Australian Broker has named the winners of its second annual 5-Star Brokers awards, recognising 40 mortgage brokers from across the country chosen entirely through client nominations rather than revenue or loan volume.
The awards coincide with brokers settling a record 81% of new home loans in the March 2026 quarter — per MFAA and Cotality data — making Australia one of just three countries globally where brokers write more than 80% of home lending, alongside the UK and Netherlands.
More than 3,300 client nominations were collected across a survey campaign run between 16 March and 10 April 2026, with participants rating their brokers across six criteria: pricing, technical expertise, range of products, customer service, fast communication and overall responsiveness.
Winners needed an average client rating of 9 or above across all six measures to make the final list of 40. Of those, the following 22 have enhanced profiles featured in this year's report:
MFAA chief executive Anja Pannek said the qualities separating this year's winners had sharpened alongside a more complex lending environment.
"What stands out about the best mortgage and finance brokers is their ability to combine expertise with genuine client care," Pannek said. "They understand lending, policy, and compliance, but they also take the time to understand their clients' goals and circumstances."
She acknowledged the record market share should be read in context.
"Like many small and medium-sized businesses across Australia, broking businesses have to remain focused, disciplined and adaptable," Pannek said.
See the complete list of winners and full methodology in Australian Broker's 2026 5-Star Brokers report.
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