Profile
“We have big ambitions for our recruitment program to have an even broader impact on the industry”
Darren Liu,
Loan Street
Spot quiz: Which Australian mortgage broker had more verified, genuine client reviews than any other in 2022?
Answer: Graeme Holm, chief executive of Infinity Group Australia.
Holm has gathered a chest full of accolades in the process, including the 2021 FBAA Finance Broker of the Year award for both NSW/ACT and all of Australia, and Bankwest Finance Broker of the Year.
As one of the top three finishers in the MPA Top 100 Brokers list, Holm was a one-man antidote to any doomsayer’s visions for the lending market this year.
“According to mainstream media, it should have been tumultuous times with property prices crashing and home lending values dropping,” says Holm.
“It was the entire opposite.”
Sydney-based Infinity posted record-high lending volumes in the year to June 2022 and helped a huge number of customers create wealth and grow financially.
Infinity goes beyond mortgage freedom. It looks far past the ambit of a regular brokerage and considers paying off a home loan a mere steppingstone for its clients on the way to sustained income generation from property.
“[We have] helped thousands of Aussies and Kiwis reduce their mortgage debt faster and then propel their wealth-building through property portfolios that successfully deliver passive income streams,” says Holm.
“Nothing gives a greater sense of achievement than having hundreds of everyday families paying off their home loans in full.”
To be sure, this year was a little tougher than many for top-performing brokers like Holm to continue moving their clients’ interests ahead at warp speed. The Reserve Bank set a breakneck pace for rate hikes, and CoreLogic data shows that Sydney home values were down 10.2% in October from a January peak and down 6.4% in Melbourne from a peak in February, for instance.
“In a market where interest rates are rising at a rapid pace and borrowing capacities are diminishing daily due to strong inflation and increased cost of living pressures for families, it’s a daily challenge to find and tailor solutions that fit each customer’s personal circumstances and needs,” says Holm.
“That being said, whilst it’s a challenging environment, it is one of the most rewarding environments in the finance broking industry that I have had the pleasure of experiencing in the last 20-plus years.”
He doesn’t expect property prices to remain subdued much longer, a view supported by some macro factors, such as a below-average flow of new listings that is keeping overall inventory levels contained.
“I expect the major capital city housing markets to recover and steadily grow again as demand continues to outstrip supply,” says Holm.
Rents are also continuing to spike in large cities, which will likely provide a floor for the investor portion of the market.
“I expect the market to be both robust and resilient and believe exciting times are ahead in 2023 and beyond for the finance sector,” says Holm.
Infinity has some ambitious plans to continue its strong growth, but Holm is keeping them under wraps for now.
“In 2023, I will originate in excess of $1bn in new residential lending, but I can’t share too much more about the innovation we will use to achieve this... Watch this space.”
Holm feels there is ample room for brokers in general to up their game, in terms of not just market performance but also service standards, with a significant portion of the industry lacking a real understanding of what can be achieved for clients.
“I would love to see an industry shake-up with more extensive and structured educational requirements,” he says.
Holm’s ideal mortgage broker universe is a space where there’s less emphasis on product sales and more on service and better solutions to client problems, with mathematical outcomes that are of clear benefit to the consumer.
It all starts with realising that paying off a mortgage is a financial beginning and not the end – a simple change of perspective that lifts clients’ eyes to the horizon and beyond.
