MORTGAGE LINK CONFERENCE

Growth for Mortgage Link in 2020

Mortgage Link managing director Josh Bronkhorst says the company has had a year of growth which is a pleasing achievement considering Covid-19 and all the other market disruptions during 2020.

“The year of growth has been quite a surprise,” he says.

While there is consolidation happening amongst the mortgage groups with SHARE buying Newpark and NZ Financial Services Group picking up Kepa, Mortgage Link has been growing its numbers.

Bronkhorst says the group has more than 150 advisers. This is quite a change from six years ago when the group had just 25 advisers.

He told delegates at its recent conference that Mortgage Link isn’t looking to be the biggest group, rather it aims “to be New Zealand’s preferred financial advice provider group”.

The group is founded on “family values and good outcomes for clients”.

“We don’t do sales we do journeys with customers.” T

he volume of business has continued to grow and change in its mix. October was its best ever for volumes. This year the group will have written about $1.3 billion worth of home loans.

He says the mix has changed with more applications going to non-bank lenders and some of the big banks seeing significant drops in volumes. Six years ago 97% of business would have gone to the main banks and that number is now down to around 80%.

Mortgage Link has its own FAP and around 80% of members will come under this. Most of these will be authorised bodies (aka non-licensed FAPs) and there will be financial advisers under the bodies.

He says, “It’s a huge job becoming a financial advice provider.” “If (an adviser) does something wrong we are in the gun.”

Bronkhorst says he is “pretty excited about the future”. The business has gone through change and is now the Link Financial Group. Under the group there is Mortgage Link, Insurance Link, Adviser Link, FG Link and Invest Link.

He hopes that Mortgage Link will soon have its own white label lending product. ✚

MC Glen Sharkey

Mortgage Link and Insurance Link directors with Ian Jones

Special guest speaker - Ian Jones (Left) Individual Mortgage Adviser of the Year (Non Branded): Ryan Kim (Right)

Individual Mortgage Adviser of the Year (Branded): Michael Walters

EverBright Finance team with their awards