Best Mortgage Innovations in Australia |5-Star Mortgage Innovators
Publication Date: Monday 12 May 2025
This article originally appeared in Australian Broker.
5-Star Mortgage Innovator 2025 – Brighten
In a bid to entrench itself as the non-bank lender of choice, Brighten has poured investment into both people and platforms.
“Brokers need practical, timely solutions to help them thrive in a complex market. On the tech side, they’re looking for solutions that streamline their processes and enhance efficiency. On the product side, they’re looking for help to navigate evolving market conditions,” explains Chris Meaker, head of distribution.
The firm reacted to broker feedback highlighting the need to improve serviceability and borrowing power by:
- reducing servicing buffers and introducing an alternative 1% refinance buffer
- rolling out rate promotion to make loans more accessible and competitive
- implementing 15 policy enhancements and 20 product enhancements
“To ensure that we were on our front foot to respond to 2024’s high-interest rate environment, we streamlined self-employed income verification, allowing company wages and greater flexibility for self-employed Australians,” Meaker shares.
“Collaboration is the foundation of our technology strategy. This broker-driven approach ensures that every system we introduce is not just another tool, but a high-value solution that brokers can trust and leverage effortlessly”
Chris Meaker
Brighten’s goal is to make technology intuitive and streamline processes to enhance customer efficiency. To this end, the lender introduced its Customer Portal for quick and secure access to manage personal finances 24/7, which allows clients to:
- view all account statements and transaction listings
- review financial interest accrual
- rename accounts
- set up new payees and BPAY billers
- schedule transfers
Brighten also made improvements to its cloud-based Broker Portal by introducing real-time tracking and digital servicing tools and enhanced document management.
Building on these updates, the firm took its innovations a step further by integrating NextGen’s ApplyOnline® platform into its existing technology suite, reducing application times by an average of 30 minutes. The platform features:
- digital signature capability for a secure and expedited application process
- digital checklist so brokers can identify required documents for quicker decisions and turnaround times
- seamless document uploading to submit files directly and automatically indexed into Brighten’s CRM system, reducing manual entry
Drivers of change
Brighten also increased its maximum loan sizes to $5 million across residential and bridging loans, particularly benefitting customers in the Sydney and Melbourne areas amid rising property prices.
To meet evolving borrower needs, the company also launched its Vacant Land product, giving customers more flexibility before committing to a construction loan.
Supporting business borrowers and broker diversification is another of Brighten’s priorities and the motivation behind launching its commercial lending division. It currently offers Full Doc, Alt Doc, Lease Doc and Brighten Lift, a short-term commercial loan.
According to MFAA’s Value of Mortgage and Finance Broking 2025 report, commercial and asset finance broking is an emerging growth area, with 13% of brokers surveyed being commercial lending focused and writing 25% or more of their settlements as commercial loans in FY23/24.
Meaker shares that customer and broker response has been positive. “The aggregators and other partners we work with see the value in our commercial loans for their brokers and are eager to partner with Brighten,” he says. “From a wider industry standpoint, we can see the continuing growth in commercial loans.”
With sizeable ambition, Brighten has its eyes on national expansion. “By continuously enhancing our product offerings and investing in technology and our talent, Brighten remains committed to helping brokers and borrowers succeed in an evolving market,” Meaker adds.