Pepper Money is celebrating after being crowned Non-Bank of the Year at the 2021 Australian Mortgage Awards, as well as winning the Best Industry Marketing Campaign award. It’s the culmination of an incredibly busy and fruitful period for the non-bank lender as more and more brokers turn to Pepper Money for its flexible loan solutions to help their clients.
Winning the AMA Non-Bank of the Year and Best Industry Marketing Campaign awards tops off what has been a triumphant 12 months for Pepper Money.
The leading alternative lender turned 21, launched on the ASX, raised billions of dollars through well-backed securitisations, and enjoyed a 41% rise in net profit after tax on the back of a home loan boom.
Pepper Money also appointed Barry Saoud as general manager mortgages and commercial lending and inked a deal giving Aussie Home Loans brokers access to Pepper Money commercial loan products.
“We are delighted to be recognised again as Australia’s best non-bank lender by the Australian Mortgage Awards,” says Pepper Money CEO Mario Rehayem (pictured).
“This year the non-bank sector has been ultra-competitive, which makes these awards extra special to everyone at Pepper.
“We’ve got a lot to celebrate this year, along with these two big wins – including our 21st birthday, our return to the ASX in May 2021, and our Philippine office (PSO Manila) joining the Circle of Excellence at the prestigious Asia CEO Awards 2021. It’s all so we can offer an award-winning non-bank option to help dreams become real life.”
Rehayem says the AMA wins mean so much to Pepper Money.
“The team are humbled and overwhelmed with excitement. Our team has a huge sense of pride; we believe in our people, brand and our mission to help people succeed.
“Importantly, these awards have given the entire Pepper Money team the recognition they deserve and are a huge validation that we are progressing in the right direction.”
Rehayem says the awards would not have been possible without the continued support of brokers and introducer partners.
“I want to congratulate and thank everyone, including our team, our valued partners, brokers and shareholders for playing a part to help us achieve this outstanding result.”
Trust is a crucial factor driving the success of Pepper Money, Rehayem says.
“Brokers trust Pepper Money to get the deal done. They trust us to deliver consistent market-leading turnaround times; they trust us to deliver consistent credit decisioning; and they trust us to look after their customers post settlement.
“When brokers build trust in a lender, they form a level of confidence in the people, product and processes behind the brand. Trust isn’t built overnight, and it cannot be replicated.
“What sets us apart in the market is trust, transparency, speed to yes, consistency, diversification of products, and our people. These are the ingredients to our success and why we’ve been recognised as the leading non-bank in the market.”
Rehayem says Pepper Money has built a reputation of trust among brokers, aggregators and white label partners.
“The huge emphasis we have placed on broker education has forged a strong relationship with our broker network.
“Brokers have been advocates of our Pepper Product Selector and Pepper Resolve; they have told us that the speed and accuracy of the decision via PPS and Resolve is unrivalled in the industry.
“The unique price guarantee removes any surprises and difficult conversations with their customers post indicative approval, which positions Pepper Money at the forefront of the market delivering this unrivalled transparency.”
Pepper Money’s Credit Cascading Model, which is attached to a diverse range of credit policies and products, increases the probability of conversion for the customer.
“Ultimately, our consistency in credit decisioning and time to yes has been a huge drawcard.
We have held our infamous 24-hour turnaround times for the past four years, which instils confidence with the broker network when recommending Pepper Money,” Rehayem says.
Pepper Money is also ahead of the pack when it comes to marketing – winning Best Industry Marketing Campaign for its ‘Real Life’ loan options campaign.
“Our Real Life campaign was recognised as Best Industry Marketing Campaign 2021 for being highly successful in achieving brand awareness, reach and lead targets,” says Pepper Money head of marketing Sarah Pikardt.
“Inspired by customer insights into how real-life events impact Australians and their ability to get finance, our multichannel integrated campaign normalises the idea of non-conforming lending.
“After pivoting creative and channels to the new reality of 2020–21, it achieved outstanding results, including 40% growth in brand awareness, 2.37 million completed video views, and signifi cant home loan and personal loan enquiry growth.”
Pikardt says the campaign was created to show Australians they have options, and they don’t need to give up on their dreams.
“The challenges Australians face are just a moment in time and don’t defi ne who they are as people. Because at Pepper Money we see people for who they are, not for what their situation is. The Real Life campaign has helped brokers have positive conversations with more clients – and positioned Pepper Money as the home of loan options.
“We’re thrilled to be recognised in this highly competitive category. To be up against major competitors like the traditional banks with big budgets and win is a true reflection of our team’s creativity and passion for the Pepper Money brand.”
