Paul McConville’s diverse background and more than 20 years in the mortgage industry has seen him go from credit manager into wholesale management and on to be a business development manager before settling into a broker role two years ago.
As a branded broker for Homeloans based in Perth, McConville is balancing business across two states, jet-setting between the east and west coasts each month as he also has clients in Melbourne.
Originally from Bendigo, he played AFL through his teenage years and then at age 20 was drafted nationally with Fitzroy (now Brisbane Lions) where he played a year in the reserves. But at 21, he decided to pursue his interests in banking and joined
ANZ as a credit analyst.
“I started off in credit and then got into wholesale,” says McConville as his career shifted him to Melbourne in 1995 with ANZ Originator Services Unit and introduced him to the broker world to providing wholesale mortgage solutions for white label suppliers as a partnership manager. He then became a general manager which involved sourcing new mortgage managers and brokers.
An opportunity then arose for McConville to join Homeloans as a business development manager and within his first year he was nominated for Best Non-bank BDM at the 2011 Australian Mortgage Awards.
“So I’ve gone from credit to wholesales to mortgage manager and now to a BDM talking to brokers again, getting back to the broker world,” says McConville and he has been with Homeloans ever since, although he would go on to transition into a broking role.
Homeloans and mobile broking
A multi-award winning non-bank lender/brokerage, Homeloans is in its 30th year and has been ASX listed since 2001, with its major shareholders including National Australia Bank and Macquarie Group. It provides its customers a one application process with multiple loan options and has satellite offices around the country.
“I’ve got a hotspot in St Georges Terrace, WA and also in St Kilda, Melbourne,” says McConville, giving him a base in each state and access to all the support facilities and business has never been better for him. “The two years I’ve been doing it, it definitely hasn’t slowed down.”
Changing times
McConville says now is a great time to be a broker as he recalls the days in the ‘90s when brokers were finding their feet and may have just been doing broking on the side.
“The banks were seeing the opportunity of that broker market. So that market did open up but (today) it’s regulated so much better - the brokers that are in the business (now), that’s their job, that’s their bread and butter. For me with that credit background, it’s been a pretty good transition.”
McConville says a positive customer centric attitude will take you a long way and emphasises the importance of speedy response times for your clients.
“That quick response makes the customer feel like they’re the only customer I’ve got and if you have that then you get a good referral channel.”
Although juggling clients in two states can be a challenge, especially when daylight savings comes into play, McConville says what he always strives for is a positive outcome for the client.
“What you put in is what you get out of it. It’s a good lifestyle if you learn to how to balance it.”
