Michael Maiolo Named a Top 10 Specialist Lending Broker for 2026
Updated: 9 hours ago
Our Senior Lending Strategist, Michael Maiolo, has been named an Excellence Awardee (Top 10) for Pepper Money Broker of the Year (Specialist Lending) at the 2026 Australian Mortgage Awards.
It's the third year in a row Michael has been recognised in this category, and it comes only months after he won Innovator of the Year (Investor Lending Specialist) at the 2026 Broker Innovation Awards.
The category winner this year was Mark Davis of The Australian Lending & Investment Centre, and we congratulate him and every broker on the list. You can see the full results on the Australian Mortgage Awards 2026 Winners & Excellence Awardees page.
What is the Pepper Money Broker of the Year (Specialist Lending) award?
The Pepper Money Broker of the Year (Specialist Lending) award recognises Australian mortgage brokers who excel at placing clients who fall outside standard bank lending policy. Presented at the Australian Mortgage Awards, the category names one winner and a group of Excellence Awardees, who together form the Top 10 brokers in specialist lending nationally.
The Australian Mortgage Awards are run by Mortgage Professional Australia (MPA), part of KM Business Information, and are among the most closely watched awards in the Australian broking industry. Entrants are assessed by an independent judging panel, and the specialist lending category is sponsored by Pepper Money, one of Australia's best-known non-bank lenders.
Three years of recognition in specialist lending
One award can be a good year. Three consecutive years in the same category says something about how the work is done.
Year | Awards program | Category | Result |
2026 | Australian Mortgage Awards | Pepper Money Broker of the Year (Specialist Lending) | Excellence Awardee (Top 10) |
2026 | Broker Innovation Awards | Innovator of the Year (Investor Lending Specialist) | Winner |
2026 | Broker Innovation Awards | Commercial Finance Broker; Specialist Lending Broker | Finalist (both) |
2025 | Australian Mortgage Awards | Pepper Money Broker of the Year (Specialist Lending) | Excellence Awardee (Top 10) |
2025 | Broker Innovation Awards | Investor Lending Specialist; Commercial Finance Broker | Finalist (both) |
2024 | Australian Mortgage Awards | Pepper Money Broker of the Year (Specialist Lending) | Winner |
Specialist lending is judged on outcomes for borrowers that most brokers would turn away. Staying in the top group for three years means the deals keep getting done, year after year, through rate changes and shifting lender appetite.
What does a specialist lending broker do?
A specialist lending broker arranges finance for borrowers whose circumstances fall outside mainstream bank policy, such as self-employed people with irregular income, borrowers with past credit issues, SMSF trustees and commercial property buyers. Specialist brokers know which non-bank and second-tier lenders will assess these scenarios, and how to structure an application so it gets approved.
Mainstream banks run on credit scoring and standard documents: two years of tax returns, payslips, a clean credit file. Plenty of good borrowers don't fit that template. A business owner who reinvests heavily may show low taxable income. A trustee buying property inside super needs a lender that offers SMSF loans at all.
That's where specialist lending sits, and it's most of what we do:
SMSF loans: Residential and commercial property purchases inside a self-managed super fund through a Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement (LRBA).
Low doc loans: For self-employed borrowers who can verify income with BAS statements, accountant declarations or bank statements instead of full tax returns.
Bad credit and credit-impaired loans: For borrowers with defaults, late payments or past financial hardship.
Commercial and business premises finance: Including buying your own business premises through your SMSF.
Why use a specialist broker for an SMSF loan?
A specialist broker matters for an SMSF loan because SMSF lending combines strict super law, a narrow pool of willing lenders and a structure that must be correct before settlement. Errors in the LRBA, bare trust or trustee setup can delay approval or create compliance problems with the ATO, so experience with these deals directly protects the fund.
SMSF borrowing has moving parts a standard home loan doesn't: a corporate or individual trustee, a separate bare trust holding the property, a limited recourse loan, and rules about what the property can and can't be used for. The lender, the accountant, the solicitor and the trustee all need to be working off the same structure.
Here's how the approach differs in practice:
What the deal needs | A generalist approach | A specialist lending approach |
Lender choice | Major banks first, many of which no longer offer SMSF loans | Matches the deal to non-bank and specialist SMSF lenders from the start |
Self-employed income | Full tax returns or decline | Low doc and alternative income verification where suitable |
SMSF structure | Leaves trustee and bare trust setup to others | Coordinates trustee, bare trust and loan with your accountant and solicitor |
Commercial property | Pushed through residential policy | Assessed under commercial and business real property policy |
The practical result is fewer surprises late in the process, which is where most SMSF deals fall over.
Ready to talk about your SMSF or specialist loan?
If your super could be working harder, or the bank has already said no, book an initial strategy session with Michael and the SMSF Loan Experts team. We'll tell you plainly what's possible and which lenders will look at your scenario.
Enquire now or call 1300 781 680.
