ACS marches on with Navigator deal

Australian Clearing Services (ACS) has formed another alliance with a financial services provider — Norwich Union’s Navigator.

The new share trading service is to be branded Navigator Share Service with ACS providing the back-office. This will allow investors and planners to actively trade shares through a centralised administration system.

Australian Clearing Services (ACS) has formed another alliance with a financial services provider — Norwich Union’s Navigator.

The new share trading service is to be branded Navigator Share Service with ACS providing the back-office. This will allow investors and planners to actively trade shares through a centralised administration system.

In recent months ACS has signed up similar back-office alliances with Colonial Stockbroking, National Australia Bank for margin lending and broker Lodge and Partners.

ACS managing director Alasdair Thomson says there is a growing trend for alliances between big, well-established financial services groups and small, innovative firms offering specialist services. The growing ownership of shares by Australians is also putting pressure on financial service providers.

“The new breed of shareholder wants smooth transactions, speedy reporting and much more extensive documentation than in the past,” he says.

“They want to know their portfolio value, income levels, transaction history and capital gains tax positions at any time.”

Brokers in the National Australia Bank alliance have online access to a client’s margin lending account at the bank and can check the loan electronically, rather than phoning each time.

The new Navigator service will be available to all 1200 advisers using the wrap service.

Navigator managing director Matt Walker says advisers can monitor clients’ portfolio values and give them a report at the year-end explaining income and tax positions.

“While Navigator is the administrator, the process is still controlled by the client’s financial adviser,” he says. “Our service simply provides advisers with leading-edge investment administration and a reporting facility.”

A client’s existing share portfolio can be transferred into the new service without realising capital gains and losses, Walker says.

Any discount cards and loyalty schemes being offered by an equity will be transferred to the client.

Navigator has more than $4.8 billion of investor funds under administration and attracted $1.6 billion in the last year.