WA's top brokers, lenders and businesses recognised at Crown Perth ahead of July national finals
Eighteen mortgage and finance professionals across Western Australia have been recognised at the 2026 Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) Excellence Awards. The event was held at Crown Perth on Friday, 12 June.
The results were determined through an independent judging process, with all outcomes verified by Hall Chadwick. The 2026 program received an all-time record number of submissions, highlighting the depth of talent and leadership across the industry.
MFAA chief executive Anja Pannek congratulated the WA finalists and winners on the standard of this year’s entries.
“Western Australia’s finalists and winners continue to demonstrate exceptional leadership, professionalism and commitment to their clients and communities,” Pannek said.
“The strength of submissions this year reflects a highly engaged and entrepreneurial broking community that continues to raise standards across the industry.
“These awards recognise the businesses and individuals contributing not only to strong client outcomes, but also to the long-term strength and sustainability of the profession.”
Individual honours
Nine individual awards were presented across broking, business development, loan administration and emerging talent categories.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| BDM – Aggregator | Sanil Shah AFG |
| BDM – Lender & Support Service Provider | Corinna Galpin Bankwest |
| Commercial & Equipment Finance Broker | Jarrod Smith Transact Finance |
| Customer Service – Individual | Amol Agrawal Juice Finance |
| Loan Administrator | Kat Flynn Vorteil Financial Group |
| Newcomer | Kim Southam Oxygen |
| Regional Finance Broker | Gary Liebregts Mortgage Choice Bunbury |
| Residential Finance Broker | Balpreet Singh Bal Loan Market Bal & Associates |
| Young Professional | Alice Earley TAG Financial Group |
From young professional to back-to-back champion
Balpreet Singh Bal of Loan Market Bal & Associates retained the Residential Finance Broker Award, his second consecutive win in the category.
Bal won the MFAA WA Young Professional Award in 2019, the category reserved for brokers early in their careers. Seven years on, he has now taken back-to-back titles in WA’s top residential broking honour.
Bal has a decade of broking experience and an accounting background. He was named Loan Market’s number one broker in 2023.
Bal has now taken back-to-back Residential Finance Broker titles at the WA Excellence Awards. No other individual winner at the 2026 WA ceremony defended a title from 2025.
Business and lender awards
Thirteen awards were presented across business and lender categories, with four lender titles defended from 2025.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Business | |
| Community Champion | Vitality Finance |
| Customer Service – Business | The Loan Company |
| Diversified Business | Momentum Wealth |
| Finance Broker Business | Loan Market Ellenbrook |
| Lenders | |
| Major Lender | Macquarie Bank |
| Non-Major Lender | Bankwest |
| Specialty Lender | Pepper Money |
| Mutual/Credit Union Lender | P&N Bank |
| Fintech Lender | Bridgit |
Momentum Wealth defended its Diversified Business title from 2025. On the lender side, Macquarie Bank, Bankwest, Pepper Money and P&N Bank all retained titles held at the 2025 WA ceremony.
All lender results were determined by MFAA member voting, independently verified by Hall Chadwick.
WA winners progress to national finals in July
The WA ceremony was the third in a nationwide series of five state events. The Vic/Tas Excellence Awards were held at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne the week prior. The Queensland ceremony follows later in June. Australian TV personality Faustina Agolley, known as “Fuzzy”, is serving as MC across all 2026 state events.
All state-level winners automatically progress as national finalists, with the MFAA National Excellence Awards 2026 scheduled for 22 July at Crown Melbourne.
The WA awards arrive as the broker channel reaches a new high nationally. Australian mortgage brokers facilitated a record 81% of all new residential home loans in the March 2026 quarter. This is a 4.2-percentage-point year-on-year jump, according to data from Cotality commissioned by the MFAA.
The result places Australia alongside the UK and the Netherlands as one of only three countries globally where brokers facilitate more than 80% of mortgage lending.
View the full list of 2026 MFAA Excellence Awards finalists and winners on the MFAA website.
For more of the mortgage and finance industry’s top performers, visit Mortgage Professional Australia’s best in mortgage section.
