In the June quarter of 2026, mortgage brokers settled $139.08 billion worth of new residential home loans in Australia. That figure represents 81.6% of all new mortgage lending written in the country — the highest market share ever recorded, and one that places Australia in genuinely rare global company.
According to MFAA data published this week and reported by Broker Daily on 3 September 2026, the figure is up four percentage points from 77.6% in the June quarter of 2025, and nearly 28 percentage points above the 53.9% share brokers held in June 2018. That eight-year trajectory tells a story about a structural, not cyclical, shift in the way Australians access home lending.
"Australia is one of only three countries globally, alongside the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, where mortgage brokers facilitate more than 80 per cent of mortgage lending."
Anja Pannek, CEO, Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA)
Pannek described the result as "a clear sign of how Australians now choose to access home lending and the value they see in having someone in their corner." The framing is worth dwelling on: the shift is not being driven by broker advertising or competitive pricing alone. It reflects something more fundamental about what borrowers need from the lending process in 2026.
Why the Number Keeps Rising
The June quarter result did not arrive in a favourable environment. Cotality data for the same period shows overall mortgage demand was down 16.4% year-on-year as of July 2026, with 93% of capital-city suburbs recording value declines and national dwelling values sitting 3.6% below their March 2026 peak. The major banks — ANZ, Westpac, CBA, and NAB — all reported softer mortgage applications through the period.
In that environment, brokers writing a larger share of a smaller market is the more instructive finding. It suggests that when conditions tighten, borrowers are more — not less — likely to turn to a broker. The reason is straightforward: when credit conditions are complex, when lenders tighten policy settings, and when a borrower's situation requires genuine navigation rather than a form submission, the value of someone who knows the lender landscape intimately is most apparent.
The Best Interests Duty framework introduced in 2021 also contributed to the long-run trend. Under BID, brokers are legally required to act in the borrower's best interests and document their reasoning. The framework raised professional standards and gave consumers a concrete basis for trusting the channel — the opposite of the dynamic that kept many borrowers going direct to their bank for decades.
The $139 Billion That Banks No Longer Write Alone
The volume figure — $139.08 billion in a single quarter — is worth contextualising. That is $17.49 billion more than the prior quarter and represents the lending underpinning hundreds of thousands of property transactions across the country. The practical consequence for lenders is that their retail branch networks, once the dominant origination channel, now account for fewer than one in five new home loans written.
For borrowers, this shift in market architecture has direct consequences. Lenders compete aggressively for broker-introduced business in ways that are not always replicated in their branch or direct channels. The rates, cashback offers, and product features that brokers can access across 30 or more lenders simultaneously are frequently superior to what a borrower would be offered by walking into a single bank and applying directly.
The loyalty tax — the premium existing direct customers pay compared to new broker-introduced customers at the same institution — remains a persistent feature of the market. A rate check takes two minutes and tells you immediately whether it applies to your current loan.
What This Means in Oran Park and the Macarthur Region
In Oran Park, Gregory Hills, Leppington, Narellan, and the broader Macarthur corridor, the broker market share figure reflects something observable on the ground. The south-west Sydney growth corridor is home to a high proportion of first home buyers, young families buying established homes in Gregory Hills and Gledswood Hills, and investors who entered the market during the 2022 to 2024 cycle when outer-suburb yields were attractive relative to inner-city alternatives.
For that buyer profile, the direct-to-bank channel consistently underperforms. A first home buyer in Oran Park may qualify for the Home Guarantee Scheme, have access to a First Home Owner Grant, and be eligible for a 95% LVR product — but only specific lenders participate in each scheme, and the number changes. No single bank's branch staff has the breadth of view that a broker working across the full panel does.
Similarly, investors who purchased in Leppington or Edmondson Park and are now holding through a softer period are often reviewing their loan structure — not to sell, but to ensure their rate is competitive and their split is correctly structured for tax purposes. That review requires comparing across lenders, not renegotiating with one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do most Australians use a mortgage broker instead of going direct to a bank?
Brokers provide access to 30 or more lenders from a single conversation, handle the comparison and application process on the borrower's behalf, and are legally required to act in the borrower's best interests under the Best Interests Duty framework. For borrowers in competitive or complex situations — first home buyers, self-employed applicants, investors with multiple properties — the access and expertise a broker provides is difficult to replicate through a single lender's direct channel.
Does using a mortgage broker cost more than going direct to a bank?
No. Mortgage brokers are paid by lenders via commission, not by borrowers. The interest rate and product features available through a broker are the same as — and in many cases better than — what you would access by going direct. Brokers also handle the application administration, valuation coordination, and settlement, which has real time value for borrowers who are working and buying simultaneously.
What is the MFAA broker market share figure for 2026?
According to the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA), mortgage brokers settled 81.6% of all new residential home loans in Australia in the June quarter of 2026. This is a new record, up from 77.6% in June 2025 and 53.9% in June 2018. The quarterly lending volume was $139.08 billion. Source: MFAA / Cotality data, reported by Broker Daily, 3 September 2026.
Michael works with buyers and investors across the Macarthur region every week. If you want to understand what you can borrow, whether your current rate is competitive, or how to structure a purchase in the current market, call him on +61 420 699 983 or book a free 30-minute session.