Perfumed Steamrollers: Meet The Female Debt Collectors

THEY'RE not overweight men with baseball bats, but these women want your money.

Straitened Opt For Cheap Thrill

The economic downturn has thrown up two winners already - state schools and porn, writes Leon Gettler.

Glut Of Flash Cars Looms As Buyers Can't Talk The Torque

THE collapse of global sharemarkets and record levels of mortgage stress are expected to signal boom times for Melbourne's used-car auctioneers, as far more luxury vehicles hit the market.

Borrowing from Mercantile Agents

Mercantile agents can provide loans for a vast number of uses, from personal loans and car loans to home loans and mortgages.

My Lips Are Sealed

Secrecy and betrayal are necessary for undercover work, writes Anne Fawcett.

Watching The Detectives

Sneaking around at night, hidden cameras and hours in the car or up trees... It's all part of a private investigator's life. Then there's breaking bad news to your clients. The trench coat is optional.

Model Investigator Had His Ups And Downs

JOHN WHELAN 1932-2006

A Historic Beauty Re-awakens In The Revitalised West End

THE best asset of the New Zealand Loan & Mercantile Agency Building (1910) is the high technology that towers threateningly around it.

Dr Work

Q I would like to take up a career in the parks and wildlife area, possibly as a ranger. What courses would I have to do, what qualifications would I need, and how long would it take for me to be qualified and be able to work full-time? A Entry requirements and job prospects will vary from s

Off The Beat And Off The Street: Dud Police Face 10-year Ban

Sacked police will be banned from becoming private inquiry agents for up to 10 years under proposed State Government legislation. The Private Inquiry Agents Bill, intended to clean up the private inquiry and commercial agents' industry by the introduction of tough new standards, has split the ra

Rivkin Rips Into Agents

MILLIONAIRE stockbroker and businessman Rene Rivkin has slashed insurance policy premiums by up to 30 per cent and attacked agents' hidden commissions. The heavy discounts amount to savings of at least $5,000 over 20 years on a typical life insurance policy, and will almost certainly lead to an o

Rivkin War On Life Agents

IN a revolutionary move that will mean one-off savings of up to $450 or 40 per cent for new policy holders, Rene Rivkin has extended his no frills stockbroking service into insurance. It will mean his company, Rivkin Croll Smith, will abolish agents' commissions on insurance policies, instead im

Mercantile Looks At Office Expansion

Mercantile Mutual is investigating options for a $10 million-$20 million extension of its Sydney headquarters at 347 Kent Street, two years after moving in with space to spare. The firm's dilemma is being repeated throughout Sydney as tenants assess their space requirements in readiness for the n

New Bank To Use 3200 Agents

Sydney. Australian consumers will get a taste of the ``bancassurance" concept when the newest locally incorporated foreign bank, ING Mercantile Mutual Bank Limited, begins operating on 1 December. The new bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dutch-based ING Bank, will absorb Mercantile

Mercantile Mutual Profit Soars 41% To $67m

Mercantile Mutual has continued to power away from the poor conditions affecting the insurance industry, reporting a 41 per cent lift in profit to $66.9 million for the year ending 30September. The result, which excludes last year's $19.2 million abnormal tax benefit, reveals strong results from

Private Agents Registry Withheld 270 Licences

The Private Agents Registry has either refused, suspended or cancelled the licences of 270 security guards, private detectives, crowd-controllers and process servers in Victoria during the past financial year. The police registrar, Inspector Stephen Frost, said that during the same period, 122 c

Mercantile's New Premiums Increase 24pc

Investor flight to secure, capital-guaranteed products, together with consistently strong investment performance, gave Mercantile Mutual Life a 24 per cent lift in new premium income to $649million in the year to September 30. Mercantile Mutual's assets leapt by 57 per cent to $2.9 billio

Debt Collectors Who Tell The Boss Can Be Imprisoned Now

Under new laws in NSW, debt collectors can be imprisoned if they tell an employer that an employee is in financial trouble. Amendments to the Commercial and Private Inquiry Agents Act, implemented on January 1, are aimed at preventing the harassment of defaulting debtors, and come at a tim

Life Offices Tempt Agents With Million-dollar Carrots

The chequebook war being waged for the top-scorers among life assurance agents has reached fever pitch and industry insiders anticipate a revolt by policy-holders. Australia's two biggest life offices, Australian Mutual Provident Society and National Mutual Life Association, are fighting for