'Our offshore staff are as much part of our team as our onshore staff'
Mortgage aggregator LMG has has recorded a 54% year-on-year growth in its offshore staffing arm, LMG Outsource, as brokers look for cost-effective ways to scale amid rising operational costs.
The Philippines-based division, which handles everything from data validation and loan processing to back-book servicing and commercial and asset finance support, grew from 193 to 298 dedicated specialists over the past 12 months across its on-demand, part-time and full-time service tiers.
Why brokers are turning to offshore support
General manager of LMG Outsource, Nicolas Katsouras (pictured), said business owners were increasingly upgrading their subscriptions after starting on a smaller scale.
"We're seeing more owners start with on-demand support and, pleased with the results, upgrade to part-time or dedicated full-time specialists who are directly integrated into their business," Katsouras said. "By offloading back-office documentation and compliance to LMG Outsource, onshore CSMs are pivoting to high-value, strategic roles. This shift empowers brokers to deepen client relationships and deliver a premium customer experience."
According to LMG, its offshore specialists are saving business owners up to 160 hours a month, time that is being redirected toward higher-value, customer-facing work. Katsouras pointed to mounting cost pressures – fuel, electricity, insurance, higher interest rates and new imposts such as Payday Super – as key drivers behind the uptake.
"Every business owner knows the costs of running a business are rising. They want to scale but adding another wage to their local payroll can be a daunting prospect," he said. "LMG Outsource offers a smarter, cost-effective alternative, delivering high-quality, pre-trained support that bypasses the friction of onboarding and compliance."
A broker's view from the ground
Tom and Steve Kelly, directors of brokerages Kelly Brothers Finance and Union Shopper Mortgage Planners, are among the businesses that have adopted the model. The two brokerages collectively settled $310 million in FY26, a 52% increase in lodgements and 68% growth in settlements over the period.
The business currently employs four LMG Outsource specialists, three of whom have provided full-time support for two years.
"Our offshore staff are as much part of our team as our onshore staff," Tom Kelly said. "They understand and contribute to the values of our brand and we catch up with them every morning.
"They do all the renaming of files, processing and other back-end activities and our onshore staff assess the application before going back to the broker for signoff. We now have our onshore staff completing four touchpoints with every client during the loan process so they feel important and engaged, taking the load off our brokers.
"In Filipino culture, there's a strong sense of pride and reliability attached to work. We have virtually no MIRs now and any queries from lenders are generally sorted in a phone call."
Training and expansion plans
LMG said all Outsource talent have prior experience in Australia's mortgage industry and receive extensive training on the group's proprietary MyCRM platform used across LMG's broker network.
Katsouras said business owners who trialled the on-demand model last year were surprised by how efficiently team members integrated into existing workflows.
The growth in LMG Outsource comes as the group also expands Firstsource, its India-based operation of specialist credit analysts, broadening the range of support available to businesses across its network.
