K: Financial and Insurance Services

Surging M&A deals hit $70bn

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 17-18 : 30-Jun-14

Australian companies have announced $US69.5 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions in the first half of 2014. This is double the number of transactions during the same period of 2013. There are 20 deals worth over $A1 billion, compared with only two in the same period of the previous year. As well, equity capital market deals, such as floats, block trades and secondary capital raisings, have nearly doubled to $US15.3 billion

CORPORATES
THOMSON REUTERS PLC, CITI AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX, CIMB SECURITIES INTERNATIONAL (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, OZ MINERALS LIMITED – ASX OZL, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, CABCHARGE AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CAB, WOTIF.COM HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX WTF, GRESHAM ADVISORY PARTNERS LIMITED, DAVID JONES LIMITED – ASX DJS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PTY LTD, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, PACIFIC EQUITY PARTNERS PTY LTD, SAI GLOBAL LIMITED – ASX SAI, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, GRAINCORP LIMITED – ASX GNC, FRASERS CENTREPOINT LIMITED, AUSTRALAND PROPERTY GROUP – ASX ALZ, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

CBA rip-off no setback to lighter rules

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Original article by Patrick Durkin, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 30-Jun-14

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia scandal will not deter the Federal Government from its plan to lighten regulation of the financial planning sector. Federal Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said that regulation should be dropped if it increases the cost of financial advice without increasing consumer protection. However, Industry Super Australia CEO David Whiteley argued the matter shows that the Government should abandon its plan to change the Future of Financial Advice laws

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, MACQUARIE PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD

Monash IVF in growth mode after healthy float

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Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17/22 : 27-Jun-14

Monash IVF started trading as high as $A1.97 early in the session on the Australian stock exchange on 26 June 2014. Stock in the provider of reproductive services had been issued at $A1.85 a share, and investors received 170.7 million units in the float. It raised $A315.6 million for the company earlier in June

CORPORATES
MONASH IVF GROUP LIMITED – ASX MVF, MONASH UNIVERSITY, IRONBRIDGE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, KL FERTILITY AND GYNAECOLOGY CENTRE SDN BHD, VIRTUS HEALTH LIMITED – ASX VRT

CommBank covered up scandal

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Original article by James Eyers, Clancy Yeates
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Jan-45 : 27-Jun-14

A Senate report is critical of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC). The findings by the Senate economics committee were tabled on 26 June 2014. The report called for a royal commission, saying that the bank tried to avoid investigation of its financial planning subsidiary. The regulator was criticised for its slow action on the issue. The report made 61 recommendations for ASIC and the financial planning industry

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, MACQUARIE PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Online star back from the brink

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Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 19/22 : 27-Jun-14

Australian entrepreneur Patrick Grove does not like his wealth to be examined by the media. In 2013, he appeared on the "Young Rich List" of "BRW" with a wealth of $A95 million. Grove says he is motivated by the desire to build new businesses rather than to make money. His Catcha Group now controls online assets worth more than $US300 million ($A318.8 milion), including stakes in three Australian-listed companies – iCar, iProperty and iBuy

CORPORATES
CATCHA GROUP, CATCHA MEDIA BERHAD, ICAR ASIA LIMITED – ASX ICQ, IPROPERTY GROUP LIMITED – ASX IPP, IBUY GROUP LIMITED – ASX IBY, THORNEY INVESTMENT GROUP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FRONTIER DIGITAL VENTURES, NASDAQ, ANDERSEN, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX

Ainsworth up $200m, doesn’t notice

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1-Oct : 26-Jun-14

Ainsworth Game Technology chair Len Ainsworth ranks 19th in the 2014 "Rich List" compiled by "BRW", after his personal fortune grew $A200m to $A1.82bn. This was largely due to the strong share price gains of competitor Aristocrat Leisure, the group established by Ainsworth some six decades ago. Others on the list to boost their wealth via stock market gains include Andrew and Paul Bassat of SEEK, and John and Robert Kirby of Village Roadshow. Among those suffering declines are Graeme Wood of Wotif.com, Silviu Itescu of Mesoblast and Peter Bond of Linc Resources

