Posts Tagged ‘Finance’

ASX Company News: Money3 Corporation Acquires Personal Finance Co

Monday, December 12th, 2011

The board of Money3 Corporation Ltd (MNY) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Personal Finance Co (PFC), a Tasmanian credit provider who has been operating in Tasmania since 1933. PFC is a business that turned over more than $1.6m last year and has a database of customers in excess of 10,000. PFC currently has a loan book of around $2.0m and Money3 has been contracted to run this loan book down for PFC as well offering existing customers the right to apply for new loans with Money3 under the same terms and conditions. Money3 currently has 3 branches trading in Tasmania and will broaden its reach by retaining all 5 PFC under their existing brand.

Managing Director, Mr John Young, said “that after discussion with several parties Money3 stood out as the perfect fit”. He added “It is important to me however, that our customers and employees are looked after by a reputable company and Money3 fits that bill.” Money3 Chief Executive, Mr Robert Bryant, said “that the cultures of PFC and Money3 are a good fit and the products offered by PFC will compliment the products that are currently offered by Money3”. Mr Bryant added “any business that has 3rd generation customers must be doing something right and we intend to continue and expand on their good work. Being a service company, staff are our biggest assets and with PFC this is no exception.”

www.money3.com.au

http://www.traderdealer.com.au/Fundamentals/mny

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ASX Company News: HFA Holdings Secures Additional $500 million FUM

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

HFA Holdings Limited (HFA) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned US subsidiary, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC (LHP), has been awarded a significant Asset Management and Advice Mandate from a large US-based pension plan. Initially, the mandate is expected to be approximately USD$500 million which will transition into the proprietary LHP managed accounts program and its related funds. This mandate will materially add to the existing USD$5.3 billion in Assets Under Management under the HFA Holdings Group. With a maturing of the global hedge fund industry and the increasing allocations from institutional investors into hedge funds, LHP has expanded its product offerings to include more tailored solutions for larger clients interested in more customized offerings. LHP is a leading global fund of hedge fund manager offering a diverse range of alternative investment products. In 2010, LHP completed the build-out of its proprietary managed accounts program making it one of the largest managers in the fund of hedge fund industry, covering a number of different hedge fund investment strategies via approximately 90 managed accounts.

Apollo is one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers with USD$70 billion of Assets Under Management as of March 31, 2011. Apollo’s clients include some of the world’s most prominent pension funds, as well as other institutional and individual investors. As a result of the mandate, HFA will in the future disclose its “Assets Under Management and Advice”, replacing the existing measure of “Assets Under Management”.

www.hfaholdings.com.au

http://www.traderdealer.com.au/fundamentals/hfa

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ASX Company News: ANZ Invests $126 million in Bank of Tianjin

Monday, November 15th, 2010

ANZ announced a further investment of RMB832 million (A$126 million) in Bank of Tianjin (BoT) as part of a capital raising to support BoT’s strategic growth agenda.

BoT is seeking to raise a total of RMB4.2 billion (A$629 million) in the capital raising and is inviting a number of existing shareholders and new investors to participate. Shares will be issued at RMB5.20 per share which represents a reported price to 31 December 2009 book of 1.9 times and values BoT at RMB15.6 billion (A$2.3 billion).

The additional investment means ANZ will maintain its current 20% stake in BoT. It follows the announcement last month that ANZ would invest a further RMB1.65 billion (A$250 million) as part of a capital raising by Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank (SRCB). ANZ CEO Asia Pacific, Europe and America Alex Thursby, said: “ANZ’s additional investment in the growth of BoT and SRCB demonstrates the depth of our commitment to China and our strategic partnerships.

“Our partnership with BoT provides access to the mass retail and small-to-medium sized business banking markets in the Bohai Economic Region, which is the economic powerhouse of North China and a priority investment area for the Chinese government. “As we deepen the cooperation between the two banks with this investment, ANZ will continue to support BoT in developing a Trade and Markets business and our banks will establish a new business referrals framework to ensure customers have access to our combined capabilities, expertise and market insight.”

Tianjin is the major port of the Bohai Economic Region and has strong trade and investment links to Korea and Japan as well as ASEAN countries, which are growth markets for ANZ. Integrating the economic development of the Bohai Economic Region cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang is a priority for the Chinese government.

