Sydney firm exits broking to fund complex commercial loans for business owners directly
Sydney-based FRONT Financial has exited mortgage and finance broking to become a non-bank lender, funding complex, property-backed commercial loans directly.
The move reflects a broader trend in the Australian non-bank lending sector, where experienced mortgage professionals are increasingly entering direct lending to serve segments that major banks have consistently underserved.
Non-bank lenders have steadily grown their share of Australian commercial and complex lending, particularly for business owners and self-employed borrowers facing income verification hurdles.
That is the market FRONT is targeting. The firm, co-founded by chief executive officer Ryan Sweeney (pictured, left) and chief of sales William Banham (pictured, right), now offers first and second mortgages to business owners whose circumstances, complexity or timeframes fall outside traditional bank lending criteria.
“We spent years on the other side of the table watching good deals stall over rigid policy,” said Sweeney. “That taught us exactly where traditional lending slows down and what it actually takes to get a scenario funded. Now we make the call ourselves.”
From the broker table to the lending desk
The shift follows a period of rapid growth on the origination side. In FY2025–26, FRONT arranged $550.1 million in settled loans across more than 500 transactions, an increase of 81.4% on the prior year. The firm won at the Broker Innovation Awards and the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) Excellence Awards in 2026.
Its in-house credit team assesses each transaction on its individual merits, considering the underlying security, available equity, transaction complexity and exit strategy, rather than applying a standardised lending model.
A broker-only model
FRONT works exclusively through the broker channel, with brokers dealing directly with the people assessing each deal and managing it through to settlement.
“Our clients are ambitious business owners, and their funding needs are rarely one-size-fits-all,” said Banham. “They shouldn’t have to be squeezed into a product. They need a lender who understands their business, recognises the opportunity and structures funding around what they’re trying to achieve.”
The firm has flagged future growth plans for 2027, with the founders aiming to build FRONT into a leading lender for complex, property-backed commercial finance.
