A boost for business lending
Small business lending is set for a shake-up that will make terms fairer for the little guys if recommendations by the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) are introduced. The Carnell Report, released in February following an inquiry into bank lending for small-to-medium enterprises, has made 15 recommendations designed to address regulatory gaps […]
AFG asks ACCC to keep an eye on banks
AFG has today asked the regulator to keep a watchful eye on the big banks to ensure they do not use the Government’s recently announced major bank levy and their own Australian Bankers’ Association (ABA) Retail Banking Remuneration Review as a justification to implement changes designed to reduce the financial viability of providing broking services […]
SEM – the basics of what you need to know
Search Engine Marketing, or SEM, is paying to ensure that the people who are using keywords to find products and services online, can easily find your business. It’s like buying advertising space in a newspaper, but the newspaper is filterable by keywords. The first step to starting your business on a SEM journey is to […]
AFG Mortgage Index – March Quarter 2017
First home buyers step up AFG (ASX: AFG) has today reported promising signs in the first home buyer (FHB) market as the 17 year old scheme, introduced to offset the effect of the GST on home ownership, receives a shake up. The national First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) scheme funded by the states and territories […]
Meet our South Australian team
The world of finance may have traditionally been thought of as a male-dominated industry, but that has clearly been changing in the past few years. A clear example of this is our South Australian team; a small team of three, and an all-female team. An all-female team not by design, but a team that has […]
How to ensure your social media is top notch
It’s not a fad, and it’s not a trend. It’s here to stay, and social media is part of our lives, whether we like it or not. Social media for your business can be as complex as you choose to make it. You could pay thousands of dollars to engage another company to do it […]
How to grow your business via word of mouth – getting your clients working for you
One great free way to extend the reach of your business is via word of mouth. But how does a business go about encouraging their current customers to share their experience and make a recommendation to a friend or colleague? And why is it so important? It’s a well-quoted statistic, most recently from Neilsen that […]
AFG Competition Index – March 2017
Major lenders slide Australia’s major lenders have again taken a hit as the non-majors continue to appeal to those seeking to finance a home. The latest AFG (ASX:AFG) Competition Index shows the majors’ share of the market dropped again to 65.25% to continue the trend of the last six months. The recent political spotlight on […]
Chief Executive Officer Transition
Australian Finance Group (ASX: AFG) today announced that after more than 23 years with AFG, CEO and Managing Director Brett McKeon will step back from his full-time executive role. Mr McKeon will remain on the AFG board as an executive director with a focus on advocacy and support of AFG’s broker network and their customers […]
Small businesses making a big difference
Times may be tough, but Australia’s small businesses are giving back more than ever to support charitable causes. When Brisbane business owner Michelle Cassimatis took time out of the pre-Christmas rush to volunteer at a homeless shelter a few years ago it had an unexpected impact. Despite being confronted by the desperate circumstances of others […]
