Fisher & Paykel Finance Limited and our guaranteeing subsidiaries* are part of the wider Fisher & Paykel Finance group of companies which, following completion of the takeover described on the Company Announcements page of our website, will be wholly-owned by and form part of, the Haier group of companies. The businesses of Fisher & Paykel Finance Limited’s guaranteeing subsidiaries are focused on providing financial products and services to enable consumer and business customers to acquire a broad range of household and commercial products from retail merchants and commercial dealers. These subsidiaries assist customers to buy the things they want through continuous process improvement, by employing people with the appropriate skills, and by delivering appropriate financial solutions to its customers. These services have, since 1985, been delivered to a significant number of New Zealand households and commercial customers.

Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating from Standard and Poor’s

The creditworthiness of Fisher & Paykel Finance Limited was first rated by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”) on 17 February 2010. The local currency (New Zealand dollar) long-term issuer credit rating assigned to us at that time was BB (Outlook Stable). S&P reaffirmed this rating on each of 30 March 2011 and 17 April 2012.

Pending the outcome of the takeover offer described under the "Announcements" tab of our website, S&P changed its outlook on us from “Stable” to “CreditWatch Positive”.

On 20 November 2012, S&P changed its rating of us from “BB (CreditWatch Positive)” to “BB+ (Outlook Stable)”. As at 23 November 2012 our local currency (New Zealand dollar) long-term issuer credit rating is:

BB+ (Outlook Stable)

The rating outlook assigned by S&P assesses the potential direction of a long-term credit rating over the intermediate term (typically six months to two years). A Stable Outlook means that a rating is not likely to change and reflects S&P’s expectation that our financial characteristics will remain stable in the medium term.

Further details are available on our Credit Rating page.

Investments offered by Fisher & Paykel Finance Limited are in first ranking secured deposits subject to prior permitted charges (currently none). Click here for a copy of our prospectus and investment statement.

^ Please note that our Rates Calculator is only a guide and is not intended to offer any financial advice. Fisher & Paykel Finance is not to be held liable for any direct, special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages or monetary losses of any kind arising out of, or in connection with the use of this Rates Calculator. Please speak to an independent financial advisor for professional guidance.

*These companies are Consumer Finance Limited and Equipment Finance Limited. These companies have entered into ‘intra-group guarantees’ with Fisher & Paykel Finance Limited in respect of their joint obligation to pay interest and repay the deposits and have granted general security interests over their respective assets in favour of The New Zealand Guardian Trust Company Limited as trustee for investors to secure Fisher and Paykel Finance Limited’s liability in respect of all secured borrowings, comprising both secured deposits and secured bank overdrafts and bank borrowings.

**If interest is paid or compounded quarterly, a minimum investment amount $1,000 applies. If interest is paid monthly, a minimum investment amount of $10,000 applies. Our secured debentures are first ranking secured deposits (subject to prior permitted charges, currently none). Copies of our prospectus and investment statement are available here. Interest rates are subject to change.