Finance facts

Stats aren’t everyone’s cup of eucalyptus

Australian Finance Industry Statistics

77.6%

Percentage of home loans facilitated by brokers

Source: MFAA   June 2025

That’s a record high. In March 2020 it was 52.1%

22,000

Number of mortgage & finance brokers

Source: CoreData for FBAA   Nov 2025

In 2012 there were less than 5,000

600+

Number of non-bank lenders

Not all these lenders offer home loans

Includes 36 Credit Unions and Building Societies

96

Number of banks (Aussie & Foreign)

Source: Australian Banking Association September 2024

In 2004 there were 51

4

Australia’s biggest banks

ANZ, CBA, NAB, & Westpac

The 1980s saw the emergence of the Big 4

What does it all mean?

There are plenty of experts that provide detailed, in depth analysis, about financial data. We’re not here to compete with them. This is just a quick overview of the current state of lending in Australia.

Overall, the stats indicate a healthy industry that’s experiencing strong growth. Lots of lenders with lots of products generates competition which is good for all borrowers.

Significantly, the figures demonstrate a growing trend by borrowers to engage brokers rather than approach lenders directly. This is hardly surprising given the plethora of lending products that are on offer. The tight regulation and high standards of the broking industry are other compelling factors. Increased use of brokers in Australia is consistent with similar trends in other countries.

Despite the increasing number of lenders, the Big 4 continue to dominate the Australian home loan market. Total mortgage debt in Australia is 2.3 trillion dollars. Around 75% of those loans are with the big 4.

An interesting link for those interested in a more detailed assessment by the ABC:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-10/big-four-banks-profits-home-loans-mortgage-debt-interest-rates/101051100

Popular loan comparison sites such as finder, ratecity, canstar, mozo, and compare the market show that the Big 4's loan products rarely grace their top 10 lists. Yet the four banks still have a stranglehold on the home loan market.

Conclusion

Despite the presence of hundreds of bank and non-bank lenders with an abundance of great loan products, the Big 4 still manage to write a whopping 3 out of every 4 home loans.

Their products are relatively bland. There's very little difference between the four. If it wasn't for their logos you'd be pushed telling them apart.

Yet borrowers, as well as many brokers, still gravitate towards them.

Old habits die hard.

There are many compelling reasons to search further afield.

The Big 4 rarely offer the lowest interest rates on comparable loans. Generally, their fees tend to be higher. Their terms are often more restrictive.

If your circumstances vary from their standard borrower profile, they're unlikely to approve your loan.

In the case of very challenging circumstances, just finding any lender that's willing to consider your application can be difficult. Even second tier banks are likely to knock you back.

For all non-standard loan scenarios your best option by far is a specialist broker.

Standard loans

We refer to standard loans a fair bit on this site. It’s not an official term. It’s simply a name we use to describe the most common loan:

The purchase of a residential property in a metropolitan area by a person or couple with stable employment, good income, clean credit history, and borrowing 80% or less, of the property’s value.

If you do not meet ALL of these criteria, your loan is most likely drifting into non standard territory. The smallest deviation from "standard" can trigger a negative response to your application by many lenders.

Standard broker

Standard broker is another term we use. It’s not an official title either. It’s the name we apply to brokers that work primarily on standard loans.

Please don’t misinterpret “standard” as inferior. The Australian broking industry sets the bar at a dizzying height. Every broker is required by law to be licenced. We must also achieve and maintain high levels of education, training, professionalism, and integrity.

There are very strict guidelines in place that govern how we run our businesses, the services which we provide, how we provide them, and how we charge for them (if at all).

Broking has gone from an “anything goes” playing field pre 2010 to one of the most tightly regulated industries in the country. In many aspects, we’re more firmly regulated than the lenders who provide the actual loans.

Dealing with any licenced broker in Australia places you in very safe hands.

Some of the finest brokers in the land are standard brokers.

However, there are loans that fall outside the rather narrow standard loan paramaters.

When you need more than a standard loan
you need more than a standard broker

Time to contact

Call, chat, or write anytime at all.

After hours, weekends, even public holidays,

We’re here for you.

