William Farrington

London

Financial Journalist at Proactive Investors

Follow me on Mastodon Social for crypto journalism and other ramblings: https://t.co/tUjjwhaTm7

Articles

Are Sucasa's low-rate home loans too good to be true?

1 week ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Brokers will make or break upstart's success By 18 Apr 2025 Has there been an erosion of fairness in the Australian property market? It is hardly a hot take to say absolutely, unequivocally, yes. Take any graph of average income levels, stack it up against house prices, and you’ll see why so many younger Australians are finding it nearly impossible to get so much as a toenail on the property ladder.
Bank Australia and Qudos Bank members pave way for July merger

1 week ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Combined assets under management will total $17.5bn By 17 Apr 2025 The members of customer-owned banks Bank Australia and Qudos Bank have overwhelmingly voted in favour of merging the two businesses. A special general meeting of Bank Australia members held on Wednesday garnered a 91% vote in favour of the merger. Qudos Bank members had previously voted 78% in favour, therefore exceeding the 75% threshold.
AMP AUM hit by ‘significant volatility’ in investment markets

1 week ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Bank not letting market instability distract from goals By 17 Apr 2025 AMP Bank reported a loan book of $23.3bn for the first quarter of 2025, down from $23.5bn in the first quarter of 2024 but steady on a sequential basis. Total deposits also saw a marginal year-on-year drop to $20.7bn, although this represented a decent sequential improvement of $200m.
From transactional to trust adviser: A broker's view of a changing industry

1 week ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

'Our value proposition to the client has absolutely evolved' By 17 Apr 2025 Phil Rogers’ 15 years as Loan Market Edge broker received all the vindication it deserved when he was recently welcomed into the Bankwest Hall of Fame. Growing from a one-man band to a crew of 17 (“from broker to brokerage”, as Gold Coast-based Rogers put it), he described the induction as a mark of recognition, not just for him, but for his entire team.
Mortgage lodgement volumes rising - as are turnaround times

1 week ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Days from submission to approval creeping higher By 16 Apr 2025 Australian Finance Group (AFG) has announced the highest third-quarter lodgement volumes on record, a feat which the leading aggregator attributed to “the growing preference among Australians for mortgage brokers”.
ING means business, but it needs broker support

1 week ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Bank looks to expand business-lending offering By 15 Apr 2025 Hein Wedgam (pictured) is a relatively fresh face at ING Australia. He joined as head of business banking in July 2024, having made the move from ING’s spiritual Dutch homeland, where he was last seen acting as regional director business banking, all the while heading up ING Netherlands’ real estate finance department.
BDM in the Spotlight: Umit Kose, outsource Financial

1 week ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

'I love the relationships I've built in this industry' By 12 Apr 2025 In this regular series, MPA gets to know more about Australia’s leading business development and relationship managers. This time around, Umit Kose, relationship manager for New South Wales and South Australia at outsource Financial, discusses her love of building strong relationships in the broking industry.
Milestones achieved as brokers welcomed into Bankwest Hall of Fame

2 weeks ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Customer dedication name of the game for state winners By 11 Apr 2025 Bankwest concluded its 2025 Broker of the Year Awards to a packed-out Sydney crowd at The Calyx, Royal Botanic Gardens, on Thursday. The Lending Association swept up at the event, with Harry Tsouskas winning New South Wales Broker of the Year, while senior lending advisor Dean Papas was welcomed into the Bankwest Hall of Fame.
Greens should 'stick to their knitting' on negative gearing, brokers say

2 weeks ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Bandt accused of lacking proper understanding of housing market By 10 Apr 2025 Negative gearing returned to the political discourse this week when Greens leader Adam Bandt stuck his head above the parapet and called for major reforms. Negative gearing refers to a tax strategy where net losses on an investment property (i.e. interest and maintenance cost exceed rental income) can be deducted from an investor’s other income sources.
Albanese lashes out at Greens leader’s negative gearing call

2 weeks ago | mpamag.com | William Farrington

Bandt accused of 'trying to make himself relevant' By 09 Apr 2025 Labor leader Anthony Albanese (pictured) has accused Greens leader Adam Bandt of “trying to make himself relevant” amid calls to scrap negative gearing. Speaking at a press conference at Paddy’s market in Sydney, Albanese – who is heading to the polls against LNP opposition Peter Dutton in a few weeks – said: “Adam Bandt is trying to make himself relevant, I don’t blame him for that. That’s up to him.