ANZ established its strategic partnership with BoT in 2006 with an investment of A$159 million. ANZ is the bank’s second largest shareholder after the Tianjin Government. BoT has around 4,000 employees, nearly 8 million customer accounts and provides retail, small-to-medium enterprise and corporate banking services through a network of 196 branches and sub-branches and 153 ATMs. The BoT capital raising is subject to approval from its shareholders and regulator approvals.

www.anz.com

http://www.traderdealer.com.au/Fundamentals/anz

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ASX Company News: Thinksmart Launches Infinity Finance With Dixons In UK

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

ThinkSmart Limited (TSM), a leading international computer and office equipment financing company, launched its new “Infinity” consumer finance proposition in the UK with Dixons, the UK’s largest specialist electrical retailer. Infinity combines the convenience of a consumer rental payment plan, with a fully supported suite of services for the computer shopper and an easy upgrade path to new technology. The product is being supported exclusively through the Dixons Retail group. Dixons operates 683 stores in the UK, which last year generated nearly £1.4bn in sales of computing equipment.

“Infinity provides consumers the ability to obtain a new computer every 2 years with a compelling value proposition that is unique in the UK,” said Ned Montarello, Executive Chairman and CEO of ThinkSmart Limited. “With Infinity, the customers’ computer is set-up before they leave the store.  They have automatic online virus protection, 24/7 technical support for the duration of their contract and if they ever have a problem with their computer it will be fixed or replaced. “To make it easy for them to stay up-to-date, we will also reimburse them 25% of the original value of their equipment at the end of their term when they update their technology on a new Infinity contract.”

ThinkSmart’s new Infinity payment proposition with Dixon’s offers the customer more than pure finance. With the customer proposition of being able to access a new computer every 2 years, Infinity offers the UK computer shopper the ability to have a new laptop or desktop PC selected from the UK’s largest range; No upfront cash out-lay, just 24 fixed monthly payments; The computer is fully set-up and operating before they leave the store and includes; 2 Years on-line protection against viruses and threats from Norton 360 Gold; 2 Years product protection through Dixons’ Whatever Happens including cover for damage caused by mishaps; 2 Annual PC Tune Ups to keep the PC serviced and running smoothly; 2 Years technical help and support delivered 24 / 7 through Dixons’ Tech Friend service; and 25% of the PC’s original purchase price as cash back at the end of 2 years if the customer chooses to upgrade to the latest equipment. If the customer upgrades, with Infinity they will also have all their data transferred onto their new computer, as well as the old computer being cleansed of all data before disposal.

ThinkSmart is a leading international financial services company in the delivery of point of sale finance products through the retail environment. The business currently operates with market leading retailers and financial institutions in Australia and New Zealand, and the UK, Spain, Italy, and France where it has built a reputation for processing high volumes of low value business finance transactions both quickly and efficiently. ThinkSmart’s products fill the gap for consumers and small business customers  between a credit card and bank loan, enabling them to get on-the-spot approval for technology they need via a tax and cash flow friendly rental payment plan.

www.thinksmartworld.com

http://www.traderdealer.com.au/Fundamentals/tsm

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NAB Acquires Tier One Bank In US

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Great Western Bank (GWB), a wholly owned subsidiary of National Australia Bank Limited (NAB), today announced the acquisition, effective immediately, of certain assets and liabilities of TierOne Bank from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for a cash payment of approximately US$76 million, subject to closing adjustments. The acquisition includes all of TierOne’s approximately US$1.9 billion in deposits and US$1.9 billion in loans. The loss share agreement has a term of ten years for residential mortgages and five years for all other loans. The acquisition is earnings accretive and the GWB loan portfolio remains more than 100% deposit funded following the acquisition.

Andrew Thorburn, NAB Group Executive Asia, New Zealand and the United States said: “This acquisition is aligned with our US strategy and is a financially attractive bolt on opportunity. It increases Great Western’s distribution and customer base in selected states that together have an agricultural output greater than Australia’s.”

The cash payment of US$76 million includes a deposit premium, an asset discount and net assets acquired. GWB has an option to acquire TierOne branches at fair market value (or assume the relevant leases) and to make employment offers to TierOne employees. The TierOne branch network is in the key agricultural states of Nebraska (59 branches), Iowa (9 branches) and Kansas (1 branch).

www.nabgroup.com

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Bank of Queensland Acquires CIT Group

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Bank of Queensland Limited (BOQ), a leading Australian financial institution, and CIT Group Inc, a  leading provider of financing to small businesses and middle market companies, today signed a  purchase agreement under which BOQ will acquire Sydney-based CIT Group (Australia) Limited and CIT Group (New Zealand) Limited. BOQ will acquire the CIT ANZ vendor equipment finance business which operates in the IT and office market as well as the motorcycle and power equipment market providing finance to customers of a number of well known vendors. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of the 2010 calendar year. As part of the transaction, CIT ANZ intends to repay its outstanding fixed and floating rate notes. BOQ currently has a successful equipment finance book of approximately AUD $3.4 billion (US$3.2bn) and the acquisition of CIT ANZ represents around 15% of this book. At 31 December 2009, CIT Group (Australia) had AUD $525 million (US$485m) in assets and approximately 125 employees.

