Archer Wealth

Archer Wealth Growing your ideas. Funding your dreams. We are your private lender.

119,949 financial complaints in a year is a number worth paying attention to.That's how many complaints the Australian F...
04/09/2026

119,949 financial complaints in a year is a number worth paying attention to.

That's how many complaints the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) received in 2025–26 – a new record.

Banking and finance complaints alone jumped 23% to 66,971.

While Archer operates in a different part of the lending market – and these complaints largely relate to consumer financial services – those numbers still got me thinking about something that matters in every lending relationship.

Certainty.

A lot of the deals I see have a deadline attached. There's a settlement approaching, an opportunity the client doesn't want to lose or a financing problem that needs to be solved quickly.

In those situations, a lender saying they can do a deal carries weight.

If the pricing changes unexpectedly, the timeframe slips or the lender can't execute, the broker is often the person left having that conversation with the client.

That's why I've always thought a lender's job isn't just to say yes to a deal.

It's to be clear about what we can deliver – and then deliver it.

When I was a broker, one thing used to drive me mad about lenders.You'd have a perfectly workable deal, but one part of ...
02/09/2026

When I was a broker, one thing used to drive me mad about lenders.

You'd have a perfectly workable deal, but one part of it sat outside the lender's criteria.

Suddenly, you had two choices.

Take the deal somewhere else.

Or start reshaping it to fit the lender.

I never thought that made much sense.

The lender's criteria were starting to dictate the deal, rather than the client's actual funding needs.

That experience stayed with me.

When I started Archer Wealth years ago, it was one of the things I wanted to do differently.

I didn't want a rigid credit box deciding whether a good deal could proceed.

I wanted to be able to look at the transaction itself – the security, the purpose, the risks and the exit – and work out whether there was a sensible way to fund it.

Six years later, that's still one of the things I enjoy most about private lending.

Not every deal fits neatly into a box.

Sometimes that's exactly why it's interesting.

Commercial lending demand isn't slowing across the board. It's moving.Broker Pulse surveyed 388 commercial brokers in Ju...
31/08/2026

Commercial lending demand isn't slowing across the board. It's moving.

Broker Pulse surveyed 388 commercial brokers in June and found some big differences in where they expect loan demand to come from over the next three months.

Mining is sitting at +22 on its loan demand index. Professional services is +21. Accommodation and food services is +15.

Real estate? -3.

Manufacturing? -22.

I don't think the answer is to suddenly start chasing whichever industry happens to be growing fastest.

But I do think there's a lesson here for brokers.

Look at where your pipeline comes from.

If most of your referral partners and client relationships are concentrated in one or two industries, a change in demand can quickly become a change in your settlements.

Diversification isn't only about having more finance products to offer.

It's also about building relationships across different parts of the economy.

More leverage gives a borrower more cash.It also removes options.Consider a property worth $2 million.At a 60% LVR, the ...
28/08/2026

More leverage gives a borrower more cash.

It also removes options.

Consider a property worth $2 million.

At a 60% LVR, the loan is $1.2 million and the starting equity buffer is $800,000.

At a 70% LVR, the loan increases to $1.4 million, but the buffer falls to $600,000.

If the property value then falls by 10%, the difference becomes clearer.

The lower-geared scenario retains approximately $600,000 of value above the debt. The higher-geared scenario retains approximately $400,000, before allowing for interest, fees and enforcement costs.

The additional $200,000 may still be commercially valuable. But the borrower should understand what they are giving up to obtain it.

Higher leverage can mean:

→ More interest
→ Less refinancing flexibility
→ Greater sensitivity to valuation movements
→ Fewer options if the exit is delayed

The smartest question is not: "What is the maximum LVR available?"

It is: "What is the minimum amount of debt that fully solves the transaction while preserving enough room for the exit?"

Figures are illustrative only.

Private credit is not "unregulated".It is also not regulated as one uniform product.The obligations applying to a transa...
26/08/2026

Private credit is not "unregulated".

It is also not regulated as one uniform product.

The obligations applying to a transaction depend on factors including:

→ The entity providing the loan
→ How the capital was raised
→ Whether a fund or managed investment structure is involved
→ The type of investors providing the capital
→ The identity of the borrower
→ The purpose of the loan

That is why simply asking whether a lender "has an AFSL" does not explain the complete position.

A professional operator should be able to explain:

→ Who the lender is
→ Who manages the capital
→ What licences and authorisations apply
→ What trustee or fund arrangements are involved
→ How valuations and conflicts are managed
→ Who is accountable for the credit decision

ASIC's increasing focus on private credit governance, disclosure, valuations and conflicts is positive for the industry. Stronger standards will favour operators already investing in proper systems and governance.

