18 Jan 2010

Finance company moratorium being reviewed

8:56 am on 18 January 2010

Strategic Finance is having its moratorium reviewed again.

Thirteen months ago, 15,000 investors in the ailing finance company agreed the $325 million they are owed, should be repaid over five years, instead of the company being put into receivership.

Chairman Denis Thom says falling property values and a further increase in its provisions for bad loans means the value of the loan book now is less than 75% of what is owed to debenture holders.

This has triggered a review of the moratorium.

Investors were told last year they would receive only 85 - 93 cents in every $1.

The company expects to make a loss of $84 million in the six months to December, compared with $33 million in the same period a year earlier.