The top dogs

The non-bank lenders have been having a whale of a year, with more brokers turning to this section of the lending market to find solutions for everything from prime loans to niche borrower segments and commercial finance. But who’s coming out on top?

Our cover feature, Best in Class: Non-Bank Product of Choice 2025 (page 20), unveils the highly anticipated results from our annual survey. While we already know non-bank lenders continue to impress brokers with their adaptable and inventive solutions, in this feature, we reveal which non-banks brokers believe are best in class for specific product types. And the results are tighter than ever before!

Speaking of non-banks, this segment of the market is absolutely dominating the self-managed super fund (SMSF) lending space at the moment. Given more borrowers continue to find new ways of building wealth, SMSF lending may provide an opportunity for brokers to diversify their offering. In our Self-control report, sponsored by Thinktank, on page 34, Ben Squires unpacks the rise in SMSF lending and what brokers could do to make the most of this growing market.

But what do brokers do if they’re not able to access the lenders they need to provide solutions to their clients? It’s a problem I’ve been mulling over for a while after noticing that more aggregators are shrinking down their lender panels. In my feature, The shifting sands of lender panels (page 40), I’m exploring the importance of having a broad lender panel and whether a new trend is emerging that could risk leaving brokers (and their clients) marooned.

This edition we’re also hearing from a bank CEO in an exclusive opinion piece written for The Adviser. On page 8, AMP CEO Alexis George outlines why banks must evolve to meet the changing needs of retirees, noting that the bank recently came out with its 10-year interest-only product that doesn’t require reassessment at the midterm mark.

This month is also the first month of the new Albanese government, with a suite of new laws, tax changes, and housing policies coming into force next month. As always, with a new political landscape come changes to regulations. On page 52, Craig Green, managing partner of Green Mortgage Lawyers, unpacks the Post-election shake-up and what lenders and brokers need to know about new lending rules in the wake of the recent election.

And in our Elite Broker profile on page 12, we showcase Scott Bament from Mortgage Choice Morphett Vale, who shares his insights on building a culture of high performance.

I hope you enjoy this edition of The Adviser and do reach out if there’s anything you’d like to see included in future editions: [email protected]