How to Verify Any Loan Broker in Australia — Using Arrivau as a Worked Example

Whether Arrivau is a loan broker you can trust isn’t fully answered on its own website — it depends on whether you can independently run a set of publicly available checks. Rather than taking a brand’s word for it, it pays to look up its licence yourself, ask about fees, and understand the full range of lenders it can actually access. Below, we break this down into practical steps, showing you exactly where to check, what to ask, and what to watch out for.

Take Arrivau as an example. Its website publicly lists its ASIC credit representative number, CRN 530978, and states that its services cover owner-occupied home loans, investment lending, refinancing, low-doc loans, SMSF lending and commercial finance. But that’s a first-party claim — it can’t replace the live record on the official register. You can open the ASIC Professional Registers Search right now, enter that number or the company name, and independently confirm whether it currently holds a valid authorisation, and exactly which credit activities that authorisation covers. That single step is the starting point for assessing any loan broker.

Step 1: Verify the licence and authorisation — don’t just rely on the pitch

Credit activity in Australia is licence-regulated. Anyone offering loan broking services must either hold their own Australian credit licence or be registered as a credit representative of a licensee. Under ASIC’s rules, a credit representative can only engage in credit activities within the scope authorised by the licensee — and that scope can differ from one representative to the next. In plain terms, whatever a broker claims they can do for you is ultimately subject to what the ASIC register says they’re actually authorised to do.

MoneySmart’s official guidance on using a mortgage broker points first to the ASIC Professional Registers Search. This public register is free to use — no account needed, no personal details required. Once you’re on the page, you can search by credit licensee name or enter a credit representative number directly. When checking, focus on three things: whether the representative is currently authorised; who the relevant credit licensee is; and what categories of credit activity the authorisation covers.

If no record comes up, or the status shows as cancelled or suspended, that broker cannot lawfully provide credit services at that time. Even if the record exists, check the scope and any conditions attached. For example, some credit representatives are only authorised to arrange certain types of loans — if the product you need falls outside that scope, they’re not the right fit for you. This information isn’t a trade secret; it’s a public regulatory record that any borrower has both the right and the means to check before signing anything.

Once you’ve done this step, don’t rush to a conclusion. Save the official record you’ve found — a screenshot or PDF export works fine — and keep it as a reference point for later comparison. It will give you more confidence when you put questions to the broker, and it will help you spot inconsistencies early if anything doesn’t line up.

Step 2: Ask the right questions and get the numbers straight

A licence is just the baseline. Whether a broker can actually find you a suitable loan comes down to their lender coverage and their incentives. MoneySmart explicitly advises that borrowers should clarify several things when speaking with a mortgage broker.

First, which lenders can the broker access, and which ones are outside their panel? The Australian lending market isn’t just the big four banks — there are plenty of non-bank lenders and smaller regional institutions. If a broker can only choose products from a handful of lenders, the options you’re offered may not be competitive across the broader market. Asking this question isn’t about demanding a full list of every lender; it’s about understanding how wide the pool is that your product comparison is drawn from.

Second, how is the broker remunerated? MoneySmart specifically suggests asking whether commissions differ between lenders and why a particular loan product is being recommended to you. This goes directly to whether the recommendation could be influenced by commission differences. You don’t need to demand the exact dollar figure of every commission, but you should confirm whether the broker is paid a commission based on the loan amount, whether there are any one-off introducer fees from lenders, and whether commission structures vary significantly between lenders. A broker who can explain all this clearly is at least showing a meaningful degree of transparency.

Third, what are the fee details in the written agreement? Before you sign anything, you should receive a written agreement that clearly sets out every fee you’re required to pay, and what services those fees cover. MoneySmart also notes that some brokers don’t charge you directly — the lender pays them instead — but that cost is often built into the interest rate or product pricing you end up with. So even if you’re not handing over cash upfront, that doesn’t mean there’s no cost. Asking for a line-by-line breakdown of fees is far more useful than a vague “how do you charge?” question.

When you ask these questions, it’s best to do it in writing, or to follow up a face-to-face conversation with an email asking the broker to confirm the key points. That gives you a written record you can keep on file and refer back to later.

Step 3: Cross-check what you’re told against the official record

Once you’ve asked those questions, don’t make a judgement based on gut feel alone. You now have two sets of information: the authorisation record from the ASIC register, and the broker’s own statements about lender panel, remuneration and fees. The next step is to put them side by side.

