William Farrington

London

Financial Journalist at Proactive Investors

Follow me on Mastodon Social for crypto journalism and other ramblings: https://t.co/tUjjwhaTm7

Articles

Is channel conflict still an issue in 2025?

2 days ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Broker support a mixed bag among the majors By 06 Jun 2025 Channel conflict in mortgage lending has matured from the chaotic skirmishes of the past into the occasional flare-up of tensions between major banks and brokers.
Labor's 'big and super bad' $3m super tax grab wins tentative Greens' support

3 days ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Greens 'look forward to constructive discussions with the Treasurer' By 05 Jun 2025 Photo: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website – www.dfat.gov.au, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Greens have announced that they intend to work “constructively” with Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party on treasurer Jim Chalmers’ controversial $3 million superannuation tax policy.
Being a broker is becoming harder - why that's a good thing

3 days ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

'You're going to have to add a lot more value than just making bank recommendations' By 05 Jun 2025 Chris Bates (pictured), podcast regular, award-winning broker and co-founder of Sydney brokerage alcove, believes big changes are in store for the mortgage broking industry. Having transitioned to broking 12 years ago from financial advisory, he is seeing patterns emerge that echo his previous career.
ASIC sues Westpac’s RAMS over widespread misconduct

4 days ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Watchdog accuses home loan provider of 'systemic organisational governance failure' By 04 Jun 2025 Australia’s corporate watchdog has launched civil penalty proceedings against RAMS Financial Group, the mortgage brand owned by Westpac, over alleged “widespread misconduct” in its home loan operations.
The case for and against clawbacks

4 days ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Does maligned policy have a place in today's broking market? By 04 Jun 2025 Clawbacks are a persistent bugbear of the mortgage broking world. They have been cited as pet peeves by Australian brokers, while the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA) has even warned of their negative mental health implications. Harsh clawback policies are particularly controversial among major banks with sizable proprietary channels.
Industry hails new landmark in mortgage broker dominance

5 days ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Is 80% market share on the cards? By 03 Jun 2025 To the surprise of few, mortgage brokers have claimed a new record in the residential lending market. According to the latest data from Cotality’s Comparator as commissioned by the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA), brokers settled a record 76.8% of all new residential home loans during the March 2025 quarter.
Mortgage broker market share soars to new record

6 days ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Result a 'power endorsement' of broker channel By 02 Jun 2025 Mortgage brokers settled a record 76.8% of all new residential home loans during the March 2025 quarter, according to the latest data from Cotality’s Comparator, commissioned by the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA). The figure represents a steady rise from 76% in the December 2024 quarter and a significant increase from 74.1% in March 2024.
Australian Mortgage Awards 2025: Nominations now open

6 days ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Biggest event on mortgage calendar fast approaching By 02 Jun 2025 Nominations for the 2025 Australian Mortgage Awards are now live! This prestigious annual event honours the outstanding achievements of Australia’s top brokers, brokerages, lenders, aggregators, business development managers and industry professionals.
Non-banks versus private lenders: Know what you're dealing with

1 week ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

MFAA, Pepper Money, LMG and Simplicity give the lowdown By 31 May 2025 A lot has been written in MPA about private lending lately, but it seems the swiftly growing sector is on the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA)’s radar too.
BDM in the Spotlight: Cassandra Vella, La Trobe Financial

1 week ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

'I want to help brokers think beyond the traditional lending box' By 31 May 2025 MPA recently caught up with Cassandra Vella, assistant state manager, client partnerships at La Trobe Financial, as part of the long-running ‘BDM in the Spotlight’ series. Vella discussed the creative ways in which she helps brokers close deals, plus the importance of being a trusted go-to source of knowledge.