Reported revenue from mortgage broking increased by 15.9% to £1.6bn during 2025 despite a decline in the number of mortgage adviser posts, according to the Financial Conduct Authority.
The regulator’s latest retail intermediary market analysis showed the number of mortgage adviser posts fell by 1,352 to 32,990, down from 34,342 in 2024.
This represented a year-on-year reduction of approximately 3.9%, contrasting with the double-digit increase in reported sector revenue.
Commission remained the main source of income for mortgage brokers, accounting for 77.5% of revenue – unchanged from the previous year.
RMA RETURN
The figures are based on information submitted by regulated firms through the Retail Mediation Activities Return for reporting periods ending during 2025.
Firms that advise on or arrange mortgages, insurance policies and retail investment products must submit details of their activities through the return, which the FCA uses for supervision and regulatory work.
Across the wider intermediary market, retail investment intermediation revenue increased by 13.9% to £6.5bn.
Revenue from non-investment insurance distribution rose by 6.4% to £27.7bn, with commission accounting for 83.1% of sector revenue.
The number of reported retail investment adviser posts declined marginally from 37,660 in 2024 to 37,517 last year.
Among firms providing retail investment advice, 88.1% offered exclusively independent advice and 10.6% provided exclusively restricted advice. A further 1.3% provided both.
