Company: Aqua Financial Services
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $74,525,753
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 220
83 Matt Mannaert
Company: Acceptance Finance
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,193,148
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 174
82 Mark Nguyen
Company: IFG Home Loans
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,257,025
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 191
81 Bhavesh Shah
Company: Loan Gallery
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,690,533
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 205
80 Ryan Ewart
Company: Mortgage Choice in Dee Why
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,696,056
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 176
79 Mario Borg
Company: Mario Borg Strategic Finance
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,717,156
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 173
78 Helen Chandler
Company: Elite Finance Group Australia
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $76,000,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 160
77 Neville Ayrouth
Company: Mortgage Choice in Randwick
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $76,370,156
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 141
76 Adam Bourke
Company: Mortgage Choice in Paddington
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $76,670,743
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 231
More on page 3...
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75 Stephen Franklin
Company: Aussie Bull Creek
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $77,763,560
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 176
74 Bren Rodda
Company: Loan Market
State: NT
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $78,442,979
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 167
73 Antony Muir
Company: Mortgage Choice in Gold Coast
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $78,663,160
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 292
72 Alex Shumsky
Company: Consolidated FS
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $78,858,852
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 185
71 Luke Torossian
Company: Aussie Engadine
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $79,282,671
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 157
70 Xavier Quenon
Company: Go Mortgage
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $79,519,658
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 190
69 Joshua Durrant
Company: Choice Capital
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $79,797,631
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 176
68 Stephen Lemm
Company: Mortgage Choice in Neutral Bay
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $79,838,376
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 179
67 David Chia
Company: Yellow Brick Road Randwick
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $80,534,543
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 154
66 Daniel Lanna
Company: Centric Lending Services P/L
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $81,364,104
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 86
65 Brett Amos
Company: Seven Point Finance
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $81,398,279
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 175
64 Neil Christie
Company: Aussie Oxenford
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $81,634,376
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 219
63 Ian Simpson
Company: Smartline
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $82,867,171
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 156
62 Paul Prindiville
Company: Blackburne Money
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $83,863,217
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 221
61 Quentin Grofski
Company: Aussie Morley
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $83,885,649
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 203
More on page 4...
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60 Matthew Kerr
Company: Hudson Institute
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $84,394,275
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 202
59 Serge Scekic
Company: Aussie Balgowlah
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $84,503,414
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 156
58 Navjeet Singh Matta
Company: Gain Home Loans
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $85,022,663
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 503
57 Sewa SINGH Reliance
Company: Home Loans Pty Ltd
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $86,295,273
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 269
56 Brad Nolan
Company: Eastern Financial Solutions
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $86,389,308
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 183
55 Adrian Lee
Company: Resource Group
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $88,000,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 102
54 Peter Goldberg
Company: Pinnacle Capital Pty Ltd
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $88,407,333
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 177
53 James Henwood-White
Company: eSelect Pty Ltd
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $89,593,438
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 202
52 Shareek Mohammed
Company: Aussie Liverpool
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $91,733,122
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 195
51 Matthew Dwyer
Company: Yellow Brick Road Penrith
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $92,000,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 281
50 Troy Cameron
Company: Stratique Finance
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $92,857,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 202
ANALYSIS: 2014-15 IN BROKING
Before jumping to conclusions about the achieve-ments of 2015’s crop of Top 100 Brokers compared to last year’s, it’s important to look at what happened between
July 2014 and July 2015, the cut-off dates for this survey.
This starts with house prices which, according to RP Data CoreLogic, increased 11.1% in Australia’s capital cities over that time period. The combined total value of our Top 100 Brokers’ loans only rose 7% during that time, so our Top 100 actually didn’t keep up with rising house prices (although remember not all are based in Australia’s capital cities). However, the problem isn’t that our brokers are writing smaller loans: the average loan size of our brokers did increase similarly to house prices, by 10%.
When considering the dominance of NSW brokers in this year’s Top 100, it’s worth noting that Sydney prices increased 18.4% in FY2014/15, leaving behind Melbourne (11.5%), Brisbane (3.9%) and especially Perth (-0.3%). It’s no coincidence that our top broker this year was Sydney-based; more impressively, their settlement total was 29% higher than last year’s winner, comfortably beating the rise in house prices.
One could argue that the gap between house prices and settlement totals is a result of restrictions in investment lending by APRA, to which many banks responded by changing policies and increasing their rates. Many of our Top 100 Brokers specialise in property investors, and so perhaps, as a group, the Top 100 has been adversely affected.
However, many of our Top 10 Brokers saw APRA’s restrictions as “a massive opportunity”, as one broker put it, because it restricted the ability of branches to satisfy clients. Another broker commented that “our phones are ringing off the hook because people and astute investors need specialists more than ever, rather than going to a bank or broker who doesn’t specialise, given the recent APRA changes”.
On Wednesday we reveal numbers 49-11 - don't miss out!
