Madd Loans founder and mortgage broker George Samios (pictured) didn’t set out to build a volume‑driven business – he built a people‑first one.
After starting in real estate, he moved into banking and saw how rigid a “one bank, one policy” world could be for clients who didn’t fit the box. The constant push towards credit cards and personal loans, which, he says, "never really sat right with me," ultimately motivated his move into mortgage broking so he could “genuinely put people first.”
Instead of seeing lending as a product game, Samios focused on solutions tailored to individual goals and circumstances.
In his first year at Madd Loans, he helped 61 families secure their home loans, totalling around $27 million in lending. More telling than the numbers is that he still works with his very first client.
“I’ve never seen this as a transactional business,” he says. “It’s about building long-term relationships, treating people like family, and helping them make better financial decisions over time.”
In today’s mortgage market, customers can access more information than ever, but that doesn’t always make decisions easier. Samios sees this as a key opportunity for brokers to step up. Rather than competing only on rate, he believes great brokers slow things down, explain how each piece of the puzzle fits together and guide clients towards long‑term, sustainable decisions.
He’s also wary of an industry mindset that chases growth at any cost. With so much emphasis on writing more business, client experience can quickly become an afterthought. For Samios, the answer is to return to fundamentals: spend the time to properly educate clients so they understand what they’re doing and why and build internal processes that ensure every client feels genuinely looked after.
One of Samios’ biggest ongoing challenges hasn’t been a single deal but learning to block out the “noise” – the constant opinions and pressure about how a brokerage should run or what success should look like. His response has been to stay clear on his mission to “do the right thing by the client” and protect a positive internal culture that flows directly into the client experience.
For new and aspiring brokers, he is unequivocal that “who you surround yourself with matters more than most people realise.” In an industry where you naturally “pick up habits, both good and bad,” being around people who “take pride in their work” and are “willing to share what they’ve learnt” can rapidly lift your standards.
Samios says, “being around people who are willing to share what they know and push you to be better makes a big difference” – and, ultimately, shapes the kind of broker and business you become.
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