Why technology should support advice, not replace it
For Ranjana Singh (pictured), who joined SWIFT Mortgages in 2019 after a long career in banking, a declined application is rarely the end of the conversation.
“A decline today doesn’t always mean a decline forever,” Singh told NZ Adviser.
Over the years, she has seen many people arrive believing homeownership is out of reach. Some have been turned down before, while others have complex finances or small deposits.
Singh was named among NZ Adviser’s Top 40 Mortgage Brokers of 2026 and NZ Adviser’s Elite Women for 2026, and previously featured among the Best 25 Mortgage Advisers in New Zealand in 2025 and NZ Adviser’s Top 25 Brokers of 2024.
How mortgage advisers turn a decline into a plan
Singh sees honesty as the starting point.
“Sometimes our job isn’t to find an immediate approval,” she said. “Our job is to be truthful and explain what is holding the client back.”
From there, the work shifts to building a pathway forward, and she said those outcomes are among the most rewarding. “I have had clients return months or even years later after following the plan we put together and eventually purchase their home.”
Those cases have also taught her not to rush her judgement of an application.
“A spreadsheet gives you numbers but a conversation gives you context,” Singh said.
Managing borrowing expectations in a digital market
Singh said managing client expectations is another growing challenge for advisers. Borrowers often arrive with numbers from online tools, social feeds, or friends’ lending experiences.
“Two people earning the same income can have completely different outcomes,” she said.
Her solution is better communication. Advisers should explain not just the outcome but the reasons behind it, and when a client can’t borrow what they hoped, set out what needs to change, or as she puts it: “Give them a game plan.”
While she credits technology with making advice faster and more efficient, Singh believes it should strengthen client relationships rather than stand in for them.
“Technology can process information. A good adviser understands the human being behind it,” she said.
Advice for new mortgage advisers
For those entering the profession, Singh warns against treating it as a volume business.
“Don’t chase every deal just to write business,” she said.
In some cases, Singh said, the best advice is to wait, whether that means a client paying down debt, saving more, or stepping back from a deal that doesn’t suit them.
Her closing message centres on relationships over transactions.
“People may come to you for a home loan but they stay with you because of how you looked after them,” Singh said.
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