Prime Time Financial Counsellors Pty Ltd: Affiliations

Affiliations

Prime Time Financial Counsellors membership of peak financial planning organisations provides to our clients the additional assurance of:

quality service,
qualified and skilled advisers, and
effective investment planning advice.

We are proud to be affiliated with the following organisations:

Financial Planning Association (FPA)

Association of Independently Owned Financial Planners (AIOFP)

Financial Ombudsman Service Ltd (FOS)

Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA)

Credit Ombudsman Service Ltd (COS)

Financial Planning Association (FPA)

Reproduced with the kind permission of the FPA.

The Financial Planning Association of Australia Ltd (FPA) is the peak professional organisation for the financial planning industry in Australia.

The FPA represents the views of the industry to key decision makers including government and media. Established in 1992, the FPA promotes improved quality of financial advice for consumers, and high standards of ethical and professional behaviour among its members.

The FPA provides a range of services to members and consumers. In particular, the FPA:

Builds public awareness of the need for objective and professional advice in making secure financial decisions;
Provides members with education, training, and information to enhance their provision of objective and professional financial advice;
Develops and maintains high ethical standards for members; and
Represents FPA views to Government, media and key stakeholders to ensure effective input into major policy and regulatory issues affecting the financial planning industry.

Association of Independently Owned Financial Planners (AIOFP)

Reproduced with the kind permission of the AIOFP.

The Association of Independently Owned Financial Planners (AIOFP) is an Australia-wide network of state-based, Australian Financail Services Licensees.

Our membership is drawn from the leading independently owned financial planning groups in each State and Territory to form a powerful and dynamic professional alliance.

Association members are committed to using a mutually agreed, well-defined and fully transparent financial planning process.

As an independently owned financial planning firm we are not tied to any product provider. We are client centred and not product driven.

Finance Ombudsman Service Limited

The Financial Ombudsman Complaints Service (FOS) is an external dispute resolution (EDR) scheme that was established to provide free advice and assistance to consumers to help them in resolving complaints relating to members of the financial services industry, including life insurance, pooled superannuation trusts, funds management, financial advice, stock broking, investment advice and sales of financial or investment products. There is no charge to consumers for any service provided by FOS in handling complaints. It is a national service.

The financial services regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), issue Australian Financial Services Licenses (AFSL) to providers of financial services. One of the conditions of an AFSL is that the license holder must be a member of an approved External Dispute Resolution (EDR) scheme if they are dealing with retail clients. FOS is an approved EDR scheme.

Mortgage & Finance Industry Association of Australia

The Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) established in 1980, is a leading provider of service and representation to mortgage brokers, finance brokers, mortgage managers, lenders (bank and non-bank), and originators to assist them develop, foster, and promote the mortgage and finance industry.

The MFAA's Mission is to ensure the orderly and ethical working of the mortgage and finance industry in Australia.

The MFAA's Objectives are:

To elevate the role of mortgage and finance intermediaries to a profession;
To ensure MFAA members are recognised as a trusted source of finance;
To be the recognised authority in Australia on all aspects of the mortgage and finance industry;
To maintain quality standards within the industry;
To provide education for members and their staff;
To support the development & range of mortgage and finance products available to the public;
To embrace best practice customer services; and
To develop the mortgage and finance industry in Australia.

Credit Ombudsman Service

The Credit Ombudsman Service is a free and independent External Dispute Resolution scheme. It provides consumers with an alternative to legal proceedings for resolving disputes with COSL Members operating in the Credit marketplace.

In general, you can make a complaint to the COSL if you believe that the Mortgage Broker you have dealt with has:

breached relevant laws
breached the MFAA Code of Practice or other recognised Codes of Practice
not met standards of good practice in the Credit Industry
acted unfairly towards you.