After seizing their farms in May 2013 and putting them in the hands of Ferrier Hodgson (FH) as receiver and managers and agents for the mortgagee in possession, the National Bank of Australia (NAB), on November 11 2015, informed Harold, Barbara and Christopher Cronin, formally of Chambejo Farms Pty Ltd, that the NAB and FH, over 28 months, spent an amazing $6.0 million dollars, in what can only be called a failed attempt to recover a $6.0 million debt from Chambejo Farms.
Final returns were submitted to ASIC by FH in September 2015. If Harold Cronin had not asked the NAB and FH for the details of the costs and returns regarding the sale of the assets and properties that had comprised Chambejo Farms, recent experience has shown there is no reason to believe that the information would have been volunteered by either the NAB or FH.
On the contrary, FH and the NAB have been obstructive and repeatedly refused to provide information to the Cronins. The Cronins now know why FH did not wish to publicise what some might call their incompetence. We will show that FH were and are obliged by law, to provide detailed information to the Cronins as mortgagors.
As you will see later it is open to question, by their actions, whether both organisations abrogated their obligations under Section 420A(1) of the Corporations Act and their obligations under common law to act in good faith, particularly when it comes the family home.
It is open to speculation if this is what the NAB board and senior management really think of farmers after a couple of bad seasons? It’s certainly not their public position.
Does the NAB management not understand that farming is all about risk? The Cronins weren’t on their own after the bad seasons of 2011 and 2012. The records show many farmers in their region went deeply into debt in those two years.
“It’s ironic,” says Harold, “That 2013/14 was a very good season in the Ravensthorpe area and had we been allowed to put a crop in, it would have solved most of our financial problems.”