REA Group has announced it has agreed to acquire 70 per cent of the major commercial finance brokerage, with the intention to acquire the rest at a later date.
Residential and commercial property advertising business REA Group – which also owns major brokerage Mortgage Choice – has agreed to acquire an initial 70 per cent interest in commercial finance brokerage, Simplicity Loans & Advisory (Simplicity).
Simplicity – a Top 25 Brokerage headed up by managing directors, Jean-Pierre Gortan and Matthew Johnson – provides tailored funding solutions to Australian businesses and developers across a broad range of sectors, including construction, mining and industrial, retail, medical, and specialised industries.
The brokerage also operates a broker referral marketplace, Marketplace Finance, which enables mortgage brokers to refer commercial leads to Simplicity brokers – and also utilises a suite of workflow tools to drive broker productivity.
Under the deal, it will continue to operate under its current brand and structure and will still operate under its existing agreements with AFG and LMG. However, it will be majority owned by the listed group and will write commercial deals referred to it by Mortgage Choice brokers.
The proposed acquisition is subject to certain conditions, including regulatory approval, and is expected to be completed in approximately two months.
REA will acquire the remaining 30 per cent by the end of calendar year 2029.
Speaking about the acquisition, Anthony Waldron, REA Group chief executive officer of financial services and Mortgage Choice, said the proposed acquisition was an exciting opportunity to expand REA’s financial services offering and would connect Simplicity with Mortgage Choice brokers.
Waldron said: “The volume of commercial loans settled by brokers in Australia has increased significantly in recent years. By extending beyond residential lending into the fast-growing commercial lending market, we will accelerate our commercial finance strategy while adding new capabilities and revenue streams.
"Simplicity is a great business and has achieved impressive organic growth. We see significant opportunities for integration and future growth by connecting Simplicity with Mortgage Choice and more broadly across the group.
“We believe the proposed acquisition will create exciting opportunities for our Mortgage Choice brokers, with many of their clients already small and medium business owners or commercial property investors. It will strengthen our ability to offer tailored services across both residential and commercial property loans, supporting more Australians with the funding solutions they need.
“I’m looking forward to working closely with the Simplicity team as we continue to innovate our financial services offering and deliver more choice and flexibility for our brokers and their clients.”
Gortan, who previously worked with Anthony Waldron at National Australia Bank, commented: “We’ve built our business by helping clients navigate complex transactions with confidence. Partnering with REA gives us the scale, reach and technology to accelerate nationally, and cement Simplicity as the most trusted commercial broker in Australia.”
Johnson added: “REA is the natural fit for us with many of our existing clients in the property and construction sector. We look forward to working closely with Anthony and the REA team to drive Simplicity’s future growth.”
REA's acquisition of Simplicity follows a spate of mergers and acquisitions in the broker space over the past few months, with several large brokerages announcing acquisitions.
Empower Wealth, also one of the Top 25 Brokerages in the country, purchased Ballarat-based mortgage brokerage Real Estate Home Loans (REHL) in December, while Flint unveiled in early January its expansion into Queensland after opening a Brisbane office following a merger with James Green’s FPW Group.
Meanwhile, major brokerage Inovayt recently revealed that it had opened an arm in Adelaide, after acquiring Fresh Home Loans, the finance arm of local real estate company Ouwens Casserly Real Estate.
Another Top 25 Brokerage, the Australian Lending & Investment Centre (ALIC), revealed it will be opening new offices in Geelong and the Gold Coast over the course of 2026 and will launch a new franchise model later this year.
You can find out more about Jean Pierre-Gorton and Simplicity Loans & Advisory in the Elite Broker episode from 2023, How the Commercial Broker of the Year 2023 built his business, below:
[Related: Top 25 Brokerages 2026]