A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Westpac is proud to return as the sponsor for the 2015 MPA Top 100 Brokers list. As Westpac enters into our third century of
serving Australia, our partnership journey continues – to help our broker partners grow their business and assist their clients in reaching their home ownership dreams and financial goals sooner.
Award recipients will be honoured for their commitment to excellence, specifically highlighting those who have set a benchmark of high performance that can be celebrated, respected, and emulated by brokers alike.
This is an exciting time to be a mortgage broker, as most professional brokers continue to embrace changes in modern technology and digitisation, as well as overcoming the challenges of recent regulatory changes.
On behalf of Westpac, I would like to congratulate the brokers who have made this year’s MPA Top 100 Broker list, and for stretching yourselves to achieve nothing less than excellence in the mortgage and finance industry.
Tony MacRae,
General manager,
third party distribution,
Westpac and St.George Banking Group
YET ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR
We didn’t think it could be done … both the combined settlement totals of the Top 100 and the settlement total of the No. 1 broker have beaten 2014’s numbers.
MPA TOP 100 BROKERS: 100 to 50
100 Anthony Knight
Company: Mortgage Choice in Erina
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $70,717,596
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 233
99 Trevor Ryan
Company: Aussie
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $70,775,963
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 228
98 Stephanie Brennan
Company: Tiffen & Co
State: ACT
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $70,814,642
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 242
97 Erica Elvy
Company: Aussie Rouse Hill
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $70,853,307
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 133
96 Leeanne Scott
Company: Mortgage Choice in North Sydney
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,499,358
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 189
95 Peter Johnson
Company: Mortgage Choice in Cronulla
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,681,458
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 251
94 Norm Moon
Company: Aussie
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,779,452
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 174
93 David Thomas
Company: Trilogy Funding
State: ACT
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,787,523
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 309
92 Sahdeo Singh
Company: RDN Mortgages Pty Ltd
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $71,980,352
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 226
91 Angelika Darbinian
Company: Aussie Crows Nest
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $72,129,506
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 79
More on page 2...
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90 Hank (Hoa) Hong
Company: Home Loan Experts
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $72,617,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 140
FREE TO ROAM
It’s very difficult to make this list working as a mobile broker but, at No. 94, Aussie Home Loans’ Norm Moon has done it, and is the highest-ranking mobile broker in the list. Moon has been at Aussie for eight years, servicing the Sydney area, and his motto is “I have two ears and one mouth, so I’m here to listen to your situation and your aspirations”.
It’s very difficult to make this list working as a mobile broker but, at No. 94, Aussie Home Loans’ Norm Moon has done it, and is the highest-ranking mobile broker in the list. Moon has been at Aussie for eight years, servicing the Sydney area, and his motto is “I have two ears and one mouth, so I’m here to listen to your situation and your aspirations”.
89 Eugene Sholomov
Company: MINFIN Australia
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $73,319,875
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 106
88 David Wegener
Company: Real Wealth Money
State: SA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $73,360,527
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 192
87 Jason Zhu
Company: Janz Financial
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $73,371,250
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 88
86 Bianca Long
Company: Mortgage Choice in Glenwood
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $74,239,282
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 227
85 Richard Hoenig
Company: Arleon Capital Pty Ltd
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $74,266,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 114
84 Daniel Hustwaite
Company: Aqua Financial Services
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $74,525,753
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 220
83 Matt Mannaert
Company: Acceptance Finance
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,193,148
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 174
82 Mark Nguyen
Company: IFG Home Loans
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,257,025
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 191
81 Bhavesh Shah
Company: Loan Gallery
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,690,533
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 205
80 Ryan Ewart
Company: Mortgage Choice in Dee Why
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,696,056
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 176
BRICKS AND MORTAR
At No. 86, Bianca Long of Mortgage Choice Glenwood is a broker at the epicentre of the massive construction boom on Sydney’s western fringe. With demand growing, she’s now opened her second office in the area and is a frequent commentator in MPA, most recently on the subject of female consumers.
At No. 86, Bianca Long of Mortgage Choice Glenwood is a broker at the epicentre of the massive construction boom on Sydney’s western fringe. With demand growing, she’s now opened her second office in the area and is a frequent commentator in MPA, most recently on the subject of female consumers.
79 Mario Borg
Company: Mario Borg Strategic Finance
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $75,717,156
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 173
78 Helen Chandler
Company: Elite Finance Group Australia
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $76,000,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 160
77 Neville Ayrouth
Company: Mortgage Choice in Randwick
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $76,370,156
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 141
76 Adam Bourke
Company: Mortgage Choice in Paddington
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $76,670,743
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 231
More on page 3...
