Mortgage aggregator's brokers gain access to HomeStart's low-deposit loans as SFG further expands its lending footprint across state
Mortgage aggregator Specialist Finance Group (SFG) has added South Australian Government-backed lender HomeStart to its lending panel, giving brokers access to HomeStart's low-deposit and equity-based home loan products at a time when rising property prices and deposit requirements are squeezing prospective buyers.
South Australia has become one of SFG's fastest-growing regions, with the aggregator continuing to lift its broker presence and lending activity across the state.
SFG general manager Blake Buchanan (pictured) said the appointment reflected the aggregator's focus on building a panel around broker and client needs.
"South Australia has been a fantastic growth story for SFG and is now one of the fastest-growing regions within our network," Buchanan said. "With that growth comes a responsibility to make sure our brokers have access to lenders and products that genuinely reflect the market they are operating in."
Buchanan said rising house prices, rents and living costs had made accumulating a deposit increasingly difficult for many borrowers, adding that brokers and lender diversity were key to solving that problem. "The best solution for a customer isn't necessarily going to come from a major bank or a traditional lending structure,” he said.
HomeStart chief executive Andrew Mills added the partnership would extend the lender's reach through SFG's broker network. "We're delighted to welcome SFG to our broker network and look forward to working closely with its brokers to help more South Australians make the dream of home ownership a reality," Mills said.
Building on a busy panel calendar
The HomeStart deal continues a run of panel activity for SFG.
Earlier this year, SFG's recent appointment of non-bank lender Midkey to its panel gave brokers a home equity release option for clients holding strong equity but struggling to meet income-based serviceability tests.
Around the same period, SFG's lender panel appointment of bridging specialist Bridgit added high-LVR bridging finance to the aggregator's offering.
SFG has also broadened its panel beyond residential mortgages, including its 2024 partnership with Platform Finance for asset and personal lending.
Buchanan said the aggregator's approach to panel building was about relevance rather than volume.
"We don't measure the strength of a panel by how many logos we can put on a page. It is about whether those lenders provide genuine solutions and allow our brokers to say 'yes' to more customers," he said. "We are incredibly bullish about South Australia. Adding HomeStart gives our brokers another tool to help more South Australians buy a home."
