Banks sued over home loans

AUSTRALIA'S banks could be facing a massive new class action over allegations that their mortgage lending practices have put thousands of families in severe financial stress or at risk of losing their homes. Read More...

Industry slams CHOICE conversion rates

CHOICE's One Big Switch campaign has managed to refinance just 4 per cent of its registered borrowers five months after the campaign was launched. Read More...

Aussie profits jump 40%

Self-made millionaire John Symond wants to boost broker numbers, pick up more assets and build a financial advice service at Aussie Group, the home loan group he flogged to Commonwealth Bank during the global financial crisis.

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Borrower fight back with legal action

The Supreme Court of South Australia held in Stone v Leonardis [2011] SASC 153 that a mortgagor may caveat to protect its interest as registered proprietor when a mortgagee wrongfully exercises its power of sale.
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Rouge Broker strikes again

In 2006 Mr Larkin and his former rich-lister father, Stephen Larkin, were banned for 10 and 20 years respectively from being finance brokers because loans they guaranteed did not materialise, nor were the advance fees refunded.
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Waynes world of woe

Wayne Ormond has always loved bashing the banks. Despite working with a range of lenders to secure loans for home buyers, the founder of mortgage broking business Refund Home Loans has never been shy of criticising the big four’s record profits and high fees. Read More...

Lenders seek to make the FBAA irrelevant

Third line forcing notifications involving the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia

As you may be aware, various finance businesses currently have third line forcing notifications in place with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) under which they propose to require brokers to be a member of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) as a condition of engagement.
 
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ASIC vows EDR review

ASIC has promised a review of the authority given to EDRs following widespread complaints from lenders.
The regulator said it would review the power granted to EDR schemes following a white paper submitted by Matthew Bransgrove, a lawyer specialising in the mortgage market. In his white paper, Bransgrove has argued that EDRs such as COSL and FOS are given too much power under the NCCP, and could cause lenders to exit the market.
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Cross-selling 'the holy grail' of 2012

Cross selling will become a necessity in the mortgage lending environment in 2012, it has been claimed. Read More...

Mandatory MFAA membership

The ACCC is seeking consultation on lender requirements that brokers be MFAA members.
In a letter obtained by Australian BrokerNews, the competition watchdog has said it will undertake a review of finance companies' requirements that brokers align themselves with the MFAA.
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