Financial Difficulty Assistance FAQs

What are some assistance options?

The options available will depend on your personal circumstances and financial situation. Some of these may include:

• tailoring a payment arrangement
• deferring or reducing loan payments for a defined period of time
• extending the loan term
• capitalising loan arrears

What is the application process?

If you think you are, or will be, unable to meet your debt obligations please contact us as soon as possible.

Depending on your situation we may be able to enter into a temporary arrangement quickly and efficiently over the phone.

Alternatively we may require further information and documentation to help us understand your financial position and determine whether assistance is appropriate.

The Bank may require:

• a statement of financial position to be completed summarising your current income, expenditure, assets and liabilities
• employment contract and/or payslips
• account statements
• Centrelink statement and/or social security payment details
• medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner
• employment separation statement
• contract of sale / sales agency agreement
• other documents which support your request

After you have provided us with all the requested information necessary to review your financial situation we will provide you with a decision within 21 days.

How will we assess your application for financial difficulty assistance?

Our dedicated team will contact you and will take into account the following types of factors when assessing your request:

• reason for financial difficulty
• your current financial position
• your ability to meet the commitments under the proposed arrangement and future repayments under the contract
• the ability to rehabilitate your circumstances (based on whether the financial difficulty assistance will offer genuine relief to restore your financial situation)

How will we confirm the arrangement?

We will confirm the details with you verbally and/or in writing.

You will need to ensure that you meet the terms of the arrangement.

If you are subsequently unable to meet these terms, you should contact us as soon as possible to discuss your situation.

What happens if my application is declined?

There may be a number of reasons why we decide not to provide financial difficulty assistance. If this is the case the reason for this decision will be explained to you in writing. We will also seek to discuss the next steps we will take and other available options with you.

What if I am not satisfied with the outcome of the assessment?

Please contact us and request that your application is reviewed by our internal Dispute Resolutions team. If you are not satisfied with the response provided, you have the option of referring the matter to the Customer Advocate who will impartially assess your complaint, keep you informed of the progress and provide you with a response.

The Customer Advocate can be contacted by:

• Telephone – 1300 139 572 (+61 3 5485 7919) between 8:30am and 5:00pm Victorian time, weekdays
• Email – customeradvocate@bendigoadelaide.com.au
• Post/Letter – write to Customer Advocate, P.O. Box 480, Bendigo, Vic, 3552

Alternatively (or following consideration by the Customer Advocate) you may refer your complaint directly to the relevant External Dispute Resolution (EDR) scheme.

Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) 

Phone: 1800 931 678
Fax (03) 9613 6399
Internet: www.afca.org.au
Postal Address: GPO Box 3 Melbourne, Victoria 3001 (Australia)

Other useful resources

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, there are a range of useful resources available to you, including:

If your account is overdrawn and you’re in need of support head to humanservices.gov.au/overdrawn

The ABA’s ‘DoingItTough’ website provides information about financial hardship, including how to identify if you’re experiencing financial hardship, how to apply for hardship assistance, and tips to help you manage your money. See www.doingittough.info

ASIC’s ‘MoneySmart’ website provides information and tools to help you make the most of your money. See www.moneysmart.gov.au

You may wish to seek advice from an independent financial counsellor about your options. For more information about financial counselling services phone the toll-free number on 1800 007 007 or go to Financial Counselling Australia’s website at www.financialcounsellingaustralia.org.au

Contact Nova Alliance Bank

Phone: 02 49261428
Email: info@novaalliancebank.com.au
Postal Address: PO Box 789 Newcastle NSW 2300