COG Aggregation is the asset finance aggregation business of COG Financial Services, connecting brokers with vehicle, equipment and other asset finance funders. Platform Finance is its channel for mortgage brokers adding asset finance, while COG Connect manages asset finance clients and applications.
For a residential broker, the decision is how much of each asset finance file to handle personally. Platform Finance combines panel access with processing support, so you can compare self-lodgement with handing the application to its team.
COG Aggregation Explained
COG brought Platform Finance and Consolidated Finance Group together as COG Aggregation in 2022. The group’s merger announcement explains the two broker channels. Dedicated asset finance brokers work with COG Aggregation, while mortgage brokers diversifying into asset finance work with Platform Finance.
Older material can therefore name Platform Finance or Consolidated Finance Group even though the aggregation business is now COG Aggregation. Platform Finance continues as a brand within the group. COG Financial Services is the parent company.
The Consolidated Platform Aggregation website identifies Consolidated Platform Aggregation Pty Ltd as part of COG Aggregation. It lists Australian credit licence (ACL) 394154. That identifies the CPA licence entity, rather than establishing which licence or credit representative authority applies to every COG broker.
Platform Finance: COG’s Channel for Mortgage Brokers
Platform Finance helps mortgage brokers write car and equipment finance alongside their residential business. Its broker website describes a panel of more than 60 lenders. COG’s member FAQ describes a single accreditation route, removing the need for direct accreditation with each lender.
The panel includes asset and commercial finance, personal loans and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) lending. For example, a home-loan client might need a work ute, equipment for a business or a personal loan. Each enquiry still needs the appropriate lender, product and authority. The asset finance guide explains the finance structures behind those enquiries.
Choose How Much Processing to Hand Over
Platform’s processing service spans broker-managed applications through to referrals where its team handles the entire file. You can lodge yourself or use full processing from application to settlement. Set out who obtains documents, follows up the lender and communicates with the client.
Delegated processing trades margin for time. Platform Plus displays broker income after Platform’s processing fee, so compare the net payment with the hours your business spends on the file. Self-lodgement can retain more of the deal’s income, but your team carries more of the work.
Platform Plus and Onboarding
Platform Plus is Platform Finance’s quoting and lodgement system for consumer and commercial asset finance. Brokers enter the client’s circumstances and loan structure, generate lender suggestions and follow the application on their dashboard. The system supports complete submissions and referrals to the processing team.
Use onboarding to work through chattel mortgages, leases and goods and services tax (GST) treatment before taking on unfamiliar deals. A business buying equipment needs a different structure and document set from a consumer buying a car. Involve the client’s accountant where tax treatment affects the choice.
Platform supplies broker training and compliance support. COG’s member FAQ also describes training, templates and credit-licensing assistance. Establish the requirements for your position, whether you are authorised under a licensee or hold your own licence.
Platform Connect was a separate earlier system name. COG’s financial reporting says Platform Connect and BROOS merged and became COG Connect. Platform Plus remains the system Platform Finance describes for its mortgage-broker channel, so an old Platform account does not establish access to every COG system.
COG Connect
COG Connect is COG’s client-management and loan-processing platform for commercial and consumer asset finance. Its platform description covers quoting, document collection and deal tracking from lead to settlement. Brokers can send a file to COG Broker Services for processing or proceed directly to the lender.
COG’s subscription FAQ describes COG Connect as a separate, optional paid subscription for members. Pricing is tiered and per user. Membership and software access are separate decisions.
Keep the borrower’s application record separate from your payment reconciliation. A settled application shows that the finance completed. Your commission statement and bank receipt show the broker’s payment. Reconcile any once-off settlement commission separately from recurring commission, even when both appear against the same client.
Questions to Ask Before Joining
Use the agreement and the deals your brokerage expects to write to answer these questions:
- Which lenders and asset classes will your business be able to use?
- What training or accreditation must you complete before submission?
- How are fees, commissions and clawbacks calculated for self-lodged and fully processed files?
- Who owns the client relationship and data, and what can you export when you leave?
- What support applies to a deal outside standard lender policy?
Record the answers against the relevant agreement clause or service schedule. A broad panel is useful only when it includes lenders and products that fit your clients. The asset finance aggregator comparison helps you compare different arrangements.
If joining means changing an existing arrangement, include the notice period and handling of open applications. The aggregator switching guide covers the wider changeover process.
Test the Operating Fit
Map COG’s process against your brokerage’s application process. Identify who obtains consent, collects documents and keeps the file. Check the privacy permissions for sharing information with Platform, COG and the lender. Record where the complete client file remains.
Run a few suitable enquiries before expanding the channel. Compare processed and self-lodged deals on settlement rate, turnaround and effective hourly return. Keep the asset type and deal complexity comparable so a difficult equipment file does not distort the comparison with a simple car loan.
For a hypothetical comparison, a self-lodged file leaves $900 after direct costs and takes six broker hours. A processed file leaves $600 and takes two hours. The hourly returns are $150 and $300 respectively. The processed file pays less per settlement but frees four hours for other work.
Include unsuccessful enquiries in the hours and costs you record. Divide the total net income received by all the broker hours spent, including lender follow-up and document collection. That gives you a basis for deciding which processing model fits your business.
Track My Trail With COG Reports
Asset finance brokerage is mostly paid once at settlement. Track My Trail analyses recurring trail, so the payment type determines whether the records belong in a monthly trail comparison.
If a COG deal pays recurring commission, prepare those records using our Generic CSV template. Keep once-off payments out of the trail comparison. With two monthly reports, Quick Analysis explains which loans were added or dropped off and which balances changed.
Missing Trail Analysis flags trail that stopped and later reappeared, separately from a discharged client. That gives you the affected months and amount to raise with the aggregator. These features analyse the payment records you supply, alongside your COG application records.
For PDF statements, PDF to CSV converts the statement into a CSV that you check and download for analysis. It deletes both files after 24 hours. The supported reports page explains the Generic CSV and PDF routes for COG records.
If you also hold a residential trail book, you can analyse that book alongside your asset finance work. Get started for free with a 7-day free trial and no credit card.
COG Aggregation FAQ
I’m a COG Aggregation Broker. Can I Use Track My Trail?
Yes, if you have recurring commission records or a residential trail book to analyse. Prepare COG recurring payments through the Generic CSV template or PDF to CSV. A once-off asset finance settlement payment belongs outside the recurring trail comparison.
Does Platform Finance Still Exist?
Yes, Platform Finance remains a brand within the COG group for mortgage brokers diversifying into asset finance. Its aggregation business merged with Consolidated Finance Group in 2022. Its mortgage-broker services include panel access, Platform Plus and optional application processing.
Does COG Connect Cost Extra?
Yes, COG describes COG Connect as an optional paid subscription separate from membership. It is tiered and priced per user. Choose the software access and processing arrangement that fit the files your brokerage will write.
