Morbanx Aggregation

Broker business resource

Broker business review framework

A useful business review should give you a clear picture of what is working, what needs attention and what should happen next. This framework is designed to help mortgage brokers review the commercial, operational and professional health of their business in a structured way.

Prefer to work through the review offline? Download the printable version.

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Why review your business?

Mortgage broking can become very reactive. Files, clients, lender questions and settlements can easily consume the week.

A structured review creates space to step back and look at the business as a whole.

The aim is not to produce a long report. It is to identify a small number of priorities that can realistically improve performance, efficiency, client experience and business resilience.

Section 1

Business performance snapshot

Start with the basic numbers.

Review:

  • annual settlements;
  • number of settled loans;
  • average loan size;
  • applications submitted;
  • approvals;
  • settlements;
  • conversion rate;
  • active pipeline;
  • expected settlements over the next 90 days;
  • year-on-year growth or decline.

Ask:

  • Is settlement volume moving in the right direction?
  • Is the average loan size changing?
  • Are applications converting at an acceptable rate?
  • Is the pipeline strong enough to support future revenue?
  • Are there obvious seasonal patterns?

Do not look at settlement volume in isolation. A larger business is not necessarily a better business if profitability, conversion or file quality is deteriorating.

Section 2

Pipeline and conversion

A healthy pipeline should be visible and actively managed.

Review the number of clients currently at each stage:

  • enquiry;
  • initial discussion;
  • information gathering;
  • assessment;
  • application preparation;
  • submitted;
  • approved;
  • awaiting settlement.

Look for:

  • stalled files;
  • clients who have stopped responding;
  • applications taking too long to prepare;
  • repeated delays in obtaining documents;
  • lender-related bottlenecks;
  • opportunities to improve follow-up.

Ask:

  • Where are clients dropping out?
  • Which stage causes the most delay?
  • Is there a clear process for following up incomplete applications?
  • Is every active opportunity recorded somewhere?

Section 3

Lender usage

Review which lenders you are actually using.

Consider:

  • number of settlements by lender;
  • percentage of total settlements by lender;
  • lender concentration;
  • turnaround times;
  • approval experience;
  • policy fit;
  • service quality;
  • reasons lenders are being selected.

Ask:

  • Am I overly dependent on one or two lenders?
  • Am I using particular lenders because they are familiar rather than because they are the best fit?
  • Are there lender accreditations I rarely use?
  • Are there lender policies or niches I need to understand better?

A good lender mix should reflect client needs, not habit.

Section 4

Revenue and profitability

Settlement volume does not tell you whether the business is financially healthy.

Review:

  • upfront commission received;
  • trail income;
  • recurring monthly expenses;
  • aggregator costs;
  • CRM and software costs;
  • marketing expenses;
  • professional memberships;
  • insurance;
  • outsourcing or support costs;
  • net business income.

Ask:

  • Which costs have increased?
  • Are there subscriptions or systems that are not being used?
  • Is the business generating enough return for the time involved?
  • Are there services that could be delivered more efficiently?

Section 5

Lead generation

Identify where new business is coming from.

Review:

  • referrals from existing clients;
  • accountants;
  • financial planners;
  • real estate agents;
  • conveyancers;
  • builders;
  • professional networks;
  • online enquiries;
  • social media;
  • paid advertising;
  • repeat clients;
  • other sources.

Ask:

  • Which sources produce the best clients?
  • Which sources convert most consistently?
  • Which relationships have gone quiet?
  • Am I too dependent on one source?
  • What have I done recently to generate future enquiries?

Section 6

Referral relationships

Review each important referral relationship.

Ask:

  • Who referred clients during the past 12 months?
  • Who has stopped referring?
  • Which partners send the right type of client?
  • Which relationships need attention?
  • What value have I provided recently?
  • Is communication consistent?
  • Are referral arrangements properly documented where required?

Strong referral relationships usually grow through consistency, trust and good client outcomes.

Section 7

Client experience

Consider what the process feels like from the client's point of view.

Review:

  • speed of initial response;
  • clarity of communication;
  • frequency of updates;
  • quality of explanations;
  • document collection;
  • application progress updates;
  • settlement communication;
  • post-settlement follow-up;
  • review process.

Ask:

  • Do clients know what happens next?
  • Are updates proactive or only provided when clients ask?
  • Are common questions being answered consistently?
  • Is the client experience dependent entirely on me remembering what to do?

Section 8

Compliance and file quality

Review whether good compliance habits are built into the process.

Consider:

  • file notes;
  • needs and objectives;
  • research;
  • lender comparison;
  • recommendation rationale;
  • supporting documents;
  • client acknowledgements;
  • required disclosures;
  • evidence supporting the credit recommendation.

Ask:

  • Are files consistently ready for review?
  • Are file notes completed contemporaneously?
  • Is the rationale clear to someone who was not involved in the client discussion?
  • Are recurring compliance issues appearing?

Compliance should be part of the workflow, not something added at the end.

Section 9

Systems and workflow

Review how efficiently work moves through the business.

Look at:

  • CRM usage;
  • task management;
  • document collection;
  • templates;
  • email automation;
  • client updates;
  • lender submission process;
  • settlement process;
  • post-settlement workflow;
  • review reminders.

Ask:

  • Where is work being duplicated?
  • Which tasks are being done manually that could be standardised?
  • Are systems actually being used consistently?
  • What causes unnecessary rework?

Section 10

Professional development

Consider the areas where stronger knowledge would improve confidence or client outcomes.

Possible areas include:

  • lender policy;
  • credit assessment;
  • complex income;
  • self-employed lending;
  • commercial lending;
  • asset finance;
  • compliance;
  • client communication;
  • business development;
  • technology and AI;
  • workflow management.

Ask:

  • What situations do I currently avoid?
  • Which types of files take me too long?
  • Where do I rely too heavily on someone else?
  • What capability would make the biggest difference over the next six months?

Section 11

Business resilience

Consider what would happen if you were unavailable.

Review:

  • access to files;
  • passwords and systems;
  • client records;
  • important contacts;
  • emergency procedures;
  • cyber security;
  • insurance;
  • backup arrangements;
  • business continuity.

Ask:

  • Could someone understand the status of my active files?
  • Is important information stored only in my head?
  • Are business-critical systems protected and backed up?

The review should lead to action

A useful business review should finish with a short list of priorities.

Use this simple 90-day framework:

Keep doing

What is working and should continue?

Improve

What needs better consistency or attention?

Start

What should be introduced?

Stop

What is wasting time, money or effort?

Measure

What will you track over the next 90 days?

90-day action plan

Select no more than three to five priorities.

For each priority record:

  • action;
  • person responsible;
  • target date;
  • measure of success;
  • review date.

A small number of completed actions is more valuable than a long list of intentions.

Next step

Want a practical review of your broking business?

Morbanx Aggregation works with independent brokers on business performance, workflow, lender capability, compliance discipline and professional development. A confidential discussion can help identify where support may be useful.

Private · Practical · No obligation

This resource provides general information for mortgage brokers and does not replace legal, compliance, tax, financial or business advice specific to your circumstances.