Things are going from
Bad to Worse there was a reason why Equititrust removed both PDS statements from its Web Site on Monday. Refer to post 88
Four out of five loans in default at Equititrust fund
Colin Kruger Sydney Morning Herald
February 10, 2011
"The Australian Securities and Investments Commission took action last month after BusinessDay reported on Equititrust's potential conflict in trying to raise money from new investors to effectively bail out the EIF."
http://www.smh.com.au/business/four...fault-at-equititrust-fund-20110209-1an0h.html
Whoever came up with the idea to raise funds in this manner should be fired.. You cannot raise funds when you have a Conflict of Interest. Ethics let alone ASIC guidelines don’t allow it.
Was legal opinion or regulatory approval sought?? So much for the new “directors’” so called expertise . Any money spent on this charade should come out of the director’s pockets and not the investors.
Public Relations Disaster
This is a MONUMENTAL public relations disaster... ASIC having to step in and make the company withdraw the PDS is reflective of the reckless decisions being made within the company.
ComplianceIt was only in December that the company with great fanfare issued Press Releases in the National Media spruiking its new 50M Dollar Fund Raising and embarking on a series of Investor Briefings. But did anybody check whether the PDS was compliant??
On the same day both the PDS Statements were removed by order of ASIC Equititrust added its:
“Think Solutions Update for Investors – January 2011” where McIvor states:
The Equititrust Priority Class Income Fund
"As part of our strategy to accelerate an exit from the banks, I am delighted to announce that we have now officially opened the limited offer Equititrust Priority Class Income Fund. Since its launchjust over a month ago, the Priority Class Fund has welcomed its first investors and is continuing togrow in popularity."
Yes ASIC loved it...
“We would be delighted if you would consider further investment or recommend Equititrust to someone you know.”
These statements were placed on the Web Site on Monday the 7th of February 2011 whilst being fully aware that ASIC had put a stop on the Priority Class Income Fund. The statements still remain on the Web Site.. Who checks the Web Site for accuracy?
Why not just be honest and tell the Investors what’s happening and place a statement on the Web Site saying that the PDS has been withdrawn due to ASIC’s intervention.
Instead the Investors yet again have to get their information from the newspapers..
In terms of the CEO saying he sees zero impact on the Funds 1500 Investors he must be kidding and totally out of touch with the average investor.
IMPACT 1
Firstly the fund has kept the investors’ money frozen for over 2 and half years. That’s a massive impact
IMPACT 2
Secondly, the opportunity cost of not being able to redeem the funds is incalculable
IMPACT 3
Thirdly, there is no timeframe for the return of Investors money. Investors cannot plan their future and get on with their retirement.
IMPACT 4
Not having a concern about the funds being repaid to borrowers and 100% Guarantee are two total different things. (The fund has suffered over 40M dollars in impairments over the last 3 years). The Impact being continued uncertainty.
IMPACT 5
There has been no further statement as to the remaining of 3 month operational cash flow which is used to pay investor returns. Now the 50M fundraising has been stopped by ASIC the investors are none the wiser as to whether their returns will be paid in the coming months.
To date.. the Interim Financials have still not been posted on the Equititrust Website.