A familiar face to many at the FPLMA Conference and Awards was David Feenan, past FPLMA president from 2011 to 2013, who at the time was Operations Manager for Australian Contour Packaging. His involvement with ANZFTA and FPLMA spanned many years. Along with current FPLMA Secretary Tony Dalleore, he was one of the longest-serving Councillors.
When he moved to Newcastle in March 2021, Feenan took up a position with a Nectar broker as an assessor with a view to moving under their banner, which he did in December of that year. “I found them good to deal with and the operational support was fantastic, so it was a no-brainer,” he explains. “The company has been in business for some nine years, after a group of brokers saw there was a need for a branded broker in the mortgage space. While all brokers under the Nectar banner are independent, we have the advantage of the support of a bigger network.”
Feenan was able to bring six and a half years of experience in brokering to the position and now has 20 lenders on his panel. From his Newcastle office, he covers clients in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia. “With technology in Zoom, Teams and most video platforms, I can mostly conduct business without leaving the office,” he adds.
While in the past, his main target has been home loans, Feenan is now looking to move into the commercial space, providing finance for the purchase of equipment and vehicles, asset finance for new properties such as factories, assistance with factoring and the day-to day costs of running a business, leveraging his knowledge of the printing industry.
“As a Nectar broker I have access to specialists in the property sector as well as all the major banks who play in this space as well as a lot of private lenders if clients are looking for short-term funds,” he says.
Feenan reckons that brokers need to have a good eye for detail, be approachable and work hours that suit clients. “We want any application to be one touch where we have everything the lender will need to stop a lot of back and forth. Coming from a printing background and having spent 30-plus years in print and packaging gives me an intimate knowledge of the industry and what comes with it. Sometimes lenders don’t understand what’s involved in running a printing factory and all the associated equipment that goes with it. Knowing what a lender is looking for can be a big plus as well,” he concludes.
nectarmortgages.com.au/DavidFeenan
Caption:
David Feenan at the FPLMA Awards