Brokers underpin choice, says head of broker sales at Australia’s fifth-largest lender
Macquarie’s head of broker sales Wendy Brown caught up with MPA on Monday to discuss the latest broking industry data from the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA).
Per the MFAA’s report for the June 2025 quarter, mortgage brokers claimed a record 77.6% share of the home lending market, representing a 0.8-percentage-point increase from the previous quarter.
The value of new home loans written by mortgage brokers reached $121.58 billion in the quarter – the highest for any June quarter on record. This marked a more-than 21% year-on-year rise in broker-originated home lending volumes.
"Buying a home is the largest financial commitment many people will ever make. When you look at it through that lens, it makes total sense why more Australians are turning to brokers for independent advice and support,” said Brown on the data.
She continued: “For them, picking a mortgage provider isn't a casual online purchase. They want an expert who understands their situation and can help them navigate the market.
“It’s clear to anyone that brokers underpin choice, enhance competition and help unlock lower pricing for customers.
“We’ve always understood that, and it’s a big part of why our entire home loan lending experience has been purpose built for brokers. We don’t think this trend will be reversed, nor should it be.”
Currently the fifth largest lender in the mortgage space, Macquarie has established a commanding presence in the market in recent years.
Its mortgage book exceeded more than $150 billion for the first time ever in August 2025.
While a large body of water remains between Macquarie and the Big Four, its growth is eclipsing the competition.
On a year-on-year basis, Macquarie’s home lending book grew by nearly 22% as of August 2025, compared to ANZ’s 5.26%, Commonwealth Bank’s 6.16%, NAB’s 5.26% and Westpac’s 2.77%.
A big part of Macquarie’s success in the mortgage industry is tied to its sole focus on selling through the broker channel – a natural consequence of lacking a brick-and-mortar retail network to sell through.
Brown believes Macquarie plays a role in brokers’ success too.
She said: “With more customers, brokers need to focus on scaling their businesses efficiently. Banks can help with this by minimising admin and instilling confidence through predictable and consistent response times.”
For Macquarie’s part, the group is speeding up its application process.
In fact, Macquarie recently set a new personal best by approving an application in just 17 minutes.
“That sort of response time has only been made possible by our continued investment in technology and really listening to and integrating feedback from brokers on our processes,” said Brown.
