Bernie Lewis has blitzed its competition to win a prestigious national mortgage business excellence award. The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) Broking Business of the Year Award recognises the Adelaide-based financial services company for its outstanding achievements in mortgage broking and integrated financial advice for clients.
In the past year, the company founded by the late Bernie Lewis, has evolved beyond brokering home loans for more than 80,000 clients to also provide financial advice to clients across a range of services including insurance, superannuation and investments.
Chief Executive Officer, Stefan Lipkiewicz, said the business had grown to employ 80 staff across five metropolitan Adelaide locations with $2.8 billion in mortgages and wealth under advice.
“It is a great thrill to win the MFAA Award recognising our professionalism and strength of purpose in providing lifetime advice to clients to achieve home ownership and financial independence,” Mr Lipkiewicz said.
“Arranging the right home loan is most often the entry point for people. It is the beginning of our lifetime advice process to achieve financial security, independence and peace of mind for clients.
“In order to live our brand, we needed to expand and change systems and processes to deliver an integrated advice model tailored to the specific needs, desires and financial circumstances of clients.
“We have set minimum professional qualifications for our mortgage advisers and have implemented on-going professional development programs as part of a holistic model of business excellence in our field.
“We have introduced innovative measures in line with our duty of care responsibilities to clients. This includes providing each client with a written statement of advice articulating recommended debt solutions, along with financial protection measures.
“This document is highly valued by our clients and we are delighted on their behalf to be recognised across the industry for innovation and excellence with the MFAA Broking Business of the Year Award.”
The award was presented to Bernie Lewis Executive Chairman, Mark Lewis, and Mr Lipkiewicz in Melbourne last Friday.
“Bernie Lewis is immensely proud of its reputation and achievements,” Mr Lipkiewicz said. “We are truly a South Australian born and based company and it is an honour to be acknowledged at the forefront of business excellence.”