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75 Stephen Franklin
Company: Aussie Bull Creek
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $77,763,560
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 176
74 Bren Rodda
Company: Loan Market
State: NT
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $78,442,979
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 167
73 Antony Muir
Company: Mortgage Choice in Gold Coast
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $78,663,160
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 292
72 Alex Shumsky
Company: Consolidated FS
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $78,858,852
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 185
71 Luke Torossian
Company: Aussie Engadine
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $79,282,671
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 157
70 Xavier Quenon
Company: Go Mortgage
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $79,519,658
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 190
KING OF THE NORTH
Last year we didn’t have a single Top 100 Broker from the Northern Territory, so it’s great to have Loan Market’s Bren Rodda at No. 74. Rodda is based in Darwin, and despite the NT’s constantly changing economic fortunes, has amassed a settlement total of $78,442,979.
Last year we didn’t have a single Top 100 Broker from the Northern Territory, so it’s great to have Loan Market’s Bren Rodda at No. 74. Rodda is based in Darwin, and despite the NT’s constantly changing economic fortunes, has amassed a settlement total of $78,442,979.
69 Joshua Durrant
Company: Choice Capital
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $79,797,631
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 176
68 Stephen Lemm
Company: Mortgage Choice in Neutral Bay
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $79,838,376
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 179
67 David Chia
Company: Yellow Brick Road Randwick
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $80,534,543
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 154
66 Daniel Lanna
Company: Centric Lending Services P/L
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $81,364,104
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 86
65 Brett Amos
Company: Seven Point Finance
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $81,398,279
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 175
64 Neil Christie
Company: Aussie Oxenford
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $81,634,376
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 219
63 Ian Simpson
Company: Smartline
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $82,867,171
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 156
62 Paul Prindiville
Company: Blackburne Money
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $83,863,217
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 221
61 Quentin Grofski
Company: Aussie Morley
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $83,885,649
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 203
More on page 4...
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60 Matthew Kerr
Company: Hudson Institute
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $84,394,275
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 202
SHOOTING STAR
Rising an astonishing 49 places from his position last year, Simon Orbell of Smartmove Neutral Bay is this year’s ‘most improved’ broker. He attributes his rise to an increased strategic focus and the arrival of a talented staff member, Jason Katthagen, who sadly passed away in April.
Rising an astonishing 49 places from his position last year, Simon Orbell of Smartmove Neutral Bay is this year’s ‘most improved’ broker. He attributes his rise to an increased strategic focus and the arrival of a talented staff member, Jason Katthagen, who sadly passed away in April.
59 Serge Scekic
Company: Aussie Balgowlah
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $84,503,414
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 156
58 Navjeet Singh Matta
Company: Gain Home Loans
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $85,022,663
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 503
57 Sewa SINGH Reliance
Company: Home Loans Pty Ltd
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $86,295,273
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 269
56 Brad Nolan
Company: Eastern Financial Solutions
State: QLD
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $86,389,308
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 183
55 Adrian Lee
Company: Resource Group
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $88,000,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 102
54 Peter Goldberg
Company: Pinnacle Capital Pty Ltd
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $88,407,333
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 177
53 James Henwood-White
Company: eSelect Pty Ltd
State: VIC
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $89,593,438
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 202
52 Shareek Mohammed
Company: Aussie Liverpool
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $91,733,122
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 195
51 Matthew Dwyer
Company: Yellow Brick Road Penrith
State: NSW
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $92,000,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 281
50 Troy Cameron
Company: Stratique Finance
State: WA
Total value of residential loans FY 2014/15: $92,857,000
Total number of residential loans FY 2014/15: 202
ANALYSIS: 2014-15 IN BROKING
Before jumping to conclusions about the achieve-ments of 2015’s crop of Top 100 Brokers compared to last year’s, it’s important to look at what happened between
July 2014 and July 2015, the cut-off dates for this survey.This starts with house prices which, according to RP Data CoreLogic, increased 11.1% in Australia’s capital cities over that time period. The combined total value of our Top 100 Brokers’ loans only rose 7% during that time, so our Top 100 actually didn’t keep up with rising house prices (although remember not all are based in Australia’s capital cities). However, the problem isn’t that our brokers are writing smaller loans: the average loan size of our brokers did increase similarly to house prices, by 10%.
When considering the dominance of NSW brokers in this year’s Top 100, it’s worth noting that Sydney prices increased 18.4% in FY2014/15, leaving behind Melbourne (11.5%), Brisbane (3.9%) and especially Perth (-0.3%). It’s no coincidence that our top broker this year was Sydney-based; more impressively, their settlement total was 29% higher than last year’s winner, comfortably beating the rise in house prices.
One could argue that the gap between house prices and settlement totals is a result of restrictions in investment lending by APRA, to which many banks responded by changing policies and increasing their rates. Many of our Top 100 Brokers specialise in property investors, and so perhaps, as a group, the Top 100 has been adversely affected.
However, many of our Top 10 Brokers saw APRA’s restrictions as “a massive opportunity”, as one broker put it, because it restricted the ability of branches to satisfy clients. Another broker commented that “our phones are ringing off the hook because people and astute investors need specialists more than ever, rather than going to a bank or broker who doesn’t specialise, given the recent APRA changes”.
On Wednesday we reveal numbers 49-11 - don't miss out!
