Bankwest has used its 2026 Broker Awards to both celebrate broker performance and signal a renewed push into the third‑party channel at a time when conditions for first-home buyers and property investors remain challenging.
That focus comes as the broker channel cements its position as the dominant source of new home lending, with MFAA figures showing brokers wrote 76.7% of new residential home loans in the December 2025 quarter – the highest December result since records began.
More than 1,100 mortgage brokers attended events across Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney, where over 230 awards were handed out, including a state‑based Bankwest Broker of the Year and a new Hall of Fame inductee at each event. For the first time, the series extended to Hobart, reflecting the bank’s growing broker footprint in Tasmania.
Hall of Fame recognition went to long‑standing broker leaders such as Shane Petros (Australian Finance Hub, NSW), Chantal Cutter (Cutter and Co Financial Services, Victoria), and Deven Patel (Synergy Loans, South Australia), alongside a posthumous honour for Queensland’s Dionne Lee and joint recognition for CHL Home Loans founders Marco Meloni and Lucio Baroni in Western Australia.
Bankwest general manager home buying distribution Ian Rakhit said the program is designed to recognise the contribution brokers make to homebuyers and the bank’s own growth.
“Brokers remain one of the most trusted touchpoints in the homebuying journey, so I’m delighted to recognise their exceptional work,” Rakhit said.
Rakhit stressed that celebrating success is only part of the story, with Bankwest looking to support brokers in winning and retaining more home loan business.
“Celebrating success is one thing, driving success for brokers is another and Bankwest is committed to making it simpler for brokers to grow their businesses by helping them do what they do best: get Aussies into homes,” he said.
The bank says it is making “great progress in delivering faster decisioning turnaround times” so brokers can give borrowers quicker answers when they are negotiating purchases or refinancing. That focus on speed is backed by increased investment in digital lodgement tools, in‑person broker support and a 24/7 customer engagement centre as part of Bankwest’s shift toward being a fully digital bank. Recent commentary from the lender highlights how central the broker channel now is to that strategy, with Bankwest already writing more than 90% of its home loans through brokers after completing its transition to a fully digital bank in 2024.
Every accredited broker receives support from a dedicated business development manager, desk‑based business support manager, and credit manager, with Bankwest highlighting positive feedback on its credit policies and willingness to review complex scenarios to find suitable structures for clients.
Rakhit said the bank’s Built by Brokers program, which brings broker feedback directly into product and process design, has helped drive “strong momentum and quality service for Australian homeowners”.
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