Award categories - The Australian Mortgage Awards

NATIONAL AWARDS

WESTPAC AUSTRALIAN BROKER OF THE YEAR

Australian Broker of the Year is awarded in recognition of extraordinary performance in 2010/2011. This award is one of the highest possible accolades offered to an individual in the mortgage industry and the finalists for this category come from the winners of the national awards.

When judging this category, loan volume, quality of submissions, conversion rates, overall customer service and stakeholder engagement will be key considerations.

NAB BROKER AUSTRALIAN BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR

The Australian Brokerage of The Year award will recognise the extraordinary performance in 2010/2011 of Australia’s leading brokerage. This award is one of the highest accolades offered to a brokerage business in the mortgage industry. The finalists for this category will come from the winners of the group awards (Broker of the Year ≤5 Staff - Independent, Brokerage of the Year > 6 Staff, New Brokerage of the Year, Brokerage of the Year – Diversification, and Franchise Brokerage of the Year).

When judging this category, key criteria will be viewed from the overall business perspective: loan volumes, quality of submissions, conversion rates, customer service proposition, the business’ value proposition and strategy around stakeholder engagement.

COMMONWEALTH BANK AUSTRALIAN YOUNG GUN OF THE YEAR

The winner of Australian Young Gun of the Year has obtained excellence in their first two years in the mortgage industry as a broker. Finalists for this category are the winners of the individual award categories (Quality Young Gun of the Year - Franchise and Quality Young Gun of the Year – Independent).

When judging this category, loan volume, quality of submissions, conversion rates, arrears and overall customer service will be key considerations.

AUSTRALIAN BDM OF THE YEAR

Australian Business Development Manager (BDM) of the Year award is in recognition of extraordinary performance. Being one of the four ‘Australian’ awards offered on the evening makes this a very special category. Finalists for the Australian BDM of Year are the winners of the BDM award categories (Best Bank BDM, Best Non-Bank BDM and Best Aggregator BDM).

When judging this category, the BDM’s ability to build and manage relationships, understanding of their broker business, the value they add to the brand they represent and the broker channel, will be key considerations.

WEALTH TODAY GOLDEN MORGIE FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE MORTGAGE INDUSTRY

Recognising lifetime achievement in the mortgage industry, the Golden Morgie is the highest honour and most coveted award at the AMAs. The award recognises an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the industry as a whole.

GROUP AWARDS

NATIONAL FINANCE CLUB BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR (≤5 staff) – Independent

Nominations are open to independent brokerage operations, with the total number of staff (or full-time equivalents) less than or equal to five. This figure includes all loan writers and support staff across all company offices/branches. Finalists will be invited to provide extra submissions such as client feedback, community-based work or aggregator/lender testimonials for the AMA judges.

The winner of this category will become a finalist in Australian Brokerage of the Year

VOW FINANCIAL BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR (>6 staff) – Independent

Nominations are open to independent brokerage operations, with the total number of staff (or full-time equivalents) of six or more. This figure includes all loan writers and support staff across all company offices/branches. Finalists will be invited to provide extra submissions such as client feedback, community-based work or aggregator/lender testimonials for the AMA judges.

The winner of this category will become a finalist in Australian Brokerage of the Year

BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR – DIVERSIFICATION

Nominations are open to independent and franchise brokerages, regardless of whether the business is a small operation providing a compact diversification offering or a larger business that has a range of specialists (financial planners, accountants, mortgage brokers) all operating under one brand. This category will consider the brokerage that has implemented the most effective diversification business model.

When judging this category, key criteria will be viewed from an overall business perspective: products and services offered, how the diversification offering has impacted on business growth (2010/11 financial year), service proposition, business strategy, community and stakeholder engagement.

The winner of this category will become a finalist in Australian Brokerage of the Year

AUSTRALIAN FIRST MORTGAGE NEW BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR

The new brokerage of the year category is for an individual office or branch that is less than two years old. Brokers can nominate their own businesses, and our researchers will also contact aggregator groups and major franchises to submit details of their standout performers. Selected finalists will be asked to then provide further details about their business.