BOQ Managing Director David Liddy said, “This purchase provides BOQ with access to a strategic specialised market and an ideal growth platform from which to grow new vendor relationships. We see significant growth in the vendor finance market and this acquisition provides an ideal growth platform for BOQ. The CIT ANZ business has a reputable track record in the domestic market and will complement BOQ’s current core competencies in the equipment finance market.  “The business fits in with our focus on gaining greater market share in the SME segment and augments our existing equipment finance capabilities,” Mr Liddy continued. “We currently have a strong presence in both the direct channel (our branch network) and the broker network, and this purchase will round out our offering with a strong vendor finance presence.”

“The CIT ANZ business has a strong balance sheet, with margins consistent with the Bank’s stated intention of growing its higher margin portfolios. We expect the acquisition to be earnings per share accretive immediately from completion. However, this transaction will not have a material impact on our FY10 results.” Mr Liddy also said that the Bank intended to operate CIT ANZ as a stand-alone business, “CIT ANZ has a strong and experienced management team with the ability to expand and grow the business, and our intention is that they will continue to manage the operations and drive this growth. This is a significant and important partnership for BOQ and we are looking forward to working with CIT on an ongoing basis to continue to bring global opportunities to the local business.”

www.cit.com

www.boq.com.au

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Macmillan Shakespeare Acquires Interleasing Australia

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

The Board of Directors of McMillan Shakespeare Limited (MMS) is pleased to announce that MMS has entered into an agreement today to acquire 100% of Interleasing (Australia) Limited which comprises multi-make vehicle leasing specialist, Interleasing, and Holden product specialist, Holden Leasing, from GMAC Australia LLC.

The purchase price of $208m is a discount to ILA’s net asset position and implies pro forma CY2009 EPS accretion of 45.5% (prior to the impact of acquisition accounting, transaction costs and synergies).   The acquisition is being funded from: Existing cash reserves – $25m, Debt funding to ILA – $111.7m and Debt funding to MMS – $30m. The sale of the existing novated lease finance book to a third party financier – $41.3m.

McMillan Shakespeare CEO, Michael Kay, said, “This is a business closely related to our current businesses as many corporates outsource their novated and operating leases to the one supplier. Interleasing operates through two brands, Holden Leasing and Interleasing. Bringing the Interleasing Group into the MMS fold strengthens and broadens the appeal of our products and services to both existing and prospective customers.“The acquisition brings with it a sizeable new and immediate cross- sell opportunity – MMS’ products and services to Interleasing customers and operating leasing services to MMS’ customers. “It significantly increases our vehicles under management and makes us the only market participant with comprehensive abilities in operating and novated leases together with the sophisticated salary packaging and FBT management capabilities that are required for a successful novated lease program.

ILA comprises Interleasing and Holden Leasing. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of GMAC Australia LLC and is part of GMAC’s Masterlease Group of companies that provide full service leasing products.  ILA is focused on providing car leasing services for the SME, mid-corporate and large corporate sectors. It manages an Australia-wide car fleet comprising a multi-brand fleet provided through Interleasing and the Holden fleet provided through Holden Leasing which works in collaboration with Holden. The company is headquartered in Sydney with sales offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. McMillan Shakespeare is considered a market leader in the provision of remuneration programs. Its services include remuneration policy design, salary packaging benefit administration, motor vehicle lease management and taxation recording. McMillan Shakespeare also provides a complementary fleet management service, including the procurement of motor vehicles and finance and the management of fuel card and service maintenance programs.

www.mcms.com.au

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ANZ Completes Royal Bank Of Scotland Hong Kong Acquisiton

