Mid-size brokerages punch above their weight

Mid-size brokerages across Australia recorded year-on-year growth of between 45% and 80% in FY26, with finalists in the Australian Mortgage Awards Brokerage of the Year (6–20 Staff) category, sponsored by Resimac, crediting people, process discipline and technology for their results. The six-to-20-staff brokerage sits at a defining moment in its life cycle: big enough to need real systems, small enough that every hire still changes the culture. Their shared lesson is that discipline, technology and culture compound over time. The decisions made at this size will shape these firms for years to come.

What is driving growth at mid-size Australian brokerages in 2026?

Growth at this year's finalists came from sharply different starting points. Matt Spears, founder of Evoke Capital, says his firm grew 80% year on year, attributed mainly to scaling the credit team, bringing in new brokers and running marketing for the first time in five and a half years. Connor Perry, head of sales and senior finance strategist at Money Links, reported 71% growth across a team of 17. Heinrich Brendel, associate director and analyst at Blue Crane Capital, traced a 45% lift in settlement volume and deal quantity to a single planning session held 12 months prior. 'It boils down to two components: having high-performance people who can deliver, and systems and processes that let them achieve those goals', Brendel says. Ryan Sweeney, CEO and co-founder of FRONT Financial, credits a clear niche. 'Our growth stemmed from having a clear niche and doubling down on it', he says.

How are mid-size brokerages using AI without replacing brokers?

AI is finding a place in back-office operations, though finalists are clear it supports people rather than displacing them. Russell Munfaredi, managing director and senior mortgage broker at Mortgage Pros, turned to AI agents after a file-assessment bottleneck limited how much volume his marketing could convert. He added two new brokers and now runs six on the sales team. At Evoke Capital, Spears rebuilt his aggregation system around automation and role segregation. 'AI is still in its infancy, but I'm seeing it take away some of the reliance we've had on offshore support, while continuing to enable growth', he says. Perry's view is direct. 'AI hasn't replaced the personal side of broking. If anything, it's given us more capacity to focus on what's important, which is the client experience', he says.

What does the Australian Mortgage Awards Brokerage of the Year (6–20 Staff) category judge?

Ten criteria determine the winner. Judges assess number of staff and total loan volume in the past 12 months (1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026), alongside year-on-year growth, lead-generation strategies and conversion rate over the same period. Client retention rate, submission quality, customer service approach and value proposition are also scored. The category covers broker training and development programmes as well. Mimi Jawad, national sales manager, aggregation and partnerships at Resimac, explains the rationale. 'For a brokerage of 6–20 staff, success is about building sustainable growth while continuing to deliver customers the service they deserve', she says. The criteria reflect how Resimac defines performance at this size of firm: sustainable foundations, not just volume.

How do high-performing mid-size brokerages build client retention?

The strongest finalists treat communication itself as a product. Richard Garner, specialist broker and director at Crew Financial, built a structured approach to stay ahead of client expectations. 'We've got a 34-point process for maintaining communication, because we wanted clients to be ahead of the information rather than chasing us for it', he says. Nitish Kumar, franchise owner and senior mortgage broker at Loan Market Canberra, tracks 700 five-star Google reviews across seven years. Sweeney runs a structured onboarding process where the first call runs 15–20 minutes. His firm takes roughly two hours of consultation before requesting any documents. Each approach treats the client relationship as a process, not a transaction.

How does accountability culture improve brokerage results?

At Money Links, internal accountability drove every broker to a personal record year. 'One of the big things we've prioritised is creating a high-performance culture and really imposing accountability on all of the individual brokers. That resulted in every broker having their own record year, and as a group, a huge uptick in what we do', Perry says. The result was the firm's 71% year-on-year growth. Andrew Thompson, mortgage broker and head of growth at Loan Market Ignite, converted two credit analysts into brokers. His brokerage applies Lean Six Sigma process improvement to strip waste from its operations. Culture and process discipline, applied together, produced measurable gains at both firms.

How are brokerages restructuring the back office to write more loans?

The clearest example sits at Unconditional Finance. Chris Raymond, founder and principal broker, settled close to a thousand loans in the last financial year with fewer staff than the year before. 'We actually had fewer staff this financial year than the previous one, but we wrote more volume. We just got smarter about how we operate, and clients are getting a better experience because of it', Raymond says. At Mortgage Pros, role segregation solved the same problem. 'The segregation of roles and having clearly defined outcomes for each department allowed us to write significantly more, with just six brokers on the team', Munfaredi says. Smarter structure, not headcount, drove output at both firms.

Why did Resimac sponsor the Brokerage of the Year (6–20 Staff) category?

Resimac has been part of Australia's lending landscape for 40 years. The lender currently holds $15.9 billion in assets under management across more than 100,000 mortgages and asset and equipment finance customers. It works with 17,000 accredited brokers and maintains business development managers in every major state and territory. Jawad says the award reflects what brokerages at this size are already doing. 'It's about making the most of the resources available to you, whether that's your aggregator, your peers or increasingly, AI. That's why this award matters, because it's recognising the brokerages performing strongly now while building strong foundations for future success', she says. Brokers looking for further premium industry analysis can find it on Australian Broker.

Featured experts

• Mimi Jawad: national sales manager, aggregation and partnerships, Resimac; Resimac is a leading alternative lender for residential mortgages and asset finance in Australia.
• Heinrich Brendel: associate director and analyst, Blue Crane Capital; Blue Crane Capital is a finalist in the 2026 Australian Mortgage Awards Brokerage of the Year (6–20 Staff) category.
• Peter Colman: mortgage broker, Aussie Prospect; Aussie Prospect is a 2026 Australian Mortgage Awards finalist focused on community-centred broking and diversification across its franchise network.
• Richard Garner: specialist broker and director, Crew Financial; Crew Financial is a 2026 Australian Mortgage Awards finalist with a 34-point client communication process and a niche in the aviation industry.