Victorian Mortgage Group (VMG) has made NextGen's ApplyOnline platform its only channel for new broker loan applications, starting from 28 September. The family-owned non-bank lender is phasing out manual and paper-based lodgement over the coming weeks.
The change moves VMG's entire lending process, from lodgement through to settlement, onto a single digital platform. For brokers, it means one consistent way to submit and manage deals with the lender, which has more than 80 years of experience in residential mortgage finance.
VMG has accepted applications through ApplyOnline since 2022, but it also handled a mix of manual and paper-based submissions. Requests for missing information on those files went to brokers by email, which slowed the path to approval.
Under the new workflow, information requests will be visible and managed within ApplyOnline, so the back-and-forth on a deal stays in one system. VMG will also offer digital identity verification through NextGenID on all applications.
Glen McKay (pictured left), EGM – distribution and mortgage operations at VMG, said a single platform was the natural next step for the lender.
"Moving exclusively to ApplyOnline is about giving our broker partners a faster, simpler way to work with us," McKay said.
He said a consistent digital process would help VMG scale without changing how it works with brokers.
The shift comes as broker volumes climb. Brokers lodged 911,150 home loan applications across eight matched aggregators in 2025, up 18.4% on the previous year, while non-banks lifted their share of broker-channel residential lending to 7.2%, according to the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia's inaugural State of Mortgage & Finance Broking Report.
The platform pulls automated credit checks and property title searches into the assessment process. It draws on Equifax data covering enquiries, defaults, public records and applicant details. The integration is designed to lift the quality of submissions and speed up assessment.
Assessment staff will no longer need to switch between multiple systems. NextGen said the platform can take on further integrations, automation and decisioning tools as VMG expands, without a rebuild.
Marcus Walley (pictured right), strategic partnerships manager at NextGen, said the move showed how lenders of any size could go fully digital without a major technology overhaul.
"VMG has been a valued partner of NextGen since 2022, and this next step is a great example of how a lender can move to a fully digital workflow without a lengthy, disruptive platform build," Walley said.
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