REA Group - Simplicity Loans & Advisory

REA Financial Services Holding Co. Pty Ltd, as a subsidiary of REA Group Ltd (REA Group) (ASX:REA), proposes to acquire 70% of the shares in Simplicity Loans & Advisory Pty Ltd (Simplicity Loans & Advisory) (the Acquisition).

REA Group provides digital advertising and mortgage brokering services through the following brands and platforms:

Mortgage Choice Pty Ltd and Smartline Operations Pty Ltd (Mortgage Choice) – mortgage broker offering residential mortgage broking services (homes and personal loans) and financial planning services. Mortgage Choice also acts as an aggregator connecting brokers seeking residential loans to a panel of lenders

Simpology (32.9% interest held by REA Group) – e-lodgement platform used by brokers to submit loans to a range of lenders

Athena Home Loans (19.9% interest held by REA Group) – non-bank lender focusing on residential home loans

Online property advertising platforms: realestate.com.au (residential property), realcommercial.com.au (commercial property), flatmates.com.au (share accommodation), Spacely (short-term commercial and co-working property), PropTrack (property data services and market insights) and 1Form (centralised platform for rental property applications)

Simplicity Loans & Advisory is a boutique mortgage broker operating in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane specialising in commercial and developer mortgages.

Simplicity Loans & Advisory also operates Marketplace Finance Platform, a bilateral mortgage referral tool connecting third-party referrers (typically residential mortgage brokers) with Simplicity Loans & Advisory’s commercial mortgage brokers. Fulfilment of the loans occurs by Simplicity Loans & Advisory employed brokers via aggregator panels or direct lender channels.