Mainstream AltFi Investment Woes Continue – Plus Loan Latest

The early mainstream institutional investors in the alternative-finance sector have not done well. The latest news in this vein is the winding-up of an investment trust.

Hadrian’s Wall Secured Investments Limited’s (HWSIL) board has opted for a wind-down after reporting a 0.4 per cent reduction in net asset value (NAV) in December.

Since its launch in 2016, the SME-focused direct lending portfolio aimed at mid-market loans, has had a NAV performance of -2.31 per cent, bringing the 2019 NAV total return to -10.48 per cent.

Following this reduction, the board has opted to return capital to its shareholders and wind-down proposals are expected to be put to investors at an EGM in the coming weeks. 

HWSIL uses a targeted investment strategy to invest in loans; it currently has two loans with a principal value of £17.1m and reserves against these two loans at £4m. 

The company has also reduced its revolving credit facility to £5m.

As a result of the company’s recent losses, they have also failed to meet their targeted annualised dividend of at least six pence per share, only managing a dividend of 1.5 pence per Ordinary Share.

Loan Offer Latest

Yes You Can, rated B, for £30,000 with an 11 per cent fixed yield over five years, is currently 72 per cent subscribed. Project Rhapsody rated A+, with an 8 per cent fixed yield for three years is currently 47 per cent filled. More loan offerings will land on site soon.

Historical Performance And IFISA Process Guide

  • Money&Co. lenders have achieved an average return of more than 8 per cent gross (before we deduct our one per cent fee). 

That figure is the result of over £20 million of loans facilitated on the site, as we bring individuals looking for a good return on capital together with carefully vetted small companies seeking funds for growth. Bear in mind that lenders’ capital is at risk. Read warnings on site before committing capital.

  • Money&Co. has been lending for over 5 years and has only had one bad debt so far, representing a bad debt rate of 0.03 per cent per annum.

All loans on site are eligible to be held in a Money&Co. Innovative Finance Individual Savings Account (IFISA), up to the annual ISA limit of £20,000. Such loans offer lenders tax-free income. Our offering is an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) that can hold the peer-to-peer (P2P) business loans that Money&Co. facilitates. For the purposes of this article, the terms ISA and IFISA are interchangeable.

So here’s our guide to the process:

  • Step 1: Register as a lender. Go to the login page, and go through the process that the law requires us to effect. This means we have to do basic checks on you to comply with money-laundering and other security requirements.
  • Step 2: Put money into your account. This is best done by electronic transfer. We can also process paper cheques drawn in favour of Denmark Square Limited, the parent company of Money&Co.
  • Step 3: Buy loans in the loan market. Once you’ve put cash in your account it will sit there – and it won’t earn interest until you’ve bought a piece of a loan. It’s this final step that requires lenders and IFISA investors to be pro-active. Just choose some loans – all loans on the Money&Co. site can be held in an IFISA – and your money will start earning tax-free interest.

The ISA allowance for 2019/20 is unchanged from last tax year at £20,000, allowing a married couple to put £40,000 into a tax-free environment. Over three years, an investment of this scale in two Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISAs would generate £8,400 of income completely free of tax. We’re assuming a 7 per cent return, net of charges and free of tax here.

Once you have made your initial commitment, you might then consider diversifying – buying a spread of loans. To do this, you can go into the “loans for sale” market. All loans bought in this market also qualify for IFISA tax benefits.

Risk: Security, Access, Yield

Do consider not just the return, but the security and the ease of access to your investment. We write regularly about these three key factors. Here’s one of several earlier articles on security, access and yield.



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Disclaimer: Money&Co.™ is the trading name of Denmark Square Limited, Company Number 08561817, registered in England & Wales, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The company is identified on the Financial Services Register under Reference Number 727325. The registered office is 58 Glentham Road, Barnes, London, SW13 9JJ where the register of Directors may be inspected. Denmark Square Limited (ISA manager reference number Z1932) manages the Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISA.