Five Stars for Macquarie Margin Lending

02 November 2004

CANNEX, one of Australia’s leading independent ratings agencies for financial products has awarded the Macquarie Margin Loan its maximum five star rating.

During the past four years, margin lending investor numbers have nearly doubled to more than 140,000 and according to the RBA, the margin lending industry grew by 23% to $13.7 billion during the past year alone.

The CANNEX margin lending star ratings provide this growing number of consumers with a benchmark when comparing margin lenders and their products.

The Head of Macquarie Margin Lending, Mickey Perret said that, “Macquarie’s margin lending business has grown at more than double industry rates during the past year, and the Cannex five star rating confirms Macquarie’s dedication to product innovation and service delivery to our customers”.

CANNEX analyses margin loan products provided by 13 financial institutions in Australia and takes into consideration historical and current interest rates, product features, lending ratios and fees. Products must be highly competitive in all aspects of the star ratings process in order to attain a five star rating.

“Macquarie’s margin loan product has been expanded to include a wide range of features to meet the needs of its customers,” Mr Perret said.

“With the Macquarie Margin Loan, consumers have the choice of investing in over 2,400 domestic and international securities, accessing instalment gearing or “Quick Start” instalment gearing (regular investment and gearing plan with no initial capital required) or implementing sophisticated trading and risk management strategies using “Trading Power” derivatives features.”

“We considered the feedback from our customers and discovered they were becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding margin lending products to complement individual investment strategies.

“We believe we have the most comprehensive product offering in the market and are committed to continued product development that supports the investment objectives of our clients and referrers”, Mr Perret said.

Macquarie Margin Lending is a leading provider of protected lending and margin lending products in Australia. Macquarie has a national team of specialists in distribution, products, marketing, and client services dedicated to providing premium products and services to advisers, distributors, and customers.

For further information, please contact:

Irene O'Brien
Head of PR & Communication
Macquarie Financial Services Group
Macquarie Funds Management Group
Tel: (612) 8232 3241
Mobile: (61) 417 260 309

Mickey Perrett
Division Director
Macquarie Margin Lending
Tel: (612) 8232 6965