A regional broker has created a new brand of brokerage to help support Australians in the fight against cancer.
Based on the NSW Central Coast, Fight Cancer Home Loans has been established by Fred and Robyn Roberts, the directors of Channel Direct Home Loans, who decided to do more and contribute to a worthy cause.
The firm has promised to donate 15% of all upfront and trail commissions on loans written to the Cancer Council for the life of the loan.
Although the Roberts have both regularly donated to the Cancer Council for the past two decades, the idea for the new brokerage was born after hearing Cancer Council Hunter Region manager Shayne Connell speaking at a recent function, Fred Roberts told
Australian Broker.
“They were talking about how they get their funding and how they would like to get into partnerships with businesses. I said to [our mortgage adviser] Anthony Ramsey that this is something we can get involved in.”
A contract has now been written up with the Cancer Council NSW, trademarks have been registered, and the brand is being rolled out to build consumer awareness, he said.
The structure of the contract means the money will go directly from the aggregator to the Cancer Council without passing through the brokerage. This means that no matter what happens with the business, donations from all loans written will remain as is, he added.
“The Cancer Council was very keen to become involved. They’ve done nothing like this before. It’s quite unique. They certainly have corporates and businesses making contributions but nothing in the format that we have where we’re sharing part of the upfront commission and the ongoing trail.”
It is this latter contribution that really appeals to the Cancer Council as it provides longevity and certainty through an entirely passive income, Roberts said.
Fight Cancer Home Loans will be kept separate from Channel Direct Home Loans although the two firms will be run from the same office in Swansea.
“We’ve got our existing clients who we will always service. If that’s how they want to stay, that’s fine. If we give them the opportunity or they would like to change, that’s not a problem either.”
Roberts said he had lost his mother to cancer years ago and had had many friends affected by the disease.
“When this opportunity came up, we said this is where we can do more. It’s a win-win for everybody. The Cancer Council wins. We win because we’re getting more income. And I’d rather pay commission to the Cancer Council than share commissions with real estate agents, financial planners, etc.”
If any brokers are interested in getting on board with the initiative, all they need to do is get in touch, Roberts said.
“We can go into discussions and work it out from there. I’ve got to be totally assured that what they’re doing is going to fit in with what the whole plan of this is.”
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