Pepper sees growth where banks wonât go The boss of non-bank lender and IPO prospect Pepper Group, says emotion is helping to drive the hot housing market and expects the scars left by COVID to provide an opportunity for growth. Apr 12, 2021 â 12.00am Save Share Mario Rehayem, the chief executive of Australia for leading non-bank lender and highly-touted IPO prospect Pepper Group, sees the house price boom a little differently from his big-bank counterparts. House prices might be surging, but lenders arenât letting standards slip, the boss of Pepper Group says. Â David Rowe Thereâs no doubt post-COVID-19 consumer confidence is helping to fuel the recent jump in prices. And the Reserve Bankâs promise to keep interest rates low for the next three years has been well and truly heeded by borrowers.