“Brokers are at the centre of everything we do; we originate only through brokers. So we built our business, our systems, our processes around them”
TONY MACRAE, BLUESTONE HOME LOANS
“The brokers really connect with our assessors and our BDMs, being able to get on the phone and find ways that we can help customers that they might not have realised was possible before”
AARON TAYLOR, BLUESTONE HOME LOANS
“With so much information out there, streamlining it is critical. Our role is to remove complexity and give brokers the confidence to manage that journey with their clients”
RICHARD CHESWORTH, BLUESTONE
In Partnership with
Built for brokers: Bluestone’s formula for growth
As the non-bank space heats up, Bluestone is doubling down on broker relationships – by providing innovative solutions, simplifying processes, expanding support and specialising in getting complex deals over the line
Read on
Tony Macrae
Bluestone Home Loans
Richard Chesworth
Bluestone Home Loans
Aaron Taylor
Bluestone Home Loans
Industry experts
AS COMPETITION intensifies in Australia’s non-bank lending sector, Bluestone Home Loans is carving out a distinct edge not by undercutting on price but by removing friction, expanding flexibility and supporting brokers at every step. Its elevation from product-focused lender to broker-first partner is underpinned by a strategic realignment of people, processes and priorities – and it keeps brokers coming back.
“Frankly, we were a little too complex to deal with,” explains chief commercial officer Tony MacRae. “So we started a journey a couple of years ago that was centred around relationship and service.”
Getting the right people and leadership in place so brokers can tap into support when and where they need it took care of the first objective, and stripping out unnecessary requirements, condensing turnaround time and providing quick answers addressed the second.
This operational reset led to a clear north star: bring a value proposition that’s rooted not just in products but in perspective. For MacRae, that approach simply makes good sense.
“Brokers are at the centre of everything we do; we originate only through brokers. So we built our business, our systems, our processes around them.”
The focus on human connection extends beyond initial contact to ongoing support throughout the lending process. “Richard and I, we talk a lot about working with brokers to find new ways to help their existing customer base and grow what they’re already doing and expand their businesses,” Taylor adds.
Knowing that transparency counts, Bluestone drills down on what’s most likely to build broker trust and earn repeat business. A firm grasp of a customer’s context requires more than a credit score, MacRae notes, adding, “It’s not just relying on the pure numbers, pristine balance sheets and profit and loss statements.”
If the customer has some credit issues, Bluestone wants to understand what caused them – and more importantly, what’s being put in place to avoid the same situation in the future. This no-stone-left-unturned understanding allows Bluestone to say yes where others see risk, delivering strong outcomes while remaining easy to work with.
“Helping brokers help customers when others thought it was just too hard,” MacRae sums up. “That’s really the secret sauce.”
Leading with education underpins Bluestone’s goal of equipping brokers to better support underserved customers – and grow their own businesses in the process. As a lender built around the broker channel, Bluestone has taken a multipronged approach to helping brokers become more confident, capable and competitive in complex scenarios such as self-managed super funds, alt doc and self-employed lending.
Taylor explains the unique nature of Bluestone’s customer base and how this shapes its educational approach. “Because of the type of business that we write, the non-standard, specialised products, this isn’t every single loan for a broker,” he says.
The key lies in helping brokers recognise opportunities they might otherwise miss. “Sometimes it’s really about being able to understand the story of that customer and looking through for ways that we can support them, rather than ways we can’t,” Taylor continues. “The brokers really connect with our assessors and our BDMs, being able to get on the phone and find ways that we can help customers that they might not have realised was possible before.”
Head of specialised distribution Richard Chesworth agrees with MacRae, pointing to Bluestone’s ease of use, consistency and depth of support as true differentiators. That human connection, bolstered by a robust roster of BDMs and BSMs, is elevated further by the roles held by Chesworth and Aaron Taylor, head of non-standard lending.
“As a predominantly non-standard and specialised lender, the key for us is working with the broker to understand the customer story,” Chesworth explains. “We get a really good picture of that and then provide a ‘how-to’ approach in delivering a solution through different avenues.”
Taylor emphasises the importance of this personal touch in maintaining broker loyalty. “Brokers come back to us time and time again because they like working with the people here, the BDMs able to support the brokers with different products and different ways of looking at the same customer across a range of products they might not have considered before – and we bring a full range of support,” he says.
From regular educational webinars – including a recent session with CoreLogic’s Tim Lawless – to in-person workshops and a national roadshow that gathered real-time broker feedback, Bluestone’s broker education strategy is designed to go far beyond product training. It’s about helping brokers spot overlooked opportunities, understanding where to play in the non-standard space, and getting deals done that others won’t touch.
Taylor draws on his experience as a former BDM to understand what resonates with brokers. “Brokers love to hear about new ways they can help customers and new things that they can do in their business to differentiate themselves in the market,” he explains. “There’s a whole lot of different products in the space, and you don’t know what you don’t know.”
