1. About This Credit Guide

This Credit Guide is provided to you by Ascentro Finance ("we", "us", "our") in accordance with the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth) ("the Act"). It contains important information to help you decide whether to use our credit assistance services, including details about who we are, the services we offer, how we are paid, and what to do if you have a complaint.

You should read this Credit Guide carefully before deciding whether to engage us to provide credit assistance.

2. Our Credit Licence Details

Australian Credit Licence holder / Credit representative status: [Insert whether Ascentro Finance holds its own Australian Credit Licence (ACL), including the ACL number, OR insert the name, ACL number, and contact details of the licensee under whom Ascentro Finance is an authorised credit representative]

Credit Representative Number (if applicable): [Insert credit representative number]

You can verify our credit licence or credit representative status on the ASIC Connect Professional Registers, available at asic.gov.au.

3. Our Contact Details

Ascentro Finance

Email: [email protected]

4. The Services We Provide

We provide credit assistance by helping you apply for residential home loans, refinancing, investment property loans, commercial finance, and related credit products. As part of this service, we may:

•        Discuss your financial situation, needs, and objectives with you

•        Assess your eligibility for various credit products

•        Recommend one or more credit products that may be suitable for your needs

•        Submit your application to a chosen lender on your behalf

•        Liaise with the lender throughout the application and settlement process

We are not a lender. We act as an intermediary between you and credit providers (lenders). We do not provide financial advice, taxation advice, or legal advice, and we recommend you seek independent advice on those matters where appropriate.

5. The Lenders We Can Access

[Insert details of your lender panel — e.g. the number of lenders you are accredited with, or a statement that you predominantly use a small number of lenders. If you operate under an aggregator, name the aggregator here]

We will inform you, before providing credit assistance, which lender(s) and product(s) we are recommending and why, and we will provide you with a preliminary credit assessment and our reasons for considering the recommended product to be suitable for your needs, in accordance with the responsible lending obligations under the Act.

6. How We Are Paid

We may receive payment for the credit assistance we provide to you in the following ways:

•        Commission from lenders: [Insert details — e.g. upfront commission and trail commission, including approximate percentage ranges, paid by the lender on the loan amount drawn down and outstanding balance]

•        Fees payable by you: [Insert details of any broker fees, application fees, or other charges payable directly by the client, or state that no client fees apply]

•        Other benefits: [Insert details of any other benefits received, e.g. from aggregators, referral partners, or volume-based incentives, or state none apply]

The exact amount of any commission or fee will depend on the lender and the loan product chosen, and will be confirmed to you in writing (including in your Quote or Credit Proposal Disclosure Document) before you proceed with an application.

7. Potential Conflicts of Interest

We aim to act in your best interests when providing credit assistance, as required by the Act. We will disclose to you any commissions, fees, or other benefits we receive in connection with your application, and any relationships with lenders, aggregators, or referral sources that could reasonably be seen to influence the advice or recommendations we provide.

[Insert any specific ownership, referral, or commercial relationships with lenders or related entities that clients should be aware of, or state that no such relationships exist]

8. Privacy

We collect, use, and disclose your personal and credit information in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which is available on request or via our website. This includes obtaining credit reports from credit reporting bodies to assess your creditworthiness.

9. If You Have a Complaint

If you have a complaint about our services or this Credit Guide, please contact us first using the details in Section 3, so we can attempt to resolve the issue directly. We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and aim to resolve it as quickly as possible, and in any event within the timeframes required by law.

If you are not satisfied with our response, or if we have not resolved your complaint within 30 days, you may refer your complaint free of charge to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), of which we are a member.

AFCA membership number: [Insert AFCA membership number]

•        Website: www.afca.org.au

•        Email: [email protected]

•        Phone: 1800 931 678

•        Mail: GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001

AFCA provides a free and independent dispute resolution service for consumers and small businesses who are unable to resolve a complaint directly with a financial firm.

10. Professional Indemnity Insurance

We hold professional indemnity insurance that covers the credit assistance activities we carry out, including for the conduct of our credit representatives and employees, as required under the Act.

11. Acknowledgement

By proceeding to engage our services, you acknowledge that you have received, read, and understood this Credit Guide.