ASIC says it has permanently banned a former mortgage broker, from the credit and financial services industries.
The bans follow an ASIC investigation which led to the former mortgage broker with AHL Investments Pty Ltd (trading as Aussie), being convicted in Downing Centre Local Court on eighteen charges relating to home loan fraud. On each of the eighteen charges, he was convicted and released upon entering in to a recognizance of $1,000 with the condition that he be of good behaviour for three years (refer: 16-293MR).
ASIC’s investigation found that he provided documents in support of eighteen loan applications knowing that they contained false or misleading information.
The applications contained letters which purported to be from the applicant’s employer. These documents were false and in most instances, the loan applicant had never worked for the particular employer.
He has the right to appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for a review of ASIC’s decision.
Background
On 5 July 2016, through his solicitor, he pleaded guilty to seventeen charges under section 160D of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (the Credit Act) and one charge under the former Section 33(2) of the Credit Act while he was engaging in credit activity on behalf of Aussie. Section 160D (and the former Section 33(2)) makes it an offence for a person engaging in credit activities to give false or misleading information or documents to another person.
He provided false employment documents to secure approvals for home loans, submitted to Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) and National Australia Bank (NAB) (refer:16-219MR).
On each of the eighteen charges, He was convicted and released upon entering into a recognizance of $1,000 on the condition that he be of good behaviour for three years (refer:16-293MR).
Since becoming the national regulator of consumer credit on 1 July 2010, ASIC has investigated in excess of 100 matters relating to loan fraud and has achieved many enforcement outcomes against the offenders. The outcomes range from undertakings by persons to voluntarily leave the industry, to bans and prosecutions.
To date, ASIC has banned, suspended or placed conditions of the licence of 80 individuals or companies from providing credit services (including 35 permanent bans). Through the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, ASIC has brought criminal prosecutions against 14 credit service providers; with 12 having been convicted of fraud or dishonesty offences relating to the provision of false and misleading information or documents to lenders in client loan applications.