Through extensive travel and face-to-face engagement, Taylor and Chesworth work directly with brokers to identify opportunities. “Richard and myself, we’ve spent a lot of time with brokers, working with them to identify opportunities within their business,” Taylor says. “Their referral partners that are existing, and potentially new ones that they haven’t thought about before, and trying to find different ways they can do things in their area.”
This is particularly relevant in specialised areas like SMSF lending. Chesworth says refinances are one of the most missed opportunities in this space – often passed over by accountants and advisers who may not be looking for them.
“Even if a broker doesn’t see an SMSF loan every month, there’s still opportunity in their client base, and we encourage them to leverage those conversations,” he says.
To unlock that value, Bluestone urges brokers to take a team-based approach by working closely with accountants, solicitors and financial planners. Doing so helps ensure the client receives consistent, well-rounded advice – and that the broker is seen as a key part of the advisory ecosystem.
“We always drive home the importance of keeping conversations focused on credit advice,” Chesworth adds. “That might not mean giving advice directly, but it does mean asking the right questions and pointing clients towards the appropriate professional guidance.”
The educational approach recognises that brokers are building relationships for the long term, Taylor explains. “Education is really the key, and making sure they understand what their role is and understand how they can support their customers, not just now but also into the future,” he says. “It’s really about the customer journey and helping them, not just now but also over the next 24 months and over the next 30 years of the mortgage.”
Taylor acknowledges that brokers may initially find complex deals intimidating. “The first time you see any complex deal can be pretty daunting,” he admits. “Some brokers will shy away from deals that they might not be too confident in doing, and the importance is being able to be confident in front of their customers.”
The solution lies in demystifying the complexity. “The key thing is, take the complexity out of it and make the complex seem easy,” Taylor explains. “That’s what our role is, to help support brokers recognise that these deals aren’t that complex, and it’s actually really easy to get them done.”
Bluestone also supports brokers through practical how-to guides, scenario workshopping and BDM engagement, ensuring that no matter how complex the deal, brokers aren’t working alone.
“With so much information out there, streamlining it is critical,” says Chesworth. “Our role is to remove complexity and give brokers the confidence to manage that journey with their clients.”
Bluestone has been enthusiastically making the changes necessary to level up its game over the last 18 months. Strengthening broker relationships through improved service and staffing and rolling out a simplified approach was phase one. Securing the right funding partnerships and refining credit policies, allowing Bluestone to expand lending capabilities and increase approval rates – while refreshing the brand to better reflect a 25-year legacy of serving clients overlooked by traditional banks – was phase two.
Now, it’s all hands on deck to execute the third and final phase. Bluestone is preparing to launch new products — including small-ticket commercial and alt-doc construction loans – aimed, as always, at deepening broker partnerships and expanding reach in non-standard lending. The team hopes to see these solutions in the marketplace next quarter.
But for all the innovation in product and process, it’s Bluestone’s human-first approach that closes the loyalty loop by redefining what brokers can expect from a non-bank partner. One message remains clear: broker success drives business success.
“We have an overarching strategy of being the preferred partner for brokers,” MacRae says of Bluestone’s transformation. “We continue to want to be that non-standard lender that says yes more often – and the best is still to come.”
Key milestones for Bluestone Home Loans
2000
Since 2000, Bluestone Home Loans has been helping Australians achieve homeownership no matter how complex their financial journey. We specialise in flexible lending solutions for those who don’t fit the traditional mould, from self-employed borrowers to those with imperfect credit or seeking niche options. By partnering with mortgage brokers, we open doors for borrowers who may otherwise be overlooked. We believe unique circumstances shouldn’t stand in the way of owning a home. Every borrower has a story, and we’re here to listen, adapt and provide lending solutions that help more Australians build their future with confidence.
Find out more
Tony MacRae stepped into the role of chief commercial officer at Bluestone in August 2023, bringing with him a wealth of experience in financial services. He spent a decade at Westpac Group, where he served as acting CEO of RAMS and led third party distribution at Westpac. Known throughout the industry for his ability to drive sales initiatives and strategic direction, MacRae excels at building partnerships and leading teams towards impressive business growth. At Bluestone, he is focused on empowering the company’s broker partners to better serve customers. In addition to his work at Bluestone, MacRae has dedicated the last 11 years to the Royal Flying Doctors Service South Eastern Section as a board member and treasurer. He holds a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University.
Bluestone Home Loans
Tony Macrae
Richard Chesworth, head of specialised distribution, is a market-leading commentator on SMSF-related lending solutions. He has played an active role in the development of the limited recourse borrowing sector since the introduction of the legislation in 2007 and has been responsible for the development and oversight of several leading bank and non-bank SMSF lending solutions, from 2008 through to Bluestone Home Loans’ entry to the market. Chesworth continues to work closely with key SMSF industry professionals in supporting the long-term growth of the segment by regularly sharing his first-hand SMSF leveraging experience with mortgage brokers, accountants and financial planners, as well as with some of Australia’s central policy agencies by contributing to past policy reviews and market guidance and application of the LRBA legislation.
