We recently concluded a busy calendar of seven Investor Meetings for 2023 with almost 1,000 people attending to hear first-hand from our Chair Michael Smith, Board representative Kylie Boyd, our CEO Paul Bendall and a range of special guest speakers.

For those who could not attend our Investor Meetings, below is a summary of the key points and information shared.

Summary of Key Points

• Our fund now exceeds $1.65 billion funds under management, having continued to grow by over $80m in the last year.
• We’ve added over 400 new investors from around the country, indicating strong confidence from new investors and current investors despite economic challenges and in a time when other companies have reduced headcount, we’ve grown our team.
• Our loan book has 650 loans secured by over 1,300 first mortgages and stands at $1.45 billion.

“We also reached a new milestone this year distributing over $100 million to investors.”

What about the specifics of our loan portfolio?

Our average loan-to-value ratio is below 47%, reflecting a conservative stance. Our loan portfolio is diverse, both in asset types and geographically, with over 96% of loans located in New Zealand’s five main centres. This diversification and conservative approach have been key to our performance.

The reason we focus almost entirely on those key markets is historically, they have performed well from a property value perspective, because they are regions that have growth, employment opportunities and strong GDP.

How does FMT differentiate itself in terms of lending?

We’re selective in who we lend to, in fact we only approve about 10% of all loan applications that come across our desk. When making decisions, the first question we always ask ourselves is -“Is this in the best interest of our investors?”

If the answer isn’t an emphatic yes, we move on. It has been this way since 1996 and it won’t be changing. Our lending approach balances optimising investor returns with managing risks.

The forecast for FMT returns rates

From an investor perspective, we anticipate that our quarterly return will maintain its consistent rate, provided there is no material change to our current position.

We’re focused on cyber security

We take data protection very seriously. We invest heavily into cyber security and our systems are monitored 24-7 by state of the art technology and a cyber security team.

Despite moving into technology we won’t be moving away from our personal approach.

Looking forward, what’s FMT’s future outlook?

We’re very optimistic, with a focus on capturing lending opportunities in a growing market. Our strategy includes launching a wholesale fund, which will allow us to access different lending marketing and potential enhance returns for all investors.

What’s the key message for investors?

With over 27 years of success and no capital losses for investors, FMT is underpinned by a skilled team and strong values.  We are well-positioned to navigate future challenges and opportunities, ensuring stable returns for our investors.

In summary, our commitment to you, our investors:

• To strive to provide the best customer service
• To always fully comply with all legislation
• To act in our investors’ best interests
• To adhere to a conservative operational policy
• To maintain our commitment to steady, careful and well managed growth.

To view the videos from the Tauranga Investor Meeting – click here.