Level 5, 35 Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina QLD 4226
07 5661 9745
graeme.holm@infinity.com.au
linkedin.com/in/graeme-holm
infinity.com.au
Graeme Holm
Director
Infinity Group Australia
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Milestones
2020–present
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Deputy Principal at Australian Christian College - Southlands
Doctor of Education
2020–present
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2021
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Year 7 Community Leader and Leader for Learning Technologies and Platforms at Northern Beaches Christian School
Master of Business Administration, 2017–2019
2021
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2016–present
2006–2009
2012–present
2018
2019
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Milestones
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
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Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
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Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
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Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
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Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
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2016–present
2006–2009
2012–present
2018
2019
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2022
2018
2012–present
2006–2009
2016–present
2019
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Ranked No. 1 Broker of the Year
2019
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2018
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Ranked 4th among Australia’s Top 100 Brokers
2018
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2012–present
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Director at Infinity Group Australia
2017, 2018: Holm recognised as one of MPA’s Top 100 Brokers
2018: ABA New Office of the Year
2018, 2019, 2021: Infinity Group named one of AFR’s Most Innovative Companies
2019: ABA Finance Broker of the Year, ABA Rising Star of the Year
2020: ABA Diversification Program of the Year, ABA Innovator of the Year,
AMA Most Effective Digital Strategy, MPA Top 100 Broker
2021: FBAA Broker of the Year, Bankwest Broker of the Year, MPA Top 100 Broker
2022: RMA Top Broker, MPA Top 100 Broker
2012–present
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2006–2009
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Mobile lending manager and bank manager
2006–2009
1997
2016–present
human resources | key media
Director at Infinity Group Australia
2017: MPA TOP 100 BROKER
2018: MPA TOP 100 BROKER, ABA NEW OFFICE OF THE YEAR, AFR’S MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES
2019: ABA FINANCE BROKER OF THE YEAR, ABA RISING STAR OF THE YEAR, AFR’S MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES
2020: MPA TOP 100 BROKER, ABA DIVERSIFICATION PROGRAM OF THE YEAR, ABA INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR,
AMA MOST EFFECTIVE DIGITAL STRATEGY
2021: MPA TOP 100 BROKER, FBAA BROKER OF THE YEAR, BANKWEST BROKER OF THE YEAR,
AFR’S MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES
2022: MPA TOP 100 BROKER, RMA TOP BROKER
2016–present
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Milestones
2019
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
2022
Excellence awardee – Independent Mortgage Adviser of the Year category at the New Zealand Mortgage Awards
2022
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2022
2020–present
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Deputy Principal at Australian Christian College - Southlands
Doctor of Education
2020–present
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2021
Launched his own business,
Ascend Financial Services
2022
2022
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
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2021
Launched his own business,
Ascend Financial Services
2022
Director
Infinity Group Australia
Graeme Holm
“We are developing a credit engine system to ensure all customer transactions are processed quickly and efficiently”
Darren Liu,
Loan Street
“We have big ambitions for our recruitment program to have an even broader impact on the industry”
Darren Liu,
Loan Street
“We are developing a credit engine system to ensure all customer transactions are processed
quickly and efficiently”
Darren Liu,
Loan Street
It is not often that growth is a problem for a business.
But the enormous volume of applications handled by boutique brokerage Ortus Financial in Sydney’s eastern suburbs last fiscal year risked throwing the firm’s private banking ethos off balance.
In the year to June, Ortus settled 50% more loans than the year prior with principal Adam Rakowski writing over $160m worth.
“Having worked in the broader finance industry since 2001, it was certainly a year of unprecedented growth,” he says.
“The sheer volume of applications is likely something we won’t see again for some time.”
This gangbuster 12-month period resulted in a total loan book of over $400m in just three years since launching the business.
To be sure, the achievement is part of a wider story as the value of home loans settled by mortgage brokers collectively rose to new records nationally.
But Rakowski doesn’t want the business to be just about money or to treat customers like a number, which is a real danger when a brokerage is doing all it can to funnel applications to lenders as fast as humanly possible.
“We didn’t want to fall into the trap that many businesses do when growth becomes a singular focus,” says Rakowski.
“We don’t have a ‘grow at all costs’ mentality – it is sustainable growth that we’re striving for.”
Remarkably, Ortus lost no customers with zero refinances over the period other than existing clients selling property to re-purchase again with the firm. With zero defections, it’s hard to argue that customers had reason to be dissatisfied with the service.
The strong growth was powered partly by the property boom brought about by ultra-low interest rates. Ortus focuses primarily on residential lending with around 90% of loans placed at major banks. Rakowski also has a background in commercial lending and the firm has the potential to ramp up this line further in future.
“We have big ambitions for our recruitment program to have an even broader impact on the industry”
Darren Liu,
Loan Street
“We are developing a credit engine system to ensure all customer transactions are processed quickly and efficiently”
Darren Liu,
Loan Street