New campaign to generate ‘awareness and leads’ for brokers

Mario Rehayem, Pepper’s director of sales and distribution, said the campaign represents the evolution of the lender’s home loan business and is the most substantial investment for the brand to date.

“We are delighted to be able to bring our products and solutions, unique service standard, resources and help for specialist customers that will ultimately serve to drive increased awareness and leads for brokers,” he said.

The new campaign was partly inspired by the results of a study Pepper commissioned last year, which found that 60 per cent of potential non-conforming borrowers do not receive a home loan.

“Six out of 10 borrowers that are self-employed, have credit impairment or irregular income do not end up receiving a loan. That is a very high number which we don’t think is fair, and we want to change that,” Mr Rehayem said.

The study showed that for those borrowers who do not get a loan, 62 per cent applied but were not approved, while 38 per cent never submitted an application.

“Buying your own home is still the great Australian dream today, just as it was 40 or 50 years ago, but with housing affordability an increasing issue, that can seem out of reach to many,” Mr Rehayem said.

“Our research found that borrowers who do go through a broker are more likely to complete the home loan process, and therefore to create more demand for specialist lending we have increased the scope and reach of our specialist lending education programs to help potential customers understand what a specialist loan can offer them.”

Mr Rehayem said brokers and white-label mortgage partners will continue to serve as Pepper’s primary distribution channel, with 95 per cent of Pepper loans written through brokers.

[Related: Pepper drops rates by 65 basis points]