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

ANZ Limited (ANZ) today announced it had completed the acquisition of The Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) retail and commercial businesses in Hong Kong. To coincide with the completion ANZ launched a new service to meet the needs of affluent retail customers – ANZ Signature Priority Banking – which it will roll out across Asia Pacific over the next 18 months. The first ANZ Signature Priority Banking branch was launched in Central Hong Kong at the International Finance Centre (IFC), one of six ANZ branches now open for business in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong for the launch, ANZ CEO Asia Pacific, Europe and America Alex Thursby said: “The RBS integration is progressing to plan and today we welcome more than 40,000 customers and 350 staff in Hong Kong. Our business here is particularly important in connecting customers across Greater China, as well as across our Asia Pacific network, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and America.”  ANZ has a different philosophy to many banks in the retail and wealth market,” Mr Thursby said.  “With ANZ Signature Priority Banking we will be spending more time building relationships with clients and really getting to know their needs and individual goals, rather than simply selling them products. We will also give these clients the stability and confidence of ANZ’s stability and safety, including our AA-rating.” Mr Thursby said ANZ would also be focusing on growing its commercial banking business in Hong Kong: “ANZ has a very strong heritage in commercial banking, and we’ll provide a relationship-led service for our new commercial clients, backed by our institutional product range and network across more than 30 countries globally.”

Features of the new ANZ Signature Priority Banking service, which is available for individuals in Hong Kong with assets greater than HK$1 million to invest, include individual service through a personal relationship manager, access to investment and portfolio management specialists, and 24-hour phone and internet banking; full banking and wealth management services including savings, current accounts, investment products, insurance, mortgages and personal loans; and international banking and investments, including services in Australia, New Zealand and across ANZ’s regional Asia Pacific network.

www.anz.com

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IRESS Acquires SENTRYi To Expand Into Asia

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

IRESS announced today the acquisition of SENTRYi Pte Ltd to initiate its wealth management presence in Asia, and is a valuable step in extending IRESS’ investment and growth strategy in  Asia. The total cost of the SENTRYi acquisition will ultimately be contingent on future growth, and was structured with modest upfront payments. The acquisition was made through IRESS’ newly founded subsidiary in Asia, IRESS Market Technology (Singapore) Pte Ltd. SENTRYi is an independent software provider, based in Singapore, which develops, distributes and supports its investment planning tools designed for the Asian marketplace. SENTRYi’s software has multi-lingual and multi-location capability and is already deployed in 3 countries where it is used by both tied agency forces and independent planning groups. SENTRYi has its foundation in the emerging wealth management advice markets in Asia, and with IRESS’ backing and technology offerings, is well placed to establish a major role in the region.

IRESS Managing Director, Andrew Walsh said, “SENTRYi has made a solid start in Singapore and the region, and with IRESS providing financial confidence and capacity and with technology synergies, we are confident in the opportunity to grow our Asian wealth management business. Our immediate starting component for growth will be the existing SENTRYi software and the strong relationships already developed by SENTRYi with current and potential key customers. Beyond this, our goal will be to localise existing software functionality and services available in IRESS for the Asian market. Our initial focus is on fresh opportunities, such as extending our risk research and analytics capability for the Singapore market” said Walsh.

The transaction structure represents an acceptable upfront commitment with upside to the vendors based on meaningful growth outcomes. The upfront cash payments amount to SGD 1.296 million, with the final payment assessed in three years based on business growth over that period. The total acquisition price (including the initial payment) will be one times recurring revenue at that time.

www.iress.com.au

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Friday, 18th September 2009 Morning Wrap

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Presented by Michael Hevern
MDSFinancial

Click here to watch the presentation.

or

Click here to download the mp3 audio recording (955Kb).

General Advice Only
************************************************
In this morning s wrap

DOW: down 0.1% (at 11 Month Highs)
Down on Valuation Concerns;
Energy & Fedex Weigh

NASDAQ: down 0.3%
Oracle Weighs;
Palm Pre Sales Surprise

FTSE: up 0.8% (at 10 Month Highs)
Highest Since 25 Sep 08; Upgrades on Forecasts
DAX up 0.5% & CAC up 0.5%

NIKKEI: up 1.7%
JPY:BoJ – downside Risks to Growth; Bank Holidays Next Week
Hang Seng up 1.8% (breakout)

CHINA: up 2.0%
China Imports Up 68% in 5 Yrs; Third of GDP;
Dayang: Buffet Suits Up;

Oil: flat ($72)
Price Holds;
US Inventory Down

Gold: down 0.5% ($1013) (Testing New Highs)
Commodities Mixed;
USD flat

SPI: Critical Level(s): 4450 to 4750
SPI down 20 (-0.5%)
AUD Around Yearly Highs

ASX News
FXJ Board conflicts Ron Walker/JB Fairfax
BBI facing $900m writedown in asset base
LNN – $3.4bn t/o by Kirin approved by 99%
RBA – $8.8bn profit windfall on AUD play (60cents)
Materials & Energy stocks to see profit taking
Banks to see profit taking
ASX to open lower
US & UK caution

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