St James Finance

What St James Finance does

St James Finance is an Australian mortgage brokerage operating as a trading brand under the Australian Finance Group (AFG) aggregator network, holding Australian Credit Licence 390610. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Fremantle, Western Australia, the firm provides residential home loan brokerage services covering home purchases, first home buying, off-the-plan purchases, new builds, refinancing, and property investment, alongside a suite of business finance products including asset and equipment finance, invoice finance, working capital finance, term loans, SMSF loans, and unsecured business loans.

The company operates on AFG's Smartonline platform, which provides the website infrastructure, aggregator licensing relationships, and access to a broad panel of Australian lenders. St James Finance supplements this with its own digital toolkit of 20+ financial calculators, free downloadable mortgage guides, an active blog, and a quarterly Haven Magazine, functioning primarily as a lead generation and customer education layer atop the AFG stack.

The firm earns revenue through upfront and trail commissions paid by lenders on successfully placed home loans and business finance products. It distributes via direct in-person sales (broker meeting clients at preferred locations including home, office, or café), phone and email outreach, website enquiry forms, and the AFG broker network. The customer base spans individual home buyers (primary) and small-to-medium business owners (secondary) across Australia, with a concentration of activity in Western Australia. The company is bound by Best Interest Duty and complies with the Privacy Act, Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, and Australian Consumer Law.

Name

St James Finance

Legal name

Australian Finance Group Ltd

Website

https://stjamesfinance.smartonline.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St James Finance is an Australian mortgage brokerage operating under the AFG aggregator network, providing home loan and business finance brokerage services to individual consumers and small-to-medium businesses primarily in Western Australia since 1982.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremantle

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Mortgage Broking Commission: St James Finance earns commission payments from lenders when a loan is successfully placed. As a mortgage broker, the company receives trail commissions and upfront commissions from lenders in the AFG network for arranging home loans and business finance products for clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St James Finance is a mortgage and business finance broker that arranges home loans and commercial finance products for clients by accessing a panel of lenders via the Australian Finance Group (AFG) aggregator network. The broker meets clients at their preferred location, assesses financial goals, searches the market for suitable loan products, handles all paperwork from application to settlement, and earns commissions from lenders for successful placements.

Product overview

St James Finance is a mortgage brokerage operating as part of Australian Finance Group (AFG), providing access to multiple lenders across Australia. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio centered on home loan brokerage, complemented by a full suite of business finance products including asset and equipment finance, invoice finance, working capital finance, term loans, SMSF loans, and unsecured business loans. A digital toolkit of 20+ financial calculators and free downloadable guides support the lending products, enabling customers to research and plan their financing needs independently.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home Loans Brokerage service arranging home loans through multiple lenders for individual consumers pursuing home purchases, first home buying, off-the-plan purchases, new home builds, refinancing of existing loans, and property investment.
• Asset & Equipment Finance Commercial brokerage arranging finance for businesses to acquire motor vehicles, commercial vehicles, plant and machinery, agricultural equipment, and other business assets while preserving working capital.
• Invoice Finance (Accounts Receivable) Cash advance financing based on invoiced sales, providing businesses with immediate access to cash tied up in unpaid invoices to improve working capital.
• Working Capital Finance Business loan covering immediate and day-to-day operational costs including supplier payments, wages, and inventory to support business growth and opportunities.
• Term Loans Commercial loans for purchasing commercial real estate, acquiring existing businesses or franchises, new business start-ups, or expanding existing businesses.
• Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) Loan Property investment financing using SMSF funds, allowing superannuation funds to purchase commercial property with flexible terms up to 30 years.
• Unsecured Business Loans Fast-access business financing from fintech lenders, typically ranging from $5,000 to $250,000 with simplified application process and quick turnaround times.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Australian Finance Group Ltd (AFG)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSt James Finance operates as a mortgage broker under Australian Finance Group Ltd's aggregator network. AFG is described as the company's 'aggregator' and holds Australian Credit Licence 389087. AFG provides the platform, lender relationships, and licensing infrastructure through which St James Finance distributes home loan and business finance products. The company website is hosted on AFG's Smartonline platform (stjamesfinance.smartonline.com.au). The relationship is that St James Finance distributes AFG-connected lender products to end customers.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lendi: Digital-first mortgage broker and lender (parent of Aussie Home Loans) offering direct-to-consumer home loan comparison and origination. Represents a broader, more capitalised incumbent competing for the same Australian home-loan borrowers St James Finance serves, with a national marketing footprint.

Emerging players

• Tic:Toc: Australian fintech lender and online home loan origination platform. Disintermediates brokers like St James Finance for standard, low-complexity mortgages by offering instant online approval, and represents the structural threat broker business models must defend against.
• Uno Home Loans: Online mortgage broker offering streamlined digital home loan comparison and lender matching. Competes with St James Finance for the same first home buyer and refinance segments, particularly digitally-engaged customers who may bypass traditional in-person brokers.

Direct peers

• Connective Home Loans: Aggregator of mortgage brokers offering lender panel access, compliance support, and broker technology — a direct functional analog to AFG's role in St James Finance's operations. Competes for broker franchises on aggregator services, commission share, and platform quality.
• Mortgage Choice: Australian mortgage broker network, now part of REA Group, operating an aggregator-plus-franchise model similar to St James Finance's AFG-based distribution. Comparable in offering residential and investment home loans plus business finance, with similar commission-based revenue and Best Interest Duty obligations.
• Aussie Home Loans: One of Australia's largest retail mortgage broker franchises (owned by Lendi Group). Competes head-to-head with St James Finance on home loan brokerage, lender panel access, and in-person client meetings, and offers a comparable suite of calculators, guides, and SMSF/asset finance options.
• PLAN Australia: Australian mortgage broker aggregator whose franchise brokers deliver home loans and business finance through a shared lender panel, technology stack, and compliance framework. Operates as a direct competitor to AFG for the broker franchise St James Finance belongs to.
• Smartline Personal Mortgage Advisors: NAB-aligned mortgage broker franchise network arranging home loans and business finance through a multi-lender panel. Closely comparable to St James Finance in customer segment (first home buyers, upgraders, investors), commission revenue model, and advisor-led service offering.
• Loan Market Group: Large Australian mortgage broker aggregator with a franchise model similar to AFG's distribution of St James Finance. Brokers arrange residential, investment, and business finance through a multi-lender panel with commission economics closely aligned to St James Finance's revenue model.
• Choice Aggregation Services: Mortgage broker aggregator supporting franchise brokers with panel access, technology, and compliance — a parallel distributor to AFG. St James Finance's product mix and customer segments overlap directly with brokers operating under Choice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stjamesfinance
• Facebookfacebook.com/stjamesfinance

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St James Finance