CORPORATES
AINSWORTH GAME TECHNOLOGY LIMITED – ASX AGI, ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED – ASX ALL, SEEK LIMITED – ASX SEK, VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, WOTIF.COM HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX WTF, MESOBLAST LIMITED – ASX MSB, LINC ENERGY LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Workers’ comp reforms being wound back

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Original article by Anna Patty
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 10 : 26-Jun-14

The New South Wales (NSW) Government in 2012 took drastic action to deal with a forecast deficit of $A4bn in the state’s WorkCover scheme. Seriously injured workers no longer received payouts for items such as hearing aids or prostheses. However, WorkCover has now managed to generate a surplus of $A1bn, and on 26 June 2014 NSW Finance and Services Minister Dominic Perrottet will unveil legislation to restore some of the benefits. Earlier in the year, the state parliament had received a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers as the actuary of WorkCover, which showed that even without the 2012 cuts the deficit would fall to $A500m by mid-2018

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. WORKCOVER AUTHORITY, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF FINANCE AND SERVICES, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE GREENS NSW INCORPORATED

Canadian bank axes analysts in Newcrest fiasco

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Original article by Anthony Klan
The Australian – Page: 21 : 26-Jun-14

Newcrest Mining has agreed to pay a penalty of $A1.2m for selectively briefing analysts in late May 2013. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission told the Federal Court that the company breached its continuous disclosure obligations by not informing the wider market as well of its downgraded gold output figures, but the analysts were not to blame. However, Geoff Breen and Michael Orphanides as well as head of research Peter Main departed Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in mid-2013, soon after it received the inside knowledge from Newcrest. The investment bank has declined to comment

CORPORATES
NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, BANK OF AMERICA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE AG, COLONIAL FIRST STATE GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT, COLONIAL HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED – ASX CNG, MACQUARIE BANK LIMITED – ASX MBL

Nimble start-up challenges the big four

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Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 21 : 26-Jun-14

Technology company Nimble has raised $A10 million in new funding from Acorn Capital and Monash Investors. It specialises in providing small personal loans to creditworthy borrowers. It uses data analytics to reduce approval times. Australia’s big four banks are now under competitive pressure from small companies that use new technology to offer services such as payments, short-term lending, and peer-to-peer lending

CORPORATES
NIMBLE PTY LTD, ISELECT LIMITED – ASX ISU, ACORN CAPITAL INVESTMENT FUND LIMITED – ASX ACQ, MONASH INVESTORS PTY LTD, SEEK LIMITED – ASX SEK, SQUARE PEG CAPITAL PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, SOCIETYONE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, REINVENTURE GROUP PTY LTD

$200m peace offer for Lew

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Original article by Sue Mitchell, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1-Oct : 25-Jun-14

Australian retailing identity Solomon Lew in 1997 acquired a blocking stake of 11.8% in Country Road. In 2014, he has duplicated the move by building a holding of 9.9% in David Jones (DJs). The takeover suitor in both cases is South Africa’s Woolworths, which has now been forced by Lew’s tactics to buy him out of Country Road and to offer $A17 a share. This is an increase of nearly 400% from the on-market price in early 2014. In exchange Woolworths will also be able to move to full ownership of DJs. Insiders say Woolworths had been keen to take control of Country Road in any case

CORPORATES
COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED – ASX CTY, DAVID JONES LIMITED – ASX DJS, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, NM ROTHSCHILD AND SONS (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, GILBERT AND TOBIN LAWYERS, GREENHILL AND COMPANY, ARNOLD BLOCH LEIBLER, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. TAKEOVERS PANEL, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN RETAIL INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, MIMCO PTY LTD, WITCHERY FASHIONS PTY LTD, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, TRENERY