According to the latest Mortgage Solutions poll, this was followed by 22% who said they would focus on lead generation.
Approximately 17% said they would focus on recruitment, while the same proportion cited investment in customer retention as well as enhanced partnerships with lenders.
Nick Mendes, mortgage technical manager at John Charcol, said the results are “not hugely surprising, but the weighting towards investment in technology stands out”.
He continued: “That feels consistent with where many broker firms are heading. Tech is increasingly the enabler behind lead generation, retention, and adviser productivity, rather than a separate priority in its own right.
“Recruitment being lower is also understandable. Many businesses are still hiring, but the emphasis has shifted towards quality and fit rather than volume. The cost of getting it wrong is high, and the support needs across advisers vary widely.”
Mendes said that at John Charcol, recruitment “remains a priority in 2026”, but the “focus is firmly on the right fit for both the adviser and the business”.
“We have a strong proposition and a breadth of specialist capability, and we are seeing advisers place increasing value on structured support, whether that is deepening expertise in complex lending or building out areas like protection advice. In practice, that means being targeted and deliberate in how we grow.
“Lead generation is equally central for us this year. After a difficult 2025 for many in the market, the focus now is to hit the ground running and capitalise on what should be a more active purchase and remortgage environment in 2026. That is as much about lead quality and conversion as it is about volume.
“Customer retention is also high on the agenda. We are looking at a mix of automation and AI, alongside the basics that still work, to improve retention rates and reduce leakage across the remortgage cycle. Better data, better timing and better follow-up will matter,” he said.
Tech investment priority due to ‘AI phenomenon’
Richard Howes, managing director of Paradigm Mortgage Services, said he assumed that technology investment was top due to the “AI phenomenon”.
He explained: “We are seeing a rise in adviser or firm interest in AI to help with compliance in terms of file safety and ensuring all bases are covered prior to case submission, which is a good thing. This dovetails with tried-and-tested human interaction through regulatory guidelines and guard rails, which are generally delivered by compliance specialists.
“Late last year, we launched a specific AI readiness scorecard tool to help brokers identify gaps in their knowledge and understanding of AI, plus it delivered guidance on how to use it, so it makes sense that more and more firms are looking at how they can adapt their businesses to get the most out of this.”
Howes added that another area that should be a business priority – and will need further consideration by firms – is broker fee levels and whether those firms that don’t charge a fee need to look “far more deeply at this option”.
A Freedom of Information request by this publication to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that most brokers were not charging fees but that there had been a small rise in brokers charging ‘modest fees’.
He continued: “It’s interesting that technology comes out ahead of this; perhaps there’s an element of firm owners who think any increased business running costs can be covered by technology enhancements and improvements? It would be interesting to look at how an increase in product transfer (PT) business is impacting on income levels – did brokers write more business less year for less income, given that most PTs come with a lesser proc fee, and brokers are not charging a fee for that business?
“Firms might well want to review their fee structure with a distributor in order to ensure they are being fair to themselves as well as their clients when it comes to what they earn, and how they might be able to improve this in the years ahead.”
Recruitment should have ‘greater emphasis’
John Phillips, CEO of Just Mortgages and Spicerhaart, said it is great to see technology investment top the list of broker priorities, but he would like to “see greater emphasis on recruitment”.
He added: “We are all aware that the sector is losing numbers and instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul and relying on recruiting brokers from other firms, it would be great to see a more concerted effort from the industry to introduce new talent. “
Recent research by this publication showed that mortgage adviser numbers contracted by 11% in 2024 to 31,524, which was attributed to increasing regulatory pressure, a volatile economic environment, struggles with the recruitment and retention of new talent, and an ageing adviser population.
Phillips said Just Mortgages was prioritising recruitment, pointing to its academy cohorts and the “continued roll-out of our Just Learning initiative for those without CeMAP qualifications”.
“With continued pressures in the labour market and high unemployment, it’s a golden opportunity to attract talented people into a rewarding career in advice – all while ensuring that the majority of mortgages stay advised,” he said.
Phillips said customer retention was a “top priority, making sure we’re proactive rather than reactive”.
He explained: “We’ve done a lot of work through our client services division to help brokers better serve their back book, while also safeguarding relationships with our orphan client bank. This great work continues in 2026 as we continue to transform remortgage conversations into full financial reviews – offering more tailored advice to best support clients. Investment in lead generation is great and important, but we also need to make sure we are looking after the clients we have and we’re meeting their needs as they change.
“This year is already showing signs of being a positive one. To make sure that is a reality, we need to be prioritising partnerships with lenders as they continue to innovate and increase in competition.
“We must also remain proactive and visible, whether that’s our digital shop window or in our local community, demonstrating the value of advice and the many opportunities the market has to offer to make homeownership a reality. Just as important, though, we need to keep backfilling the adviser talent pool to ensure consumers seek advice when they look to buy, sell, remortgage or require more specialist financial advice.”
Nick Jones, mortgage sales and marketing director of Access FS, agreed that it was surprising that recruitment wasn’t a higher priority for brokers.
He continued: “‘Our employees are our greatest asset’ is such a well-known cliché in business because companies know great people can give them a competitive edge. We are certainly focusing on recruitment in 2026, although we might be looking at it from a slightly different angle than we were last year.
“In 2025, we put systems in place to bring on relatively green brokers and help them grow. By way of example, last August, we launched a mentoring programme for advisers with new qualifications but limited experience, following a successful six-month pilot [that] started in January. We had already introduced a broker academy to train advisers in-house to pass CeMAP.
“While these systems are already starting to deliver, in 2026, we expect to be changing tack a little. The big banks and building societies are letting people go and the average existing adviser [is] 53. We see these experienced advisers as a huge untapped resource and we want to start recruiting more of them. If you are an experienced broker and you want to keep succeeding in financial services, we’ve got a place for you.”
