Mortgage Choice
Mortgage Choice is an Australian mortgage-broking and financial-services brand operating through a national franchise network.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Mortgage Choice is an Australian mortgage-broking and financial-services brand founded in Sydney in 1992 by Rod Higgins and Peter Higgins. The business helps consumers compare and arrange home loans through mortgage brokers, while also offering or distributing related financial products such as commercial and personal loans, asset finance, mortgage protection insurance, and risk and general insurance. Its model combines a central brand and lending-partner relationships with independently operated franchise businesses across Australia. The company moved from a directly operated early-stage business into franchising in 1994, when it sold its first franchise licence in Wollongong. By 1996, the franchise network had developed a national footprint. This structure became a defining feature of the brand: local brokers provide advice and customer service, while the broader organisation supports them with brand recognition, lender access, systems, product infrastructure, and compliance arrangements. Mortgage Choice expanded its consumer presence during the late 1990s, launching a website in 1998 and beginning television advertising in 1999. It became a public company on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2004. During the following decade, the business broadened beyond residential mortgages. Mortgage protection insurance was introduced in 2008, and the product scope later extended to commercial and personal lending, asset finance, and insurance. Mortgage Choice also acquired LoanKit in 2009, establishing an aggregation capability that was relaunched under the Mortgage Choice name in 2010. In the same year, it acquired the Australian loan and insurance comparison website HelpMeChoose.com.au and introduced the bluegum home-loans white-label product. Further diversification included the launch of Mortgage Choice Financial Planning in 2012 and a branded asset-finance offering in 2016. In 2018, the company announced a revised franchisee remuneration model intended to give franchisees a larger share of trail commissions. The model allowed remuneration to be linked either to new lending or to existing loan books, reflecting the importance of both origination and ongoing customer relationships in mortgage broking. Mortgage Choice remained an Australian-focused business rather than an international consumer brand. Its operations were supported by a credit licence issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and by membership of industry bodies including the Franchise Council of Australia and the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia. Before its acquisition, the company described its network as serving more than 350,000 customers, with a residential home-loan panel of more than 40 lenders and offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. In 2021, REA Group acquired Mortgage Choice. The transaction brought Mortgage Choice under the ownership of the Australian property and digital-platform company and combined it with REA Group's Smartline mortgage-broking franchise. Following the integration, the Mortgage Choice brand was described as having more than 940 brokers, over 720 franchises, and access to more than 40 lending partners across Australia. The acquisition ended Mortgage Choice's separate ASX-listed-company status while preserving the brand as an active national mortgage-broking network.
History
Mortgage Choice began in Sydney in 1992, founded by Rod Higgins and Peter Higgins. Its initial business was built around mortgage broking, offering customers assistance in arranging home loans from lending institutions. In 1994, the company adopted a franchising model by selling its first franchise licence in Wollongong. The approach enabled the brand to combine a standardised national identity with locally based brokers, and the network reached a national footprint by 1996. The company invested in consumer visibility and digital access during the late 1990s. It launched a website in 1998 and ran its first television advertisement in 1999. These initiatives helped establish Mortgage Choice as a recognisable consumer-facing intermediary rather than solely a back-office lending service. The company later became publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2004. Mortgage Choice diversified its services during the 2000s and 2010s. In 2008, it began offering mortgage protection insurance. By 2011, its broader product scope included commercial and personal loans, asset finance, and risk and general insurance. The business also expanded its infrastructure through acquisitions. It acquired the mortgage aggregator LoanKit in 2009, and that operation was relaunched in 2010 as Mortgage Choice's aggregation arm. In 2010, the company acquired HelpMeChoose.com.au, an Australian home-loan and insurance comparison website, and launched bluegum home loans as its first white-label home-loan product. The brand continued to extend its financial-services footprint with the launch of Mortgage Choice Financial Planning in 2012 and a branded asset-finance offering in 2016. In 2018, management announced a new franchisee remuneration model that gave franchisees a larger share of trail commissions. The structure could reward franchisees according to new lending or existing loans, reflecting a business emphasis on both customer acquisition and the continuing management of loan relationships. Mortgage Choice operated as an Australian national network headquartered in Sydney, with state offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. Its franchise and broker model was supported by lender-panel relationships, aggregation capabilities, and regulatory licensing. The company held an Australian credit licence issued by ASIC and was associated with the Franchise Council of Australia and the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia. The major ownership change came in 2021, when REA Group acquired Mortgage Choice. The acquisition also brought together Mortgage Choice and REA Group's Smartline broker franchise. After the combination, the Mortgage Choice network was described as comprising more than 940 brokers and more than 720 franchises, with more than 40 lending partners. The acquisition removed Mortgage Choice from the ASX as an independent listed entity, but the brand continued operating under REA Group ownership as an Australian mortgage-broking business.
