There is no ASIC minimum time a mortgage broker must stay with an aggregator. The stay is the notice period, any initial term and the exit clauses in your written agreement.
Before resigning, find out who keeps the trail book. Some mortgage brokers who leave early can still owe an exit fee and can lose unpaid trail if the book does not transfer.
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The Role and Purpose of Mortgage Aggregators
What Is a Mortgage Aggregator?
A mortgage aggregator sits between you and the lenders. It supplies the lender panels, the software and often the compliance pack you use for loan origination.
Aggregators also take a split of commission. They may train you and run the CRM. They do not hold your credit licence unless they are also the licensee on your CL50.
Purpose of Aggregators
The panel lets you lodge to more than one lender. Compliance and IT support sit in the fee you already pay. Read the current schedule. Do not assume every advertised lender is on your appointment.
CRM, commission files and BDM access are the usual extras. They help you run the book. Read the exit clause that keeps the trail before you treat those extras as a lock-in.
Industry Experience Requirements
Joining an Aggregator
There is no national two-year experience law to join an aggregator. Some groups prefer brokers who already hold a book. New brokers usually join as credit representatives. The licensee lodges the CL50 after Cert IV FNS40821 or Diploma FNS50322.
If a group will not appoint you yet, you can work as an employee or authorised credit representative of a broker who is already on that panel. Use that employment path to gain files. ASIC still does not set a two-year wait.
How Industry Experience Affects Live Files
Lender policy still has to be learned on live files. Aggregator training and a BDM can shorten that. Experience does not create a minimum stay. The contract does.
Contractual Obligations and Duration
Minimum Time Commitment
There is no single industry term. Some agreements have no initial term and only a notice period, often 30 to 90 days. Some have a 12-month or 24-month initial term. Some charge an exit fee or keep trail if you leave inside that window. A “stay 1 to 2 years” line is a habit, not a law.
If the aggregator’s fees or conduct described in the agreement make the appointment unworkable, you can still leave inside a year when the notice clause allows it. Read the fee, the restraint and the trail clause first.
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Brokers’ Commitment Context
Confirm the notice period, initial term, exit fee, who owns the client file, who keeps trail and whether clawback follows you. Serve notice only when the new appointment and the trail-transfer letter are in writing.
Benefits of Staying with an Aggregator
Business Growth and Support
A longer stay can mean you finish the software training and the first-year clawback window on more files. Some groups sell lead generation and professional development. Those extras are optional products. They do not extend a statutory term.
Commission Payments and Trail Timing
The aggregator pays trail commissions and upfront after it takes its split. Payment timing sits on that schedule. Aggregators do not rewrite a lender’s loan terms for your client because they lodge in bulk. The client rate still comes from the lender sheet.
Plan the Gap Between Aggregators
Transition Periods
Switching aggregators needs a gap plan. New lender appointments can take weeks. Trail transfer needs lender and aggregator consent. Do not lodge a new file on a panel you are about to leave unless the new group can take it.
Economic and Market Conditions
The RBA cash-rate target was 4.35% after the 11 August 2026 hold. Interest rate changes can alter refinance volume, but they do not rewrite the notice clause. Re-run the book after a move and base the resignation date on the agreement rather than a predicted cash-rate cut.
The Mortgage Broking Market
Aggregator’s Role in Industry Evolution
Software families change. AFG Flex sits inside Suite360. Finsure’s Infynity-to-Metanoia cutover is staged through 2026. A cutover between old and new CRM systems is a reason to read the data-export clause. Confirm data security and who holds the client file if you leave mid-cutover. Aggregator mental health pages are extras. They do not change the contract.
Regulation and Compliance
You still need an ACL or a credit-representative appointment. The aggregator’s compliance pack helps. It does not replace ASIC. MFAA and FBAA membership stay optional. MFAA figures for the March 2026 quarter put brokers at 81.0% of new residential lending. Share of the market does not lock you to one group.
Choose the Agreement and Manage the Relationship
Choosing the Right Aggregator
Compare the live panel, the split, the notice clause and the trail-transfer rule. Split paths on this site include Fast, Choice and AFG. Confirm the current brand before you treat a brochure name as the appointment.
Long-Term Career Development
Stay long enough to finish appointments and to know the BDM. Industry networking events can help you meet a BDM. The MFAA membership path requires the Diploma to be completed within 12 months. That timing does not set the term of an aggregator agreement.
Building Strong Relationships
Keep the BDM and the licensee in the same email when you ask about trail. Tell clients in writing if their file will move. Do not promise a cheaper rate because you changed groups.
Steps to Take Before Resigning from an Aggregator
A careful resignation review covers these points:
- Read the notice, initial-term, exit-fee and trail clauses.
- Get the new appointment and a written trail-transfer position.
- Serve notice on the date the clause names.
- Stop lodging on the old panel once the new group can take the file.
Do not send the resignation email until the notice period and trail owner are clear in the agreement.