The winner of this category will become a finalist in Australian Brokerage of the Year

FRANCHISE BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR

Franchise Brokerage of the Year will recognise a brokerage for obtaining excellence over the 2010/11 financial year. The AMA team will poll readers of Your Mortgage and Your Investment Property about overall service levels received from these nominated offices. The AMA team will also review nominations from brokers and aggregators, and considerable weight will be placed on nominations that come directly from the head office of franchise groups.

Finalists will be invited to provide supporting documentation for submission to the judges; loan volume, quality of submissions, conversion rates and overall customer service will be key considerations in the judging process.

The winner of this category will become a finalist in Australian Brokerage of the Year

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

ALI GROUP BROKER OF THE YEAR – INSURANCE (LOAN PROTECTION & LIFE)

Broker of the Year – Insurance is awarded in recognition of extraordinary performance in 2010/2011.This award recognises mortgage brokers who have excelled at providing loan protection and life insurance as part of their overall offering. The AMA team will also review nominations from brokers and aggregators, and considerable weight will be placed on nominations that come directly from insurance groups.

Finalists will be invited to provide supporting documentation for submission to the judges, such as number of policies lodged, consistency of policies lodged, conversion rates, retention rates and integration of life insurance into the overall offering, and these will be key considerations.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian Broker of the Year

AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL BROKER OF THE YEAR – INDEPENDENT

Broker of the Year – Independent is awarded in recognition of extraordinary performance in 2010/2011. The AMA team will poll readers of Your Mortgage and Your Investment Property about service levels. Input from aggregators, brokerages and brokers themselves will also be considered. We’ll give extra credence to those in a position to assess brokers’ performance objectively.

Finalists will be invited to provide supporting documentation for submission to the judges, such as loan volume, quality of submissions, conversion rates and overall customer service.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian Broker of the Year

PEPPER HOME LOANS BROKER OF THE YEAR – NON-CONFORMING

This award recognises those who are stand-out performers in the non-conforming category. Brokers can nominate themselves as contenders for this category, however special attention will be paid to nominations made by non-conforming lenders, who are best placed to judge a broker’s performance objectively.

Finalists will be invited to provide supporting documentation for submission to the judges, with quality of submissions and conversation rates, and to a lesser extent volume, being key considerations.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian Broker of the Year

ST.GEORGE BROKER OF THE YEAR – FRANCHISE

Broker of the Year – Franchise is awarded in recognition of extraordinary performance in 2010/2011. The AMA team will poll readers of Your Mortgage and Your Investment Property about service levels. Considerable weight will be placed on nominations that come directly from the head office of franchise groups.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian Broker of the Year

BROKER OF THE YEAR – COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

This award has been designed to recognise the standout mortgage brokers who specialise in commercial lending, or those who have substantial success in funding commercial real estate purchases. Brokers can nominate themselves, but our researchers will be directly contacting commercial lenders to find out who the real stars are before giving their findings to the panel. Finalists will be invited to provide references from bosses and, if possible, clients for us to submit to the judging panel.

Finalists will be invited to provide supporting documentation for submission to the judges; loan volume, quality of submissions, conversion rates and residential to commercial lending ratios will be key considerations.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian Broker of the Year

COMMONWEALTH BANK QUALITY YOUNG GUN OF THE YEAR – FRANCHISE

This award is restricted to brokers who have been operating for 0–2 years.

The Quality Young Gun of the Year (Franchise) award will be presented to the rookie who obtained excellence in their first two years of operation in the mortgage industry as a broker. The AMA team will poll readers of Your Mortgage and Your Investment Property about overall service levels received from these young guns. The AMA team will also review nominations from brokers and aggregators, and considerable weight will be placed on nominations that come directly from the head office of franchise groups.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian Quality Young Gun of the Year

COMMONWEALTH BANK QUALITY YOUNG GUN OF THE YEAR – INDEPENDENT

This award is restricted to brokers who have been operating for 0–2 years.

