K: Financial and Insurance Services

Virus fears, rate uncertainty push $A to worst January since 2015

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Original article by Timothy Moore
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 3-Feb-20

The Australian dollar has shed 4.7 per cent so far in 2020, and factors such as the coronavirus and the prospect of further interest rate cuts could see the currency test a new post-global financial crisis low. The Reserve Bank of Australia is now widely tipped to reduce the cash rate in April, although Prashant Newnaha of TD Securities says a rate cut in March is still possible. The RBA is expected to downgrade its economic growth forecasts on 7 February, and National Australia Bank economist Kaixin Owyong says this means that further rate cuts will be necessary.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, TD SECURITIES, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Hayne casualties in limbo a year after the inquiry

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Original article by James Frost, Aleks Vickovich, James Eyers, Sally Patten
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 31-Jan-20

Terry McMaster claims the Hayne royal commission, which handed down its final report in February 2019, was a waste of time and money. McMaster, the former head of Dover Financial, is the only person to be convicted as a direct consequence of the commission thus far. A number of high-profile executives left the financial services sector after appearing before the commission, or being implicated in evidence presented to it; only a small number of those individuals have returned to corporate life. One witness has stated they felt they were abandoned by their company after appearing before the commission, while some hold the view that women wore the burden of the commission disproportionately to men.

CORPORATES
DOVER FINANCIAL ADVISERS PTY LTD, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, IOOF HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX IFL, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

Consensus shifts to April cut after NAB relents

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Original article by Sarah Turner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 31-Jan-20

The futures market is currently pricing in a 10.4 per cent chance that the Reserve Bank of Australia will reduce the cash rate on 4 February, compared with a 53 per cent chance in mid-January. National Australia Bank’s chief economist Alan Oster previously expected a rate cut in February, and while he still believes that the RBA should so, he says the next rate cut is now likely to be in April. The other major banks also expect an official interest rate cut in April.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

IPO drought expected to continue into the new year

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 30-Jan-20

Research by HLB Mann Judd shows that 28 companies with a market capitalisation of less than $100m listed on the Australian sharemarket in 2019, compared with 72 in 2018. In total, just 62 companies debuted on the local bourse in 2019, collectively raising $6.91bn. The downturn in IPO activity has carried over into 2020, and HLB Mann Judd partner Nicholas Guest says many owners of high-growth businesses are likely to seek private equity backing rather than an IPO in the current environment.

CORPORATES
HLB MANN JUDD

Home loan customers reward ME Bank with highest satisfaction rating

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 30-Jan-20

New Roy Morgan banking data shows that ME Bank has the leading satisfaction rating (91.4%) among home loan customers. ING remains in top position among non-home loan customers with a rating of 89.8%. Among home loan customers, ME Bank is followed by ING (89.3%), Bendigo Bank (83.3%) and Bankwest (77.1%). For non-home loan customers, leader ING is followed by Bendigo Bank (87.8%), ME Bank (83.5%) and Suncorp (81.0%). The institution with the largest discrepancy between home loan and non-home loan customer satisfaction is Suncorp, where the satisfaction rating among home loan customers (72.6%) is more than 8 percentage points below its rating among non-home loan customers (81.0%). The ratings are taken from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, compiled by in-depth face-to-face interviews with around 50,000 Australians each year in their homes.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, ME BANK, ING BANK (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, BENDIGO BANK, BANKWEST, SUNCORP BANK

Bank bashing hurts economy

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 15 & 19 : 24-Jan-20

Former ANZ Bank CEO John McFarlane will succeed Lindsay Maxsted as Westpac’s chairman on 2 April. McFarlane has warned that continued criticism of the banking sector and policies such as the bank levy will affect the industry’s returns and ultimately impact on the economy via lower government revenue. His appointment follows Westpac’s alleged large-scale breach of anti-money laundering laws, which led to the departure of Maxsted and CEO Brian Hartzer.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE

Veteran banker to chair Westpac

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Original article by John Durie, Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 15 & 16 : 23-Jan-20

Former ANZ Bank CEO John McFarlane is set to succeed Lindsay Maxsted as Westpac’s chairman. Maxsted will step down ahead of schedule in response to the bank’s breach of anti-money laundering laws. Sources have indicated that McFarlane was chosen due to factors such as his knowledge of the retail banking sector, his reputation as a ‘change agent’ and the fact that he has no prior links to Westpac. The major bank has yet to appoint a permanent successor to former CEO Brian Hartzer.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE

NAB hit with class action on super rip-off

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Original article by Aleks Vickovich
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 & 17 : 22-Jan-20

A class action lawsuit will contend that National Australia Bank’s superannuation customers incurred substantial losses due to the bank’s tardiness in shifting them to a MySuper product. Law firm Maurice Blackburn will argue that NAB subsidiaries MLC Nominees and NULIS Nominees breached their duties as superannuation trustees by keeping customers in funds that had higher fees than MySuper products. The allegations were first raised before the Hayne royal commission in 2018.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD, MLC NOMINEES, NULIS NOMINEES (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

Rate cuts not working says CBA economist

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Original article by Sarah Turner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 22-Jan-20

National Australia Bank’s chief economist Alan Oster says the Reserve Bank needs to reduce official interest rates twice in 2020 in order to stimulate the economy. He expects the first rate cut to be in February. The Commonwealth Bank’s chief economist Michael Blythe also anticipates a rate cut in February, although he opposes such a move. Blythe contends that the three rate cuts in 2019 have not been effective, and they have resulted in outcomes such as a decline in consumer confidence.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

People’s Choice Credit Union – 95% customer satisfaction – highest satisfaction score in the general insurance category

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jan-20

People’s Choice Credit Union has won Roy Morgan’s General Insurer of the Month Award for November 2019, with a customer satisfaction rating of 95%. It is now ahead of RACT (92%), RAA (91%), Shannons (90%) and RAC (87%), and has won its second consecutive monthly award. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says that while RACT has been the dominant brand throughout 2019, People’s Choice Credit Union has been the standout performer in terms of ratings growth, increasing its rating by 9% over the last 12 months. The latest customer satisfaction ratings are taken from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, compiled by in-depth face-to-face interviews with over 50,000 Australians each year in their homes.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, PEOPLE’S CHOICE CREDIT UNION, RACT INSURANCE PTY LTD, RAA INSURANCE LIMITED, SHANNONS, RAC INSURANCE PTY LTD