Who is... RAMS

Not all financial institutions are banks – but that doesn’t mean you should overlook the non-bank lenders when researching your home loan. They may offer a better deal – or they may not. To help you make up your own mind about which institutions to approach when applying for a loan here’s some background about a well-known non-bank lender, RAMS.

RAMS was launched as a brand in 1995, and since then has gone on to become one of Australia's larger non-bank lenders of mortgages and loans. The Sydney-based company oversees a number of RAMS Home Loan Centres owned and operated by local franchisees. RAMS forecasts earnings before interest and tax of $82.5 million for 2007, and this has led to recent speculation about its future. At the time of writing, April 2007, there are a number of Australian and international companies rumoured to be interested in purchasing the successful mortgage lender and broker, including Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, Macquarie and General Electric, with speculation that offers could be in the vicinity of $1 billion.

In 2001 RAMS sold US$1.45 billion of bonds to fund new home loans, which was the largest ever mortgage-backed debt sale in Australia.

RAMS products and services

Specialising in loans, RAMS naturally offers the full spectrum of products. RAMS was one of the first to offer a transactional home loan, and now offers loans appealing to first-home buyers with names such as RAMS “Easy Start”, RAMS “Zero”, as well as RAMS “Fast Track” and RAMS “Investor”, plus a number of low-doc loans. Other standards such as “Honeymoon” or “No-Frills” loans are popular.

RAMS has had some success winning industry awards in recent years. These include the Australian Banking and Finance Magazine's “Best Non-Bank Financial Institution” in 2006, as well as the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia’s (MFAA) “Lender of the Year” in 2005, plus “Best New Office on the Block” 2006 for the RAMS Penrith office at the Australian Mortgage Awards. Its products have also been recognised with Your Mortgage Magazine awarding “Best New Product” 2006 to the RAMS “Fast Track” mortgage. Cannex also awarded RAMS “Line of Credit 2” five stars in 2006.

Contact RAMS

www.rams.com.au

RAMS Home Loans Pty Limited,
Ground Floor,
44 Bay Street,
Ultimo NSW 2007

Phone: (02) 8218 7000
Fax: (02) 8218 7070