Randal Williams
La Trobe Financial’s Chief Wealth Management Officer Randal Williams, has announced that the Pooled Mortgages Option (“PMO”), an investment option in the La Trobe Australian Mortgage Fund, has again been recognised with a “Recommended” rating by Zenith Investment Partners.
In the report, Zenith Analyst, Dugald Higgins states that “La Trobe Financial has achieved an impressive track record in the mortgage sector driven by its deep lending experience spanning over 60 years as an organisation.”
The PMO was established in 2002 to provide investors with exposure to a diversified, Australia-wide pool of loans secured by first ranking mortgages. Higgins mentions in the report that “unlike some other funds in the sector, it has always been able to pay eligible redemptions and continues to hold its track record of not having ever returned a capital loss to investors, a feat which several prominent mortgage funds have been unable to replicate over the past three years”. Higgins further notes “that the PMO is most suited to those seeking capital stability and an income return which should solidly exceed the cash rate through investment cycles.”
The PMO’s manager, La Trobe Financial, was established in 1952 as a credit specialist. Randal Williams, Chief Wealth Management Officer at La Trobe Financial, stated that “the La Trobe Financial team was driven by the need for consistency and repeatability of performance. With equities markets experiencing such volatility, our investors are targeting capital stability and reliable income at a premium to cash. We have provided that since inception.” Williams further stated “Like any fund, the performance of the PMO is driven by the quality of its assets. We therefore welcome Zenith’s description of our credit assessment processes as `robust’ and `stringent’”.
Chris Andrews, Head of Funds Management at La Trobe Financial noted “that it was particularly pleasing that Zenith recognised the PMO as having … the highest level of diversification in the mortgage fund sector”.
Andrews added “La Trobe Financial’s unique co-investment model diversifies the funding sources for each individual loan, meaning that the PMO can massively increase its number of investments and decrease its average size of investment. This achieves enhanced diversification, which smoothes asset performance for investors and thereby contributes to an exceptionally stable absolute return profile”
