Count adds mortgage referrals business
Marianne Perkovic
Count has introduced a mortgage referrals business to support its planners and accountants, buying the services of a team of five disaffected Lawfund employees to do so.
The new team will primarily be used to enhance the Profit Plus business, which is Count’s lending and leasing business, but also support the accounting and financial planning businesses to be acquired by Countplus, its new acquisition business.
The service will initially only be offered in NSW and Victoria, with three of the former Lawfund employees being based in Sydney and two in Melbourne.
Chief executive Marianne Perkovic said Count had initially tried to acquire part of the Lawfund business through an investment opportunity that arose as a result of a retiring partner.
“Unfortunately, the Lawfund directors chose another investor over Count, a decision with which our new team members were unhappy with. At the end of the day, the team decided they wanted to be part of Count, parting company with Lawfund on Friday, last week.”
Perkovic said Count would continue to “look for business in the mortgage broking space, or for teams of people if suitable business could not be acquired on satisfactory terms”.
Recommended for you
ASIC has released the results of its first adviser exam to be held in 2025, with 241 candidates attempting the test.
Quarterly Wealth Data analysis has uncovered positive improvements in financial adviser numbers compared with losses in the prior corresponding period.
Holding portfolios that are too complex or personalised can be a detractor for acquirers of financial advice firms as they require too much effort to maintain post-acquisition.
As the financial advice profession continues to wait on further DBFO legislation, industry commentators have encouraged advisers to act now in driving practice efficiency.