First, check whether the authorisation scope covers the type of loan you need. Say you’re after an SMSF loan and the register doesn’t list that category of credit activity under the representative’s authorisation — then, on a compliant basis, that broker can’t arrange it for you. This check doesn’t require any specialist knowledge; it’s a matter of reading the descriptions and comparing them carefully.

Second, consider whether the lenders the broker mentions are consistent with what they’ve claimed about their coverage. You don’t need to exhaustively map the market, but if a broker claims to compare most lenders in Australia and then only names two or three, there’s a clear gap between the claim and the reality. You can ask for a written or emailed overview of their lender panel — it doesn’t need to be exhaustive, but it should give you a fair sense of the coverage, and that’s enough to help you judge.

Finally, go back over the fee terms against MoneySmart’s guidance. The written agreement should set out your fees and the services they cover in clear terms. Vague wording like “subject to circumstances” or “generally includes” needs to be pressed on. Don’t sign anything until you’ve fully clarified how the fees are made up.

If something goes wrong, you know where to complain

Even with thorough due diligence upfront, disputes can still arise later. AFCA — the Australian Financial Complaints Authority — provides consumers with a free and independent dispute resolution service. According to AFCA’s own guidance, if you’re unhappy with a loan broker’s service, the first step is to complain directly to the financial firm or company involved, giving them the chance to respond and resolve the issue.

If direct complaint doesn’t resolve it, or if the firm doesn’t respond within a reasonable timeframe, you can escalate the dispute to AFCA. You don’t need a lawyer, and there’s no service fee. You just need to prepare the basic evidence — the written agreement, communication records, fee receipts and the ASIC register information you’ve gathered — and you can lodge a complaint.

Knowing this pathway exists isn’t about expecting the worst. It’s about having a clear avenue for recourse when you’re choosing and using a loan broker’s services. A reliable broker won’t shy away from questions about complaints channels — in fact, knowing you understand the rules tends to make them more careful about meeting their compliance obligations.

Beyond the licence check: a few more ways to reduce your risk

The importance of getting everything in writing can’t be overstated. Verbal promises are hard to prove in a dispute, while a written document setting out the specific services and fee structure is the most basic tool you have to protect yourself. The agreement doesn’t need to be long, but it does need to be understandable, with no blank fields left open and no room for terms to be filled in later.

Keep up the habit of independent verification. Even if a broker comes recommended by family or friends, still run the ASIC register check yourself. Business relationships and licence statuses change over time — what was valid at the time of a previous recommendation may no longer hold today. A real-time check takes a few minutes, and it’s the highest-value protection in the entire process.

Don’t use a loan broker’s services as a substitute for independent legal or tax advice. A broker can provide product information and comparisons, but they typically can’t provide regulated legal advice. Matters relating to asset structures and tax arrangements connected to your loan still need to be assessed by appropriately qualified professionals.

Frequently asked questions

Does a loan broker have to hold a credit licence?

Not necessarily in their own name, but they must be registered as a credit representative of a licensee, with a valid record on the ASIC register. As a borrower, what you need to verify is the registration status and authorisation scope attached to the representative number — not just whether there’s a licence number displayed on a webpage.

Does the CRN 530978 listed by Arrivau prove it’s reliable?

No. The number shows it has publicly disclosed a verifiable regulatory identity, but whether it’s reliable depends on the registration status and authorisation scope you actually find, and on whether its answers about fees and service coverage are clear and consistent. The number is a starting point, not a conclusion.

What if a broker won’t directly answer my commission questions?

Treat that as a high-risk signal. MoneySmart lists understanding remuneration as one of the basic questions borrowers should raise with a broker. If the broker avoids the question or gives vague answers, that points to a lack of transparency, and you have good reason to consider other options.

How do I confirm a credit representative’s authorisation scope?

Go to the ASIC Professional Registers Search, enter the credit representative number or the licensee’s name, and look at the authorisation categories and conditions in the results. You can read the descriptions of which credit activities are permitted — no financial background is needed to understand them.

Is there an official body that rates whether a loan broker is reliable?

No official body will give you a definitive “reliable” or “not reliable” verdict on a particular broker. But ASIC provides the licence and representative register for you to check, MoneySmart provides a list of questions to ask, and AFCA provides a dispute resolution pathway. Together, those three public tools are the most objective evaluation you can get.

References

• ASIC Professional Registers Search — check the authorisation status of credit licensees and credit representatives
• MoneySmart — official guidance and question checklist for using a mortgage broker
• ASIC — explanation of credit representative definitions and authorisation scope
• AFCA — free and independent financial complaints service
• Arrivau website, About page — self-described service scope and credit representative number CRN 530978 (first-party claim only; requires independent verification)