The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) has launched a new guide to help brokers recognise and respond to finance abuse and coercive control.
Dubbed "When Finance Gets Personal: A reference guide for mortgage and finance brokers," the guide was developed in response to members seeking clearer direction on how to navigate situations where financial conversations may reveal concerns about a client’s safety, independence or ability to make decisions freely.
"Ultimately, it's about giving confidence to brokers, because we know that the role of the broker is so encompassing," Melanie Kafka, executive, member experience and partnerships, told Australian Broker. "They're dealing with so much of a client's financial situation and financial journey. That's a lot to be involved in. The guide is about providing practical tools and guidance that help to support the broker in terms of the role that they're really doing day in and day out. And confidence to know where to go if they need to refer clients to out, as well.
Anja Pannek, chief executive officer of the MFAA, added: “Our members told us they wanted practical guidance to help them feel more confident navigating these conversations while understanding the boundaries of their role. This guide takes questions raised by members around the country and turns them into something practical they can return to when finance gets personal.”
The guide is built around a "Recognise. Respond. Refer" framework, giving brokers tools to identify possible signs of vulnerability, respond sensitively without making assumptions and recognise when additional support may be needed. It explores issues such as financial abuse and coercive control, offers practical language brokers can use during sensitive conversations, outlines professional boundaries, addresses broker wellbeing and highlights available referral options.
"What we were very clear on is that it is not the broker's role to be a counsellor," Kafka said. "It's not the member's or the broker's role to be a counselor. But it's actually [their role in] recognising that these are situations that unfortunately happen in society. And if there is something that the customer may indicate, how do they respond appropriately to that? And then, how do they think about and have options to refer to a professional if that's something that the customer would seek to want to do?
"It's really about creating that opportunity for the customer to be open and the customer to engage if they want to as well," she continued. "And also providing clarity on if someone does want to seek professional help, then how does that situation happen, as well."
Practical steps include pausing, listening without judgement, acknowledging what the client shares and asking neutral questions when appropriate.
"What a broker might see in a situation, particularly where they've got two clients in front of them, is one person might consistently answer for the other," Kafka explained. "Or, if there are accounts, debts or commitments a client didn't expect, or last-minute changes to the application, or the ownership or the purpose of the loan. Or maybe some unusual urgency or pressures to proceed. So [brokers should] know where you roll in. And if the client welcomes support, then offer information and opportunities in terms of connecting with an appropriate qualified specialist."
The guide, which is now available online on the MFAA website in its member toolbox, was developed by the MFAA across roughly 1,100 broker conversations, with contributions and insights from Financial Counselling Australia, Full Stop Australia and Bankwest. The guide also includes links to external resources and referral services. The MFAA plans to continue the conversation with members through a follow-up webinar on 24 November.
Kafka said the guide was developed after the MFAA's 2026 Women in Finance Broking Series, which traveled across five Australian capital cities.
While economic exploitation can affect anyone, the issue has a particularly gendered dimension, with women more likely than men to experience these forms of financial harm.
"It is across gender," Kafka said. "But statistically [finance abuse and coercive control] does impact women more than men. So the thinking around the theme, or the content for the series, actually came from some conversations that we were hearing and we were having with members around some of the conversations that they were looking at and some of the work that they were doing with clients, particularly focused around the concept of coercive control.
"And the key thing I heard, particularly from many members, was this was an important conversation to raise, an important conversation to have," she added.
