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The Mortgage Choice Freedom loan book reached the milestone less than a year after crossing the $2 billion mark, with the latest growth coinciding with the launch of a new bridging finance solution, Mortgage Choice Freedom Move, in late 2025.
It joined a suite of products first launched in 2023 in partnership with digital lender Athena.
It was launched alongside a tool designed to help brokers and borrowers assess different property transition scenarios, including buying before selling, selling first, settling both transactions simultaneously, or holding two properties.
Mortgage Choice CEO Anthony Waldron said the loan book milestone reflected the collaboration between the lender and the broker network during the design and rollout of the Freedom product suite.
“Reaching the $3 billion milestone for the Mortgage Choice Freedom loan book is a testament to the power of co-designing solutions with our network to solve the real-world frustrations brokers and their customers face every day,” he said.
“With the launch of our Freedom Move product and Move Modeller tool in November last year, we also now have a compelling solution for home owners planning their next move. Our growth from $2 billion to $3 billion in under a year shows how hungry brokers and borrowers are for innovation.”
Adaptable usage
According to Mortgage Choice, demand for the bridging loan product has been particularly strong in Perth and Sydney, where housing market conditions have prompted more home owners to explore flexible options when upgrading properties.
Reporting from Broker Daily has highlighted ongoing pressures for buyers in Perth, with rapid price growth boosting household equity and confidence, while listings remain limited.
In this environment, some households are choosing to secure their next property before selling their current one, using bridging finance to avoid being left without a home while searching for a replacement property.
In Sydney, the product is reportedly being used by equity-rich upgraders who want to purchase their next home quickly without needing to precisely time the sale of their existing property.
Mortgage Choice broker Ryan Ewart, who operates in Sydney’s Northern Beaches and northern suburbs, said borrower demand for upgrade pathways had been a common driver of inquiries.
“Many of our customers are looking to upgrade from smaller units into houses for their growing families. In the past when a customer was looking to upgrade, I would strongly encourage them to sell first so we could avoid bridging finance. Now that we have access to Freedom Move, my team and I are confident recommending bridging as a solution because the product pricing is sharp, and the customer experience is straightforward,” Ewart said.
“Freedom Move is one of the only bridging products in the market to offer a no-end-debt option. This is a great option for borrowers, and their broker still gets paid for their work.”
Waldron added: “Especially in markets like Sydney and Perth, where listing volumes are tight and quality stock moves fast, the ability to act decisively without the need to perfectly sequence a sale and purchase gives home owners a competitive edge.”
Addressing the ‘loyalty tax’
The Mortgage Choice Freedom loan suite was first launched in 2023 as Athena’s inaugural white label offering within the broker channel.
Developed in consultation with Mortgage Choice brokers through a working group and pilot program, the product suite includes a variable-rate loan (Freedom Saver), a fixed-rate option (Freedom Fixed), and a split loan product (Freedom Flex).
The loans were designed to address concerns around so-called “loyalty tax”, where existing borrowers often pay higher interest rates than new customers.
At launch, Mortgage Choice said the Freedom suite aimed to improve transparency for borrowers and ensure variable-rate customers automatically receive lower rates as their loan-to-value ratio improves.
[Related: New private credit fund targets ‘$25 billion gap’]