Quality Young Gun of the Year – Independent is recognition of those who obtained excellence in their first two years of operation in the mortgage industry as a broker. The AMA team will poll readers of Your Mortgage and Your Investment Property about service levels provided. The team will also review nominations from brokers, brokerages and considerable weight will be placed on nominations that come directly from aggregation groups.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian Quality Young Gun of the Year

BDM AWARDS

AUSTRALIAN BROKER BEST BANK BDM

BDMs are an essential ingredient in the lender/broker relationship, and this award recognises the BDMs that are most respected by the broking community. To assess this category the AMA team will turn to the broking community to tell us who they believe should be finalists and why.

Finalists' details will then be submitted to our judging panel, along with feedback from the brokers themselves about the BDM in question. The judges will be looking for information on how accessible the nominated BDM is, the BDM’s understanding of their brokers’ businesses, whether the BDM adds value to the brand he/she represents and the broker channel.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian BDM of the Year

BEST NON-BANK BDM

This award closely reflects the previous award, recognising the Non-Bank BDMs who are most respected by the broking community. To assess this category the AMA team will turn to the broking community to tell us who they believe should be finalists and why.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian BDM of the Year

BANKWEST BEST AGGREGATOR BDM

This award closely reflects the previous two awards, recognising the best aggregator BDMs who are most respected by the broking community. To assess this category the AMA team will turn to the broking channel and aggregators to tell us who they believe should be finalists and why.

Finalists' details will then be submitted to our judging panel, along with feedback from the brokers and aggregators themselves about the BDM in question. The judges will be looking for information on how accessible the nominated BDM is, the BDM’s understanding of their brokers’ businesses, whether the BDM adds value to the brand he/she represents and the broker channel.

Winner of this category will become a finalist for Australian BDM of the Year

SERVICE AWARDS

CONNECTIVE HOME LOANS BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM AN INDIVIDUAL OFFICE

Customer service is an incredibly important measure of any brokerage's long-term sustainability and success. For this award category the AMA team will turn to the country's biggest mortgage consumer magazine Your Mortgage and website www.yourmortage.com.au to poll our industry's clients and find out who is providing industry-standard service levels.

Finalists will be able to provide supporting documentation for submission to the judges around their company’s customer service. The AMA team will also engage an independent third party to mystery shop the finalists and place a rating on product knowledge, product offering, telephone/face-to-face service provided.

WESTPAC BEST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

This award will recognise the business or broker that has demonstrated service or contribution over a sustained period of time and gone beyond normal expectations, or has had a significant impact on their local community.

Finalists will be invited to provide supporting documentation for submission to the judges; for example, developing links, partnerships and/or programs that have enhanced the reputation of the nominated business through engaging with the region and the communities it serves.

BEST INDUSTRY ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

This award will recognise the best below the line (B2B) advertising campaign conducted by any organisation within the industry (marketing to brokers). We’re looking for the campaign that has had the greatest impact on the industry over the last 12 months.

Nominees will need to provide an overview of the campaign’s strategy, the marketing mix applied, and quantitative and qualitative evidence of cut through and campaign results when possible.

All the finalists’ submissions will be provided to a select group of advertising agencies who have agreed to judge this specific award.

MPA BEST INDUSTRY SERVICE

Industry services play an extremely important role within the industry. This award will recognise the service provider that adds the most value to their customers’ businesses. Nominations from aggregation groups, banks and brokers will all be considered.

Finalists will be invited to provide supporting documentation for submission to the judges, who will consider the service provider’s value proposition, industry’s need for the service, how the service has added value, and overall commitment of the organisation to its customers.

BDO MOST EFFECTIVE INTERNET PRESENCE

The internet is becoming an increasingly important medium for communication and day-to-day business transactions. This category recognises those within the industry who have harnessed this medium to provide brokers with practical, effective and easily accessible facilities to help them with their business.

Finalists will be invited to provide supporting documentation for submission to the judges, who will consider the business’ key objectives behind the website, design, functionality, features and quality of content.