- 2021
Acquisition by REA Group
[1]REA Group acquires Mortgage Choice and combines it with the Smartline broker franchise.
- 2018
Franchisee remuneration model changes
[1]The company announces a model intended to increase franchisees' share of trail commissions.
- 2016
Branded asset finance launches
[1]Mortgage Choice adds a branded asset-finance offering.
- 2012
Mortgage Choice Financial Planning launches
[1]The company enters financial planning under its own brand.
- 2010
Aggregation arm and white-label lending expand
[1]LoanKit is relaunched as the company's aggregation arm; Mortgage Choice also acquires HelpMeChoose.com.au and launches bluegum home loans.
- 2009
LoanKit is acquired
[1]Mortgage Choice acquires mortgage aggregator LoanKit.
- 2004
ASX listing
[1]Mortgage Choice lists on the Australian Securities Exchange.
- 1999
First television advertising campaign
[1]The brand runs its first television advertisement.
- 1998
Company website launches
[1]Mortgage Choice launches its first website.
- 1996
National franchise footprint is established
[1]The franchise network expands to a national Australian footprint.
Products and positioning
A national Australian mortgage-broking network positioned around lender choice, broker advice, local franchise relationships, and access to a broad panel of financial-service providers.
Mortgage broking · 1992
Residential home loans
Mortgage Choice's core service is arranging residential home loans through brokers who compare options from a panel of lending partners. The service can include assistance with new purchases, refinancing, and related borrowing decisions.
Lending · 2011
Commercial and personal loans
The company expanded its broking and finance offering beyond residential mortgages to include commercial and personal lending, broadening the types of borrowing needs that its broker network could address.
Finance · 2016
Asset finance
Mortgage Choice developed asset-finance services for customers seeking finance for vehicles, equipment, or other eligible assets. A branded asset-finance offering was introduced in 2016.
Insurance · 2008
Mortgage protection insurance
Mortgage protection insurance was the first major insurance expansion identified in the company's diversification program, extending the brand into products intended to support borrowers against specified financial risks.
White-label home loans · 2010
bluegum home loans
bluegum home loans was introduced in 2010 as Mortgage Choice's first white-label home-loan product, adding a branded lending proposition alongside the company's intermediary and aggregation activities.
Financial planning · 2012
Mortgage Choice Financial Planning
Launched in 2012, Mortgage Choice Financial Planning extended the brand into financial-planning services and complemented its established mortgage and lending relationships.
Marketing campaigns
- 1999First television advertising
Australia
Mortgage Choice ran its first television advertisement as part of its effort to build national consumer awareness.
Outcome. The available reference identifies the campaign but does not report a measured outcome.
Brand decisions
2021
Accept acquisition by REA GroupM&ABackground
Mortgage Choice was an established Australian mortgage-broking brand with a national franchise network, while REA Group owned the Smartline broker franchise.
Action taken
REA Group acquired Mortgage Choice and amalgamated Smartline's broker franchise into the Mortgage Choice brand.
Aftermath
Mortgage Choice ceased to be a separately listed ASX company. The combined operation was described as having more than 940 brokers, over 720 franchises, and more than 40 lending partners across Australia.
2018
Introduce a revised franchisee remuneration modelStrategyBackground
Mortgage Choice's franchise network depended on broker recruitment, loan origination, and ongoing customer relationships. The company identified franchisee remuneration as an area for change.
Action taken
The company announced a model under which franchisees could receive a larger share of trail commissions, with remuneration linked to either new lending or existing loans.
Aftermath
The available reference does not provide financial results or a later assessment of the model.
Recent events
Reported
Court approves REA Group acquisition scheme for Mortgage Choice[2]
The Supreme Court of New South Wales made orders approving the scheme of arrangement between Mortgage Choice and its shareholders in relation to REA Group’s proposed acquisition of Mortgage Choice. The scheme was not yet legally effective at the time described; Mortgage Choice said it would lodge the court orders on June 18.
Sources2 sources
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