REA Group has announced that it will fold its Smartline brand into Mortgage Choice, ending months of speculation over the future of the two brand names.
Mortgage Choice has won out, with Smartline brand phased out in February 2022. The backend of both broker franchises will be combined into one system, utitlising the existing tech at Mortgage Choice.
“For almost 30 years, Mortgage Choice has been a nationally recognised and trusted brand among consumers, synonymous with financial services,” said Janelle Hopkins, chief financial officer at REA Group.
“Uniting all our brokers under the Mortgage Choice brand will support REA’s ambition to create Australia’s leading franchise broking business.”
“While our approach is to retain the Mortgage Choice name, we will leverage the best of the Smartline and Mortgage Choice networks to strongly position over 900 brokers for sustained success under the combined business.”
“We see significant opportunities to link REA’s digital capabilities, property insights, and highly engaged audience with our broker network, positioning Mortgage Choice as the leading proposition in market for anyone considering joining a franchise network.”
Susan Mitchell, CEO of Mortgage Choice, added that Broker Platform, Mortgage Choice’s system, was best positioned to take the combined entity’s brokers forward.
“Broker Platform’s market-leading fact find and file management capabilities, along with the ability to integrate with multiple systems, means we can increase broker productivity and create better business outcomes for brokers and their clients,” she said.
“We know our brokers are time poor when it comes to running their businesses and responding to the increased demand for their services. The transition will include rebranding support across the franchise network and a comprehensive training program to ensure minimal disruption to our broking network.”
