Calibre sold for 2.5 times net assets
Firstfolio agreed to pay A$18.2 million for Calibre Financial Services - about $5 million more than previously reported. Firstfolio, a mortgage manager, acquired Calibre, a mortgage-funding platform with $350 million in home loans, at the end of November.Financial statements for Firstfolio for the December 2011 half-year show Calibre paid $15.9 million in cash to the vendor (with the business being owned mainly by management). A further payment of $2.3 million has still to be paid.Net assets acquired were $7.4 million, with goodwill of $10.8 million.Firstfolio said Calibre provided complementary funding, with warehouse funding for Calibre coming from Westpac. The bank lifted the limit on this facility to $400 million, from $300 million.Otherwise, Firstfolio sources funds from ING Bank, National Australia Bank and Bendigo & Adelaide Bank. Yesterday, Firstfolio reported a net profit of $393,000 for the six months to December - down from $2.7 million in the previous corresponding period.The company said the big reduction in earnings was due to a large depreciation charge and an increase in finance costs.