Australia Ratings affirms "Strong" rating for La Trobe Financial Asset Management

MELBOURNE, Australia - March 10, 2016 - PRLog -- We are pleased to announce Australia Ratings has affirmed a "Strong" rating for La Trobe Financial Asset Management (LFAM) in its role as the Responsible Entity for the La Trobe Australian Credit Fund. This is the third time Australia Ratings has ranked the La Trobe Financial Group with a "Strong" rating.

In its report, Australia Ratings commented:

• "This [Operational Capability Assessment] ranking reflects strong key operational components that underlie LFAM's capabilities to successfully execute the Fund's investment mandates and to deliver the expected returns to investors.

• "Key to [La Trobe Financial's] sound operation is the experience and knowledge of its management together with its approach in choosing the right mortgages to match investor appetite.

• "Consistent and clear processes, regular monitoring and reporting, and periodic review for improvement all contribute to Australia Ratings' Very Strong ranking on its approach in managing its risks and complying with its legal and operational requirements."

Martin Barry, Vice President & Chief Wealth Management Officer, commented, "We are delighted to receive this strong rating from Australia Ratings. The experienced La Trobe Financial team continues to conservatively manage the Credit Fund and the results speak for themselves. In these volatile times, we continue to deliver with our capital stable annuity style returns."

Chris Andrews, Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, stated that "The key reasons for the strong performance are our industrial strength credit assessment and compliance process, conservative LVR maxima and careful diverse portfolio construction. We only invest in mortgage credit, and this simple approach administered by experts is fundamental to the La Trobe Financial investment philosophy."

La Trobe Financial's Pooled Mortgages Option has also been rated by other independent Rating Houses such as: Lonsec - Recommended; Zenith Investment Partners - Recommended; and SQM Research - Superior 4 ¼ Stars. Each of these Rating Houses have identified the strong capability of La Trobe Financial as an experienced Credit Specialist, highlighting the key strengths of its experienced staff and a demonstrated consistent track record of performance through various economic cycles. To view the awards and ratings, visit latrobefinancial.com.

Complementing our affirmed rating, International Finance Magazine recently recognised La Trobe Financial in two international finance awards for Best Investment Management Company - Australia and Best Mortgage Fund - Australasia. This is the second consecutive year La Trobe Financial has been honoured with these Awards.

La Trobe Financial will be making further Ratings announcements shortly.

For further details, please visit our website www.latrobefinancial.com.