Site map, © build by Aaron Knight, © design by Jack Silber

Green

A green workspace is more than our goal, it’s our reality

Our communications

  • Like the good old days, we like the personal touch. We speak with our clients before starting on their application. We don’t pollute the environment by travelling to meetings. We chat online.
  • We don’t pollute your personal space either. We never cold call. And we don’t distribute annoying marketing spam.

Our documentation

  • All outbound forms are fillable PDFs, we don't send physical docs.
  • For inbound forms that require signing, we accept electronic signatures. No printing, scanning, or consumables required.
  • For those people who still prefer to complete paper forms, we only require the signing pages of multi-page documents. And our application form, if printed, is much shorter than most.
  • Please note that some lenders still insist on hard copies of their applications and/or mortgage docs with “wet” signatures. Wherever possible, we try to use lenders that don’t insist on hard copy docs.

Our office

  • Way back, when faxes ruled, we were using paperless software faxes.
  • These days our office has no fax machines, no printers, and no copiers. That also means no inks, no toners, and less electricity used.
  • We’re 99% paperless; occasional handwritten notes are the only exception.

Our stance

  • We’re not climate activists. We’re not trying to impress. We’re simply a small business that realised that maintaining an environmentally friendly workspace is not a sacrifice. Minimising the amount of equipment and consumables we use, and reducing how much we travel, actually helps us to improve efficiency and cut costs at the same time.

Range

Our lenders and products

3fb specialises in non-standard loans. For that we require a lending panel with a much broader range than the “usual suspects”. We have a carefully chosen mix of institutional and private lenders.

Some of their names may not be familiar, but rest assured that we only deal with reputable, accredited lenders. Fortunately for Aussie borrowers, every lender in this country, from the Big 4 down to the smallest private funder, is subject to strict banking rules and regulations.

We constantly monitor the ever-changing financial landscape to ensure that our lenders and their products are up to the task of servicing the demanding needs of our clients.

Aside from the different loan types featured on this site, we can also assist with other specialised products. For example, SMSF loans, jumbo loans, equipment leasing, complex company and trust structures, and much more.

Standard loans more

We often hear, “I don’t have any issues, I just need a “standard home loan” at a good rate. Can you help me?”

The answer is a resounding, “Yes”.

We actually have a wide array of very competitive products that are perfect for the “standard home loan” borrower. We simply don’t market in this space because nearly everyone else does. We promote the loans that most other brokers don’t do.

Expertise

A combination of knowledge, skill, and experience

When operating in the realm of specialised lending it’s vital to have the right blend of lenders and products. But that’s only the start.

Some of these lenders may not be household names, but they don’t belong to some obscure, secret society either. Most brokers can access them.

Our ace in the hole is having the expertise to put the deals together. Quite often they’re complex and require a good deal of creativity in order to work through multiple issues. These deals require a finely balanced mix of knowledge, skill, experience, and determination to get them across the line.

It’s testimony to our expertise and high success rate that many brokers (which only swim in the “standard” end of the loan pool) refer their more “exotic” loan scenarios to us.

Broker referrals have been a mainstay of our business for over 20 years. They keep coming back because we deliver.

We have a long, proud history and thousands of satisfied clients.

History

  • It all began when Jack Silber commenced work at EFG as a finance broker in 1999
  • He went out on his own under the banner ”Flag Financial Services” in 2002
  • A member of Finance Brokers Association of Australia FBAA 102961 since 2007
  • Flag Financial Pty Ltd ABN 23 138 375 489 was incorporated in 2009
  • Flag has held an Australian Credit Licence ACL 390996 since their inception in 2010
  • A member of Australian Financial Complaints Authority AFCA 45378 since 2018
    (previously COSL/CIO)
  • 3fb is the latest evolution, the new face of Flag Finance launched in 2025

Availability

At 3fb we firmly believe that finance broking is a service industry. A significant part of great service is being available when you need us.

We realise that you may run a business, work odd shifts, raise a family, or simply don’t have a lot of time on your hands between 9 to 5 on weekdays.

That’s why you can call, chat, or write to us at any time that suits you.

After hours weekends even public holidays

We’re here for you.

If we don’t answer immediately, our average response time outside normal business hours is typically within an hour.

