Westpac invests $25m more in Uno in mortgage broking play
Westpac Banking Corp has doubled down on the digital mortgage broker Uno Home Loans, investing another $25 million to ramp up the start-up’s brand marketing and sales teams in a deal that reflects a concerted drive into the broking industry by the nation’s second-largest lender. Westpac is keen to win some share of the $2 billion-plus in annual revenue which flows to mortgage brokers, who currently advise on nearly half of the $380 billion in mortgages written each year. Westpac now owns around 81 per cent of Uno, which wants to win a 10 per cent share of the highly fragmented broking market over the next 10 years. “The broking […]
Marketplace lender reveals big plans for broker channel
MoneyPlace CEO Stuart Stoyan is banking on Liberty’s broker relationships and funding capabilities to execute an ambitious strategy for the widespread distribution of personal loans through the third-party channel. Few marketplace lenders have been able to successfully crack into the Australian broker market. Yet peer-to-peer lenders, fintech players and alternative online funders offering personal or SME loans are now a well-established feature of the Australian lending landscape. According to KPMG, Australia has overtaken Japan as the second-largest alternative finance market in the Asia-Pacific region, growing by 53 per cent in one year to US$609 million ($774 million) in 2016. While home loans are the mainstay for mortgage brokers, Liberty CEO […]
Liberty buys MoneyPlace in personal loan push
Non-bank lender Liberty has purchased MoneyPlace, in a deal that will provide the marketplace lender with funding flexibility to target rivals SocietyOne and RateSetter along with the personal loan books of the big four banks. The acquisition suggests brokers, which currently facilitate half of all mortgages, will play a more influential role selling personal loans given Liberty’s deep broking relationships. It also suggests risk-based pricing of personal lending will become more common, given MoneyPlace and the other P2P lenders are willing to undercut bank interest rates for high quality borrowers. Liberty and MoneyPlace have not disclosed the price tag for the Melbourne-based platform, which has been operating for 18 months […]
New online platform allows you to ‘auction’ your loan to the lowest bidder
There can be little doubt that the world of finance and lending has become more competitive. Imagine, though, a bidding war where lenders fight between themselves to give you the best deal on your mortgage, car or personal loan. That’s actually a reality with a new online platform that allows you to “auction” the loan you want to the lowest bidder. Lodex began operating in Australia in November. Co-founder, Mic Phillipou, describes it as an auction-style marketplace where banks and brokers bid for your business. “I guess it’s a paradigm shift. As opposed to you having to go out and seek the best offer or rate from a bank or […]
Lendi taps investors in fresh capital raising call
Online mortgage broker Lendi, which is backed by investors including Macquarie Group, has completed its latest round of capital raising. Street Talk understands Lendi last month ruled off a $25 million capital raise which was oversubscribed and supported by some existing shareholders, sophisticated investors and a number of blue-chip Australian institutions. The company is seeking to take a bigger slice of the local mortgage market after accounting for about 1 per cent last year. Lendi is 40 per cent owned by founders and employees and its big name minority shareholders include Bailador, Macquarie Group and several sophisticated investors. Early investors included CrownBet boss Matthew Tripp. Although it is unclear if […]
Tic:Toc expands to Tasmania, as NSW investors rush to purchase in Hobart.
Australian fintech Tic:Toc, announced their world first instant home loan platform will be made available to customers purchasing or refinancing properties in Tasmania. The online home loan, which uses a digital decisioning system to assess and approve finance in as little as 22 minutes, launched in July 2017 and initially excluded Tasmanian and Northern Territory properties from being eligible for finance. The expansion coincides with the latest results from CoreLogic RP Data, which shows Hobart has had the largest increase in home value year on year at 11.49%, ahead of Melbourne (10.10%) and Canberra (5.84%)[1]. Mainlanders have accounted for 23% of sales in Tasmania to date (REIT), with gross value […]
Funding.com.au launches mortgage-backed peer-to-peer investor platform
Mortgage lender funding.com.au has just announced the release of its highly anticipated peer-to-peer investor platform – with an impressive advantage over its competitors. Unlike other prominent peer-to-peer lenders including SocietyOne and RateSetter, loans issued by funding.com.au are backed by mortgages over Australian real estate. It is the first startup of its kind in Australia to gain regulatory authorisation to allow both wholesale and retail investors access to residential and commercial mortgages. The platform gives investors direct access to the short to medium term mortgage market – a lucrative asset class that has traditionally been guarded by the banks and sophisticated investors. Individuals, private entities and self managed super funds (SMSF) […]
5 Aussie fintech firms that are shaking up the home loan business
by Richard Whitten, finder.com.au The home loan industry is about to change in many ways with these Aussie startups leading the way. The home loan market is a multi-billion dollar industry that hasn’t yet seen many of the same disruptions as other industries. But that’s about to change. Fintech companies boasting apps, algorithms, blockchains and automated platforms are all promising to make the process of buying a house easier and faster.Here are five Aussie fintech companies who are poised to shake up the home loan market. Tic:Toc Tic:Toc launched earlier this year with a headline grabbing promise: the 22-minute home loan (application that is, not your repayments). This startup’s promise […]
