Finance

Australian Securities and Investment commission

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is one of a number of Commonwealth Government bodies that regulate financial services. Among other things, ASIC's role is to protect investors, superannuants, depositors and insurance policy holders and to regulate and enforce laws that promote honesty and fairness in financial markets, products and services and in Australian companies.

Australian Stock Exchange

The ASX site offers quick access to prices for shares, options, warrants, bonds and indices, while the Market Statistics section offers information on top performers, trading volumes, market commentary, and current and past market announcements. A great deal more information on shareholders, markets and stock market floats are also available through the site.

Bourse Investor

This site provides access to news, analysis and market information in addition to offering a range of books, courses, software, newsletters and magazines for sale online.

Comsec

The Commonwealth Securities web site offers information and services relating to share quotes, managed funds, margin lending, the money market and international securities in addition to news and research. The site includes comprehensive support information to assist the uninitiated in finding out more about trading online.

egoli

A stock market site offering market news, research articles, regular columns and investment articles and a range of services relating to account management, advisory services, charts, forums and an investment centre.

E*TRADE

E*TRADE offers news, quotes & indices, broker estimates, ASX & US Snapshots, company announcements, market depth, charts, company profiles, warrants, an IPO Centre, portfolio manager, watchlists (with customisable views) and order placement, preview and confirmation services.

Global Electronic Trading (GET)

The GET Futures web site and associated software offers the opportunity to trade through 22 futures and options exchanges worldwide. Client services offered through the site include real time price quotes on all futures/options, futures and options charts, analysis and news on all available products and exchanges, a demo of the GET software and the ability to trade futures and options over the Internet.

InvestorWeb

This site is extensive and includes information on Shares Research (with information on over 600 listed stocks), Managed Funds (where Fund Search can look for funds via the fund manager, investment type, area of investment or product name), Tools & Quotes (offering the charting package Meta Stock which can chart stock against all the major technical indicators) and Forums (where members can share ideas and tips or ask InvestorWeb analysts about investing).

L Quay Futures

This site offers the ability to trade futures on the Sydney Futures Exchange and equities on the Australian Stock Exchange through a single screen. International futures trading is also offered online through CME, LIFFE, HKFE, MONEP, CBOT, and EUREX.

Merrill Lynch HSBC

Merrill Lynch HSBC, offers members the ability to consolidate their domestic and international shares, cash, and managed funds into a single account structure. This site won the Personal Investor Magazine "Online Broker of the Year" awards for excellence in financial services 2001 and "Best Online Broker for Experienced Investors" in the yourbroker.com.au awards.

OZeStocks

OZeStocks provides message boards, quotes and data, stock charts and the latest financial news and editorials. The My OZeStock section allows members to customise the presentation of the site or bookmark information for update.

Quicken (quickbroker)

This site represents the share trading services of Reckon Investment Centre Ltd trading as Quicken Investment Centre. This site does not provide investment advice or securities recommendations, but does offer a fast and comprehensive online share trading service.

Sydney Futures Exchange

The Sydney Futures Exchange provides extensive information on futures and options trading, including contract specification and information on how to trade, margins and fees etc. Products traded through the exchange include wool, wheat, bank bills, bonds, shares, and electricity.

WebLink

WebLink provides ASX stock market information on the Internet and offers a free, one-week, fully featured dynamic trial of its services. The site provides stock details, portfolio management, news (including a fax service), charting, and a WAP service (Wireless Application Protocol) for receiving market data via mobile phone.

Aussie Home Loans

The Aussie Home loans site offers a wide range of information relating to property purchases, whether you're buying your first home, re-financing an existing loan, or a seasoned property investor. The site posts the interest rates offered by Aussie, along with a rates monitor to keep abreast of rate changes via email. The site also offers a range of Tips, Tools and Calculators to help you with your financial decisions and you can also apply for a home loan, investment insurance or Aussie Card online. Applying for a home loan online attracts a 50% discount off the standard home loan application fee.

Austral Online

The Austral Online site outlines its products, such as the Design-A-Loan facility, where you can choose to split your loan into multiple accounts and can choose from principal and interest or interest only repayments and variable and fixed rates. Design-A-Loan is available to both owner occupiers and investors and will also suit first home buyers. The Business Express product is designed for self employed borrowers who seek to borrow for investment property or business purposes, while Austral's Go Between Loan is a bridging loan facility that allows you to purchase a new property before selling your existing property.

