The MFAA’s Financial Abuse Guide Says Hand Over the Number, Never Make the Call. On a Joint File With Hidden Debt, It Says Don’t Improvise

1. What the MFAA released, and who built it

The guide came out of the MFAA’s 2026 Women in Finance Broking Series. The series ran across five Australian cities, and the MFAA says more than 1,100 people took part. The MFAA wrote the guide with contributions from Financial Counselling Australia, Full Stop Australia and Bankwest. Bankwest was also the series partner. According to the MFAA’s media release, the guide answers questions members raised about “what to do when a conversation about finance becomes much more personal”.

It covers potential indicators of vulnerability, financial abuse and coercive control, practical language for sensitive conversations, professional boundaries, referral pathways and broker wellbeing. You can download it as a PDF from the MFAA website. The MFAA has also flagged a member webinar on understanding financial abuse and the broker’s role on 24 November.

The guide also says what it isn’t. It provides “general information and practical prompts” and “is not a substitute for legal, compliance, safety, counselling or other specialist advice on individual cases where risk or vulnerability may be present.” Treat it as a reference you keep at the desk. It won’t replace your licensee’s policy.

2. Why this lands on a broker’s desk

MFAA CEO Anja Pannek put the scale argument in the release: “With mortgage brokers now facilitating a record 81.6% of new residential home loans, there are hundreds of thousands of individual client relationships behind that figure.”

The ABS gives the other side of that. Its Personal Safety Survey 2021–22 estimates that 16% of Australian women (1.6 million) and 7.8% of men (745,000) have experienced economic abuse by a cohabiting partner since the age of 15. Those are lifetime prevalence figures for the adult population, so they don’t tell you how many of your clients are affected. They do tell you it isn’t rare. And a broker often sees more of a household’s finances than anyone else outside it: the bank statements, the credit file, who answers the questions and who signs.

The guide describes how financial abuse may show up in a finance context: “restricted access to accounts, forced or hidden debt, withheld financial information, one person controlling an application, or financial damage that continues after separation.” Every item on that list can show up on a loan file.

3. Recognise: indicators are not evidence

The guide lists things you might see:

• one person consistently answering for the other
• accounts, debts or commitments a client didn’t expect
• last-minute changes to applicants, ownership or loan purpose
• unusual urgency or pressure to proceed
• a client who seems distressed, confused or unable to speak freely
• a communication pattern that changes when another person is present

It also lists things you might hear, including “I’m not sure what that debt is”, “Please don’t call me, just email”, “I just need this approved today” and “We’re separating.”

The qualifier is the important part. “Indicators are reasons to pay attention, not evidence that abuse, coercion or another vulnerability is occurring.” The guide also notes that its two lists are independent examples, not matched pairs.

One member asked the question most couples’ files raise: “With most couples, one person is more across the finances. Where do you draw the line?” The guide’s answer is to make no assumption, notice what you can observe, stay curious, and “create opportunities for each client to participate”. On a desk, that means a few concrete habits. Speak to each applicant directly. Check that both applicants have seen the application. Confirm each one’s contact preferences. Don’t let one person’s email address become the only channel for both.

4. Respond: the words, and slowing the file down

The most usable part of the guide is its set of scripts. To make the check-in normal: “I ask all my clients whether there have been any recent life events or changes that might affect their finances.” To ask without assuming: “Are there any pressures or concerns influencing your financial decisions at the moment?” To offer support: “There is free, independent help available. Would you like the details?”

Then there’s the line that matters most on a file with a settlement date: “We can slow this down. You do not need to decide today.” Urgency is one of the guide’s listed indicators. If you have to pause, it’s better to pause and explain the timeline to the client than to push an application through because someone else in the room wants it lodged today.

If a client discloses abuse, the guide suggests you acknowledge it and ask about immediate safety: “Thank you for telling me. Do you feel unsafe right now?” A simple response it offers is “I believe you. You are not alone. Help is available.” After that, it says, “Do not fix, rescue or investigate.”

If the client isn’t ready for help, respect their autonomy. Don’t push them to say more or to accept a referral. Keep meeting your professional obligations, and check any safe contact preferences they’ve given you.

5. The boundary table: inside and outside your role

The guide sets out the broker role in two columns. It’s worth printing for every staff member who takes client calls.

Two entries matter most for your file notes. “Record observable facts” is inside the role. Writing “client is a victim of coercive control” is a diagnosis, and that’s outside it. “Promise secrecy you cannot keep” is outside the role too, because your lender, licensee and legal obligations still apply after a client tells you something in confidence.

6. Refer: give the number, don’t make the call

The guide says members “repeatedly asked how a referral should work: do I provide a number, make the call, or share the client’s details?” Its answer is the clearest instruction in the document. Ask whether the client would like information about relevant support services. If they say yes, explain the options and give the contact details in a way that’s safe for them. “It is then up to the client to decide whether and how to make contact. Brokers should not make the call or share the client’s details.”

The guide lists support pathways that were highlighted during the series. They’re examples only, not an exhaustive list, and the guide says to check service details at the time of referral.

On damaged credit after abuse, the guide is blunt: “Do not promise to ‘fix’ a credit score.” It points to financial counselling, legal assistance, specialist economic-safety services and lender hardship or vulnerable-customer pathways instead.

7. Joint files, hidden debt and your own process

The FAQ answer brokers will need most is the one on joint applicants, hidden debt and “information one person does not want disclosed”. The guide says these situations “can involve privacy, consent, lender requirements and professional obligations. Do not improvise. Follow your business and aggregator processes and seek compliance or legal guidance where needed.”

The guide doesn’t settle this question. It hands it back to you. If your business doesn’t have a written process for a joint applicant who asks you to keep something from the other applicant, this guide is a reason to write one. Write it with your aggregator’s compliance team before you need it, not during the call.

The guide’s practice page lists the steps for doing that.

1. Brief the team on Recognise, Respond, Refer. Agree on neutral language staff can use when something doesn’t feel right.
2. Build a short referral list. Make it easy to reach during a client conversation, and check the numbers before you use them.
3. Review how you handle joint clients. Cover sensitive disclosures, privacy and safe contact preferences, including who receives which email.
4. Set the escalation path. Make sure staff know when a matter goes through existing lender, aggregator, compliance or legal channels.
5. Put it in onboarding. Include vulnerability and referral pathways in onboarding and ongoing team learning.
6. Plan for the debrief. Talk about how brokers and staff can get support after a confronting client interaction.

That last step is about your own wellbeing. “Difficult disclosures can stay with you,” the guide says. It suggests pausing after a hard interaction, using supervision or peer support without disclosing client information unnecessarily, and using a wellbeing service. Bankwest broker partners and their teams can use Bankwest’s Health and Wellbeing Assistance Program on 1800 327 222 (quote “Bankwest Broker”). The MFAA also points to its Financial Hardship Checklist, its Banking Code of Practice course and its Broker Toolbox guidance on customers in vulnerable circumstances.