The MFAA has launched When Finance Gets Personal: A reference guide for mortgage and finance brokers, a practical resource to help brokers recognise and respond when a client conversation turns to financial hardship, vulnerability, financial abuse or coercive control.
The guide was developed from conversations with more than 1,100 people during the MFAA’s 2026 Women in Finance Broking Series, which ran across five Australian cities. Financial Counselling Australia, Full Stop Australia and Bankwest contributed to it.
Why it matters for your files
Brokers now facilitate a record 81.6% of new residential home loans. That means hundreds of thousands of client conversations about money, and some of them happen at the hardest points in a person’s life: separation, hardship, or a sudden change in financial circumstances.
“Mortgage and finance brokers work with people through some of the biggest moments in their lives, from buying a home or building a business to navigating separation, hardship or significant changes in their financial circumstances,” MFAA CEO Anja Pannek said.
“Our members told us they wanted practical guidance to help them feel more confident navigating these conversations while understanding the boundaries of their role.”
Recognise. Respond. Refer.
At the centre of the guide is a simple three-step framework:
- Recognise: practical information to help identify potential indicators of vulnerability, without making assumptions.
- Respond: how to respond appropriately, including practical language for sensitive conversations.
- Refer: understanding when specialist support may be appropriate, and the referral pathways available.
The guide also covers financial abuse and coercive control, professional boundaries and broker wellbeing.
You don’t need to be a counsellor
MFAA Executive, Member Experience and Partnerships Melanie Kafka said the resource grew directly out of the conversations at the Women in Finance Broking Series.
“We knew we were bringing some difficult and deeply personal topics into the room, and we wanted to approach them in a way that was practical, relevant and human,” Ms Kafka said.
“One of the clearest messages from the series was that brokers don’t need to be counsellors or have all the answers. Sometimes it can be about recognising when something may not be right, listening without judgement and knowing where someone can find specialist support.”
Ms Pannek said the guide turns questions raised by members around the country “into something practical they can return to when finance gets personal.”
What to do with it
- Download the guide from the MFAA website and share it with your team, including support staff who take client calls.
- Look at your fact find and interview process. The conversations where something “may not be right” usually surface there first.
- Have your referral pathways ready before you need them, so you’re not searching for a number mid-conversation.
If you or a client need support: 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) for family and domestic violence, including financial abuse, and the National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007) for free financial counselling.
Source: MFAA media release, 7 October 2026. The guide is available on the MFAA website.