Austral's Loan Service Net facility allows you to check your details and loan balance, monitor your transaction history, request interim statements, make additional repayments and request redraws - all online.

AustralianFinance.com

AustralianFinance.com offers Home Loans, Mortgages, Commercial Loans, Leasing and Mortgage Reduction Services. The site outlines the products and services on offer along with an online application form if you wish AustralianFinance.com to come to your home to assist in planning your financial future, commensurate with your level of debt, income and assets.

Australian Property Investor Planning

Australian Property Investor Planning was set up to provide the knowledge and bring together the expertise and resources to enable investors to confidentially invest in residential Investment property with peace of mind through ongoing support via the Australian Residential Property Planners Network. The site provides information on Negative Gearing, Mortgage Reduction, Frequently Asked Questions and how to locate the right investment property for you. A free information pack can be requested via an online form for further details.

eChoice

eChoice uses a unique combination of people and technology that starts with their web site, continues with a phone conversation and ends with you talking to an eChoice home loan manager face-to-face or over the phone. eChoice's ChoiceMatch™ technology identifies the right loan for you, out of hundreds of products from a wide range of lenders and uses experienced lending experts to help you through the home loan process. To help people prepare for their home loan, the site offers an extensive Home Loan Information Site with scores of fact sheets, calculators and interest rate tables, as well as regular email bulletins.

AMP

AMP offers a range of financial products such as credit cards, home loans, general insurance, life insurance, investments, retirement income, savings accounts and superannuation. They also offer a range of services that can be managed online such as broking, financial planning, portfolio management and Internet banking.

Australian Financial Group

The Australian Financial Group arranges loans "in most cases at no charge to the consumer". The Research Tools section allows people to calculate their principal limit, repayment amounts (according to different repayment periods), and use other tools to help calculate fees associated with loans. Becoming a member is free of charge, the only requirement being the completion of a membership form online.

Australian Financial Services Directory

As the name suggests, this site is an online directory of financial services, but also provides financial information and services itself. The Market Wrap displays the major indicators of the world market. A property guide is available, as is information on new floats, a financial calculator, and numerous financial news links. The directory accessible via over 30 categories to help you find the information you want faster.

Australian Rural & Agricultural Finance Pty. Ltd (A.R.A.F.)

This is a small rural financing company in Armidale NSW, which offers an alternative to traditional and established banking services. The site offers information about the company, its rates and services (agribanking, agrifinance, commercial finance, cash flow finance, and housing finance). Application forms and brochure request forms are available if you would like more information.

Bank Choice

This site provides a convenient mechanism for comparison shopping the products and services offered by many of our leading financial institutions. Separate sections allow you to comparison shop on home loans, personal loans, credit cards, business loans, leasing, margin lending, at call savings accounts, term deposits, debentures, and banking services. The site also offers tips, news and views, feature articles, calculators, industry updates and more.

Banking Ombudsman Scheme

The site provides a description of the sorts of complaints the Ombudsman can deal with and what happens with the complaints lodged. Further information is provided on who pays the costs of bringing a complaint to the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman's terms of reference. Contact information is provided including a complaint form to print out.

Leasepac - online business financial approval

Leasepac Financial Services structure finance for all types of businesses across Australia, be it for a Business Purchase Loan, Equipment Finance Loan, Commercial Property Loan, Working Capital Loan or a Home Loan for Business Owners.

Loan applications can be made online and are reviewed by a Loans Officer (and you will receive a reply) within 24 hours (during weekdays).

NineMSN Investor

The NineMSN Investor site provides educational material, shares (and other) tools, and online trading tools. This is in addition to a portfolio manager, news service, a watchlist (you can create a watchlist for shares you own, companies you're interested in or sections of the market), a discussion forum, and information on shares, funds, currencies and bonds.

The NineMSN Investor site also offers a Business Sunday subscription service, which gives you access to Investor's tools and research, plus expert commentary from the Business Sunday team. This service also helps you track your investments across Australian and international shares, currency and bonds.

Personal Investor

This is the online version of Personal Investor Magazine. The site provides some articles and columns from the magazine as well as investment services, such as links to online stockbroking services, an independent review of managed funds, and mortgage and savings calculators. There is also a comparison of current interest rates across a range of loan and deposit products, including small business commercial loans.

Rural Finance Corporation, Victoria

Information is available on the Corporation, including its role, contacts, services, loan products and assistance programs.