Bluestone Home Loans
Richard Chesworth
Aaron Taylor is a lending specialist with experience in the financial services industry across Australia and New Zealand. As head of non-standard lending at Bluestone, he is dedicated to supporting BDMs and mortgage brokers in finding solutions for clients who fall outside traditional lending criteria. With a strong background in business development, broker support and specialist lending, Taylor brings deep industry knowledge and a practical approach to every conversation.
Bluestone Home Loans
Aaron Taylor
In Partnership with
Fighting for
the customer
The customer owned a bank saw a huge boost after the Hayne Royal Commission. One year on and their market share is growing as customer continue to see their value.
Read on
Stewart Saunders
Heritage Bank
Darren McLeod
Beyond Bank
Fernando Lemos
Bank Australia
Industry experts
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Bank Australia
Fernando Lemos
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Beyond Bank
Darren McLeod
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Velit egestas vel ornare pellentesque ridiculus. Mauris tempor augue quis mattis suspendisse feugiat commodo posuere. Faucibus massa adipiscing nullam elit, ac vel accumsan. Phasellus eget ac dignissim fermentum ac placerat elit, metus. Nulla porttitor ante egestas molestie quis quam. Pharetra magna sit mauris tellus gravida rutrum libero sit. Justo orci cras euismod proin massa lorem ut. In non tellus phasellus faucibus ullamcorper nullam odio dui et.
Heritage Bank
Stewart Saunders
In Partnership with
Fighting for
the customer
The customer owned a bank saw a huge boost after the Hayne Royal Commission. One year on and their market share is growing as customer continue to see their value.
Read on
Stewart Saunders
Heritage Bank
Darren McLeod
Beyond Bank
Fernando Lemos
Bank Australia
Industry experts
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Tellus in penatibus condimentum malesuada ante vulputate nisi, arcu leo. Amet urna sapien purus vestibulum fermentum a. Cursus metus massa donec sed varius. Nunc enim sit morbi lacus, molestie et nunc. Nullam sed facilisi id malesuada. Ante purus velit, quam scelerisque ultrices scelerisque donec.
Velit egestas vel ornare pellentesque ridiculus. Mauris tempor augue quis mattis suspendisse feugiat commodo posuere. Faucibus massa adipiscing nullam elit, ac vel accumsan. Phasellus eget ac dignissim fermentum ac placerat elit, metus. Nulla porttitor ante egestas molestie quis quam. Pharetra magna sit mauris tellus gravida rutrum libero sit. Justo orci cras euismod proin massa lorem ut. In non tellus phasellus faucibus ullamcorper nullam odio dui et.
Beyond Bank
Darren McLeod
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Tellus in penatibus condimentum malesuada ante vulputate nisi, arcu leo. Amet urna sapien purus vestibulum fermentum a. Cursus metus massa donec sed varius. Nunc enim sit morbi lacus, molestie et nunc. Nullam sed facilisi id malesuada. Ante purus velit, quam scelerisque ultrices scelerisque donec.
Velit egestas vel ornare pellentesque ridiculus. Mauris tempor augue quis mattis suspendisse feugiat commodo posuere. Faucibus massa adipiscing nullam elit, ac vel accumsan. Phasellus eget ac dignissim fermentum ac placerat elit, metus. Nulla porttitor ante egestas molestie quis quam. Pharetra magna sit mauris tellus gravida rutrum libero sit. Justo orci cras euismod proin massa lorem ut. In non tellus phasellus faucibus ullamcorper nullam odio dui et.
Heritage Bank
Stewart Saunders
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Velit egestas vel ornare pellentesque ridiculus. Mauris tempor augue quis mattis suspendisse feugiat commodo posuere. Faucibus massa adipiscing nullam elit, ac vel accumsan. Phasellus eget ac dignissim fermentum ac placerat elit, metus. Nulla porttitor ante egestas molestie quis quam. Pharetra magna sit mauris tellus gravida rutrum libero sit. Justo orci cras euismod proin massa lorem ut. In non tellus phasellus faucibus ullamcorper nullam odio dui et.
Bank Australia
Fernando Lemos
Getting the deal done when others won’t
Published 28 Jul 2025
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Copyright © 2025 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
Bluestone enters the market, introducing tailored solutions to customers with unique financial circumstances
2005
Expands range of home loan products to cater to wider audience, including the self-employed and those with unique financial situations
2021
Launches new loan products tailored to specific borrower needs, including loans for clients with non-standard income sources
2024
Reaches $1bn in lending. Ranked #1 Non-Bank in Mortgage Professional Australia broker survey, winning gold in numerous categories
Training brokers to win in non-standard lending
Bluestone Home Loans by the numbers
25 years
since company was founded
16,000+
accredited brokers
33%
increase in BDM team in 2024
48-hour
turnaround time for assessing most deals
‘An overarching strategy of being the preferred partner for brokers’
75+
broker NPS
Advertising
Authors
E-newsletter
Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Broker Talk
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Speciality
Best In Mortgage
News
News
Copyright © 2025 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Firms
Advertising
Authors
E-newsletter
Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Broker Talk
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Speciality
Best In Mortgage
News
News
Copyright © 2025 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Firms