Mortgage brokers are in an enviable position. There are few positions within financial services that enjoy the level of trust which brokers do. Despite the proliferation of digital tools and direct-to-consumer offerings, the overwhelming majority of borrowers continue to seek out a broker when arranging their mortgage. That trust has been hard earned, but is well deserved.
Mortgage advice is inherently personal. Brokers are tasked with guiding clients through significant financial decisions, the biggest purchases they will ever make. And in the modern world, that journey often involves some level of complexity.
The ability to simplify, contextualise and support clients through this process is what fosters enduring loyalty.
However, the nature of client expectations is evolving. Increasingly, individuals are seeking more than transactional support – they want a relationship with a trusted financial professional who can help them make informed decisions across multiple aspects of their financial lives, not just the finance they need for a house purchase.
That opens the door for brokers, but only if they are able to adapt and evolve their own services.
Meeting broader client needs
The traditional boundaries between mortgage advice and wider financial planning are becoming less defined. Clients may arrive seeking help with a home purchase, but they likely have concurrent concerns – protection for their families, savings for later life, or clarity around pension planning. They are not compartmentalising their finances, and neither should we.
Some additional services have long been sensible bedfellows for mortgage advice. The best brokers have long included protection in their advice as par for the course, recognising how crucial it is for clients to have a plan in place should life throw a spanner in the works.
But if brokers are to really grasp this opportunity, then there are broader product areas which merit consideration. Expanding into financial planning enables advisers to deliver a more comprehensive service, enhancing the value offered to clients while building longer-term relationships. It also introduces additional income streams, contributing to the resilience of the advice business.
Such evolution is not without its challenges. Brokers need access to training, resources, and infrastructure to broaden their capabilities effectively. They also need the confidence that their network will support – rather than restrict – their professional development.
Enabling adviser growth
We have seen this first hand at Rosemount. The network has enjoyed significant growth over the last 12 months, to the point that analysis from Network Consulting found we had seen the second highest growth in adviser numbers, in percentage terms, of any network in the first quarter of 2025.
And a big factor in that growth has been brokers wanting to expand their range of services, wanting to add new strings to their bow. In some cases they were directly authorised but wanted the backing of a quality network as they grew, but in many cases these were brokers who had been members of other networks. However, those networks were not able to support their ambitions to move into full financial planning.
That puts them in a difficult position – do they give up on their diversification dreams, and risk losing out on some clients who are looking for more from their advice partner? Or do they take the leap and move networks, a process which we all know can be far from straightforward.
The numbers show plenty of advisers are voting with their feet, moving to a new network like Rosemount which will enable them to deliver on those ambitions.
Come for the mortgage, stay for the wealth planning
Brokers often take on the role of educators. Clients may not be fully clear about different products, nor why they should be part of their overall financial plan, without the input of a quality adviser.
That’s why the mortgage is essentially a gateway, as the reason the client first makes contact with the broker. They have a pressing need in the here and now, to raise the funds needed for a property purchase.
But over time the broker can help demonstrate the value of other financial considerations, which ensure the client will keep coming back over the long term. It might be setting up a mortgage, establishing an investment plan, even utilising trusts to mitigate against eventual tax liabilities.
For firms considering their next phase of growth, the question becomes how mortgages can be utilised more effectively as a platform for broader client engagement.
We are at an important juncture in the advice world. Clients want more, regulators expect more, and brokers increasingly want to provide more. The decision now is how to go about delivering it. Mortgages will remain a phenomenal gateway for a long-lasting relationship, but brokers will need to broaden their services if they are to truly capitalise on the opportunity.
Ahmed Bawa is CEO of Rosemount Financial Solutions (IFA)
