Acquisitions working for Firstfolio
Mortgage manager and aggregator Firstfolio maintained its aggressive acquisition program during the December 2010 half, notching up another two takeovers, worth A$24 million.Firstfolio paid A$19.5 million in October for finance broker Club Financial Services, which had a A$2.8 billion loan book and was writing A$70 million of new finance commitments each month.In July, Firstfolio paid $4.5 million for the Tasmanian mortgage broker Apple Loans.These acquisitions have taken the company's loan portfolio to more than A$20 billion. The loan book has grown from A$12 billion since 2008.Yesterday, Firstfolio reported a net profit of A$2.7 million for the six months to December. The result was 24.6 per cent higher than the previous corresponding period.The acquisitions have been earnings-accretive, with earnings per share increasing from 32 to 37 cents a share.Firstfolio has a long-term funding facility with Welas Pty Ltd, a company associated with Firstfolio director Anthony Wales. This facility received an A$20 million top-up during the half.The company also has a five-year facility with NAB subsidiary Advantedge Financial Services.