Equanimity Concepts enters EU with ASIC

Equanimity Concepts Pty Ltd - an authorised rep of non-aligned licensee Sentry Financial Planning until March 2014 - has entered into an EU after an investigation found potentially misleading advertising regarding financing options for home loans.

“From January 2012 to July 2014, Equanimity advertised on its website, YouTube and in numerous in-flight magazines and police journals that consumers could pay off their home loan in a very short amount of time,” an ASIC statement said.

“For example, one line read, ‘Pay off your 25 year home loan in less than 5 years’.”

ASIC deputy chair Peter Kell said the compliance processes in place at Equanimity were “unsatisfactory” and may have been consumer protection laws.

“Consumers who may have come across these ads may have been misled in Equanimity’s ability to help them pay back their home loan in a significantly reduced timeframe without incurring further debt,” Mr Kell said in the statement.

“Advertising of this nature will not be tolerated and ASIC will take swift action when confronted with false claims.”

Equanimity must now appoint an external compliance consultant to review its processes and procedures.

The ads in question have now been removed.