Thankyou

We do more than just thank you for a referral. We pay you.

Our 2 step process is quick, simple, and very rewarding.

It only takes 30 seconds to fill out our referral form below.

The minimum “reward” is $200. The maximum is $3,000.
The most common rewards range from $500 to $1,000.

3fb Referral Rewards Form

    Step 1 : Referred party – must be an actual person

    Step 2 : Referrer - your details so we know who to pay

    I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the terms and conditions of the 3fb Referral Rewards promotion

    Optional

    Step 3: Comments

    3fb Referral Rewards Promotion

    Terms and conditions

    To be eligible for the “referrer reward” the following conditions must be met:

    In these terms and conditions, Flag Financial Pty Ltd t/a Fast Forward Finance Brokers may be referred to as “us”, “we” or “3fb”.

    1. The referrer cannot be a party to the loan; neither as a borrower, nor as a director or trustee of the borrowing entity, nor as a guarantor.
    2. The referrer must be a natural person and must personally know the referred party. Family members, friends, associates, and work colleges, are all acceptable.
    3. The intended loan recipient may be an individual, business, company or trust, however the referred party nominated in Step 1 MUST be a natural person.
    4. Any loan type is eligible provided that the loan amount is $250,000 or more.
    5. The referral must be made via the form that appears on the “about us” page of this website. Steps 1 and 2 must be completed. Step 3 is optional.
    6. A confirmation email will be sent to the referrer acknowledging their referral and confirming the date of their referral.
    7. A further email will be sent to the referrer if the referred party makes contact with us.
    8. If the referred party fails to contact us within 90 days from the date of the referral, the referral will become inactive.
    9. If the referred party fails to proceed with a loan application within 180 days from the date of the referral, the referral will become inactive.
    10. A referred party may be referred a maximum of two times, regardless of who the referrer may be.
    11. There is no limit to the number of referrals that a referrer can make, provided that the referred parties are known to the referrer and have expressed interest in obtaining a loan.
    12. No referral will be accepted after the referred party has made contact with 3fb. Retrospective referrals will not be accepted under any circumstances.
    13. The amount paid to the referrer is determined by loan type, the amount of the loan, and other variables. All amounts paid are inclusive of GST
    14. We will notify the referrer if the referred party proceeds to a formal application and provide an approximate value for the referrer reward.
    15. We reserve the right to vary or even cancel the referral reward should the eventual loan amount decrease by more than 10% from the amount originally applied for.
    16. We reserve the right to vary or even cancel the referral reward should there be any substantial variation to the information provided by the referred party in their initial application.
    17. Should the referred party’s loan settle the referrer will be contacted and a request will be made for their bank account details.
    18. The referral reward will be deposited into the referrer’s nominated account within 28 days of settlement of the loan.
    19. Due to privacy laws, no other details about a referred party’s loan will be revealed to a referrer.
    20. Any information provided to us by the referrer or the referred party will never be used for marketing purposes by us or any third party. We never sell or otherwise share any information provided through this promotion.
    21. Under no circumstances do we ever cold call potential borrowers. Any referred party must initiate contact with us. This is to protect uninterested parties from being pestered by us as a result of unscrupulous referrers flooding our system with bogus referrals.
    22. All decisions regarding referral reward payments shall remain at the sole discretion of 3fb.

    Small print

    Where we operate In every state and territory of Australia
    Where we are 32 Galeen Drive Burleigh Waters Qld 4220
    For your safety Details of our internal dispute resolution (IDR) scheme can be found in our credit guide.
    Our external dispute resolution scheme (EDR) is with AFCA.
    Our Professional Indemnity Insurer is Allianz.
    What’s most reassuring is that in 25 years the only contact we’ve had with our insurers has been to pay our annual premiums. We’ve never had a complaint
    Privacy Policy The Privacy Act (1988) requires every applicant to Sign a Privacy Statement. You can find ours here
    Credit Guide It is an ASIC requirement that every applicant receives a Credit Guide. You can find ours here
    Application Form We like to speak with you to discuss your needs and expectations before rushing you to complete an application. That’s why you won’t find one anywhere on this site.