Secret Agent

Bankrupt lawyer on burglary charges sells up

Title Deeds

The stylish Thomas Hamel retreat at Killcare is for sale. The international designer has apparently spotted another building opportunity nearby, so the Manly View Road residence has been placed on the market through Sothebys agent Jane Ashton in conjunction with Central Coast Prestige Properties ag

In The Name Of The Lore

MANY of the Illawarra's suburbs and towns are named for practicality, think Coalcliff, Cabbage Tree, Oak Flats.

Focus

Property reviews: KENSINGTON, 69 MERCANTILE PARADE; FOOTSCRAY, 44 VICTORIA STREET; PASCOE VALE SOUTH, 34 MELVILLE ROAD; MOONEE PONDS, 17 LETHBRIDGE STREET; THORNBURY, 65 MANSFIELD STREET;

When The Price Is Consumer Rights

When Dean's bank took him to court after he missed payments on a personal loan, he thought the man in the suit who told him he was arranging a repayment deal must be the magistrate. Only later did he learn it was the bank's lawyer. Such confusion is common among consumer debtors, who are often to

Agent Stole Super Funds But Invested In `disasters'

A superannuation consultant's attempts to earn enough money to retire were described as "disaster followed by disaster" by a judge who yesterday added another disaster to the list: he sentenced him to two years' jail. The former Lane Cove life insurance salesman, John Robert Houghton,

Control Your Creditors

PETER LAVELLE reports on how to handle to debt collector. If you have an outstanding unpaid debt, there's a good chance that you have been - or will be - harassed about it. But borrower's rights against excessive harassment have been strengthened by the recent release of draft guidelines setting

Inquiry Agent Warns On Police Control

The State Government is considering legislation which will bring private inquiry agents (PIs) under the control of the Police Commissioner and create "a closed shop" in criminal investigation, a leading private inquiry agents' association has claimed. Mr John Bracey, founder of the Aust

High Entry Fees Nastiest Thorn In The Super Rose

* IN "Beware of rosy super forecasts" (The Sun-Herald, February 8) J F of Bondi complained about a Mercantile Mutual superannuation plan. As the agent who sold this policy, I would like to make the following points: (1) This is an employer-sponsored superannuation fund enabling the client

Women Avoiding Trauma

FOUR months after an insurance agent talked her into trauma insurance, Tania Sharp, 35, was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. Her insurance payout meant she could keep her home even if husband Rod, 31, had to give up his council job to look after their two toddlers. Also, she vowed, it would

Mercmut On Track With 80pc Lift

Insurance and financial services group Mercantile Mutual - now part of the ING Group which recently picked up gutted UK investment bank Barings - bounced back with an 80 per cent lift in after-tax profit to $27.8 million in the six months ended March 31, due to good performances in both investment

Mercmut Leaps 79% As Markets Pick Up

The insurance and financial services group Mercantile Mutual benefited strongly from the fall in bond rates and the firmer equity market in the six months to 31 March. Mercantile yesterday reported an interim 79 per cent lift in after- tax profit of $27.8 million, comprising $27.3 million from it

Strata And Sell Plan For Arcade

Double Bay's Royal Arcade will be strata-titled and sold off by new owner, the Clubb Group of Companies, under a proposal which could net more than $7 million. The high-profile shop and office complex was bought last year from Mercantile Mutual, which inherited the arcade from its 1992 takeover

Legal Row Over Debt Program

A threat by lawyers to prevent the distribution of debt-collection software unless certain conditions are met is to be considered soon by a court committee. Kester Cranswick reports on the implications. Victorian Law Institute is attempting to block a software program which could help companies

Occidental And Regal Holders Stay Put

THE MAJORITY of the 70,000 Occidental and Regal policyholders who were transferred to Mercantile Mutual as a result of a court order earlier this year look set to stay put. While letters to `The Age' and to Occidental's judicial manager, Mr Richard Grellman, indicate that many policyholders remai

Occidental's Payout Shocks Policy Holders

When 75,000 Occidental Life and Regal Life policy holders receive notification of their policy transfer values in the next few days many will be in for a shock. The life insurance, superannuation and savings plan policies will in future be managed by Mercantile Mutual Life after a deal sew

Recompense For 'exploited' Blacks

CANBERRA: Mercantile Mutual Life has been forced to compensate 330 Aboriginal customers to whom it sold life insurance, after a Trade Practices Commission investigation criticised its "exploitative" marketing methods. The commission found that Mercantile Mutual had breached the T

Tax Rule Adds Up To Windfall For Mercantile

The finance group Mercantile Mutual yesterday announced a 14per cent rise in profit to $47.2million for the year to September. But a $19.2 million tax benefit arising from a recent income tax ruling boosted profit to a record $66.4 million. Gross premium income rose 28per cent to $954 million.

Insurance For A School's Kitty

The principal of a rural NSW primary school plans to double as an insurance agent and sell car green slips to raise money for his school, but not everyone is happy with the idea. Mr Rod Bailey's plan has become the talk of Currabubula, 30 kilometres south of Tamworth, and has split opinion

Who Shredded What And When Has Memories Racing At Icac

When two Esanda Finance employees heard that the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) had raided the offices of their competitors, they set about destroying documents which might incriminate their company. Mr Les Cross, an Esanda credit control officer, told the ICAC yesterday