LA TROBE FINANCIAL
Although it is majority owned by the $900 billion Blackstone global investment group, La Trobe Financial’s own strength allows it to operate fully independently. It has $12 billion in assets through 55,000 local customers.
La Trobe is one of Australia’s biggest non-bank lenders with 400 staff and a wide range of products servicing all parts of the market. It operates in four countries, including China. Its funds management DNA gives it a culture of openness born from years of scrutiny by outside investors. It has five-star credentials in capital raising, business strength, innovation, transparency and loan quality.
“Our unmatched broad product range, flexible, customised assessment methodology and incredibly deep experience in dealing with credit events such as Covid-19 means we have become more important for borrowers than ever before,” says Cory Bannister, La Trobe’s chief lending officer.
“We do a lot of intensive listening to our customers regarding what products, features and services they find attractive, as well as taking a thematic approach to product innovation, watching trends play out both domestically and globally, and then setting about fulfilling those gaps by developing new product initiatives or policy tweaks. This approach ensures we continue to lead the market with innovative lending solutions when, or often before, consumers need them the most.
“Our friendly and flexible loan products are highly valued, we provide a superior service and offer the broadest product suite.”
La Trobe is also recognised for its high-touch personalised service, which is located in Australia.
“At our core, we are recognised for how easy it is to deal with us, our extensive experience and our willingness to listen to borrowers, taking the time to understand their requirements and objectives, and demonstrating flexibility in our assessment to ensure a bespoke and appropriate financial solution can be prescribed,” says La Trobe CEO Greg O’Neill.
“We also have the broadest product suite in the non-bank market, which gives greater choice to borrowers, offering lending solutions to suit their needs at every life stage, from buying their first home through to building their business, building their dream home, and even building their retirement income by using a self-managed superannuation fund to purchase property.”
The runner-up in this category, Resimac, is an ASX-listed company established in 1985. It has $15 million in assets and employs 250 staff with 12,000 broker partners. It wholly owns homeloans.com.au. As a listed entity, Resimac is highly transparent with an ambitious digital growth strategy. It has five-star capital raising ability and was Australia’s first residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS) issuer.
Firstmac ranked third. Established in 1980, it is privately owned with $13 billion in assets. It also has an extensive product range.