The better question is not simply, "Is private credit regulated?"

It is, "What obligations apply to this structure, and who is accountable?"

Some borrowers use private credit because the bank said no.Many sophisticated borrowers use it because waiting for the b...
24/08/2026

Some borrowers use private credit because the bank said no.

Many sophisticated borrowers use it because waiting for the bank would cost them more.

They are not ignoring the price of the money. They are comparing it with the value of the opportunity.

That may involve:

→ Securing a property before another buyer
→ Completing a business acquisition
→ Refinancing before an existing facility matures
→ Releasing equity for the next transaction
→ Settling while a longer-term bank facility is being arranged

For these borrowers, rate is one variable. Timing, certainty, flexibility and opportunity cost can matter more.

That does not mean private credit is always the correct answer.

The additional cost should protect greater value, prevent a larger loss or help generate a stronger commercial return. If it does none of those things, lower-cost bank funding may be the better option.

Private credit should not be a desperate decision.

It should be a deliberate one.

We do not start with a product code.We start with the transaction.Before considering a structure, we want to understand ...
19/08/2026

We do not start with a product code.

We start with the transaction.

Before considering a structure, we want to understand six things:

→ What property is being offered as security?
→ How much capital is actually required?
→ What is the proposed LVR?
→ What will the money be used for?
→ How will the facility be repaid?
→ When does the transaction need to settle?

From there, we can assess the appropriate amount, term, security position, repayment structure and conditions.

This does not mean operating without credit policy.

Flexibility is not the absence of discipline. It is the ability to shape a facility around the transaction while keeping the risks understood, priced and controlled.

If you have a business-purpose property scenario, send me those six facts.

You do not need a polished submission to start the conversation. You need a transaction that makes commercial sense.

The lowest private-credit rate is not always the lowest-cost outcome.Two lenders can quote the same transaction while of...
17/08/2026

The lowest private-credit rate is not always the lowest-cost outcome.

Two lenders can quote the same transaction while offering completely different levels of certainty, flexibility and conduct.

Before recommending one, ask:

→ Is the capital already available?
→ Is this a genuine approval or an indicative term sheet?
→ What conditions remain before settlement?
→ What is the complete cost, including every fee?
→ How long will documentation and settlement take?
→ What happens if the borrower's exit is delayed?
→ Has the lender completed similar transactions before?

The headline rate cannot answer any of those questions.

A sharply priced facility that cannot settle is worthless.

A facility with hidden fees or unreasonable extension provisions can become far more expensive than its advertised rate.

The right lender is not necessarily the cheapest or the most flexible.

It is the lender whose capital, credit appetite and behaviour match the transaction from approval through to repayment.

A strong transaction can still be unbankable today.Banks assess more than whether the underlying deal makes commercial s...
14/08/2026

A strong transaction can still be unbankable today.

Banks assess more than whether the underlying deal makes commercial sense.

They must also consider:

→ Credit policy
→ Serviceability
→ Borrower structure
→ Property type
→ Documentation
→ Timing
→ Internal approval requirements

A borrower can therefore be bankable in six months, but unable to obtain bank funding today.

That timing gap is where private credit can help.

It does not remove the need for disciplined credit assessment. The security must be adequate. The purpose must make sense. The borrower must have a credible exit.

The difference is that we can assess the complete transaction and its compensating strengths, rather than allowing one policy issue to decide the entire outcome.

Have a business-purpose property transaction being delayed by bank policy?

Send me the address, loan amount, LVR, purpose, exit strategy and required settlement date.

The loan-shark reputation did not appear out of nowhere.Parts of the private-lending market earned it.Opaque fees, aggre...
12/08/2026

The loan-shark reputation did not appear out of nowhere.

Parts of the private-lending market earned it.

Opaque fees, aggressive default provisions and transactions written with little regard for how the borrower would repay created lasting distrust.

Professional private credit should look completely different.

A credible lender should have:

→ A documented credit assessment
→ Independent valuations and solicitors
→ Clear fees, interest and default provisions
→ Proper identity and beneficial-owner checks
→ Confirmed capital before promising settlement
→ A realistic and documented exit strategy
→ Clear governance around the entities raising and deploying the capital

The lender should understand more than the value of the security. It should understand the transaction, the borrower's plan and what happens if that plan is delayed.

Good private credit is not defined by saying yes to everything.

It is defined by knowing when to say yes, how to structure it properly and when the responsible answer is no.

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Sydney, NSW
2022

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