FBAA president Peter White has weighed into the debate surrounding educational requirements for mortgage brokers, saying industry associations should not require higher educational standards than those dictated by ASIC.

White has criticised the MFAA's requirement that members obtain a Diploma by July 2012, as well as recent statements by President Joe Sirianni that a university degree could well be the future of the industry.

"I don't think anyone in the industry disagrees with furthering your education, but I'd take someone with 15 or 20 years experience over a university degree any day of the week. There's nothing that beats experience," White commented.

FBAA requirements currently mirror those of ASIC, which dictate that brokers must hold a Cert IV. White said there are no plans to increase these requirements.

"We at the FBAA have no intention in changing the benchmark from Cert IV. If ASIC moves the benchmark, then obviously we will have to follow suit," he said.

Following Sirianni's comments to Australian BrokerNews, White said the FBAA has received calls from brokers worried about possible changes to educational requirements.

"People have been ringing us asking what's going on. Everything's normal here. We're not changing the rules," he stated.

White commented that brokers are still struggling to come to terms with the NCCP compliance regime, and should be allowed to focus on this rather than new educational standards.

"We're all trying to get used to the changes of compliance, and it's hard enough without putting further impost on people while they're still trying to hold onto the beast with both hands," White said.

"Personally, I don't disagree with people getting their Diploma, but we're not going to force it on people. This isn't a revenue grab," he added.