K: Financial and Insurance Services

Banks struggle despite RBNZ retreat: analysts

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 20 : 9-Dec-19

Jonathan Mott of UBS says the outlook for Australia’s banks remains "very challenging", despite the fact that they will be treated more favourably than expected under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s new capital requirements. The central bank will phase in the new capital rules over a longer time-frame, while the banks will able to hold a wider range of securities as tier-one capital. Several analysts expect the new capital rules to result in the banks receiving lower dividend payouts from their New Zealand subsidiaries.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Humbled Westpac faces shareholder anger

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 9-Dec-19

Some 64 per cent of votes cast at Westpac’s 2018 annual meeting rejected its remuneration report. The bank is likely to incur a second ‘strike’ at its 2019 annual meeting on 12 December, while the re-election of director Peter Marriott is uncertain in the wake of the scandal over breaches of anti-money laundering laws. However, Westpac is likely to avoid a resolution calling for a board spill. The Australian Shareholders’ Association and proxy adviser ISS will vote against the remuneration report, although the ASA will oppose any push to spill the board.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIAN SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSOCIATION, INSTITUTIONAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES INCORPORATED, OWNERSHIP MATTERS PTY LTD, CGI GLASS LEWIS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION INVESTORS INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE

Health insurance crisis looms

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 17 & 18 : 9-Dec-19

Medibank Private’s chief customer officer David Koczkar and NIB Holdings MD Mark Fitzgibbon have stressed the need to reign in rising costs in Australia’s health care system. Private Healthcare Australia CEO Rachel David has warned that smaller private health insurers in particular may not be viable unless reforms are implemented. The federal government has approved a 3.27 per cent increase in Medibank’s premiums for 2020, while NIB and Bupa will lift their premiums by 2.9 per cent and 3.26 per cent respectively.

CORPORATES
MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, NIB HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NHF, BUPA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PRIVATE HEALTHCARE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

JPMorgan helped identify cartel bankers

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Original article by Pamela Williams
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 6-Dec-19

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is taking criminal cartel action against the ANZ Bank, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank, as well as six of their executives. The ACCC’s action relates to a $2.5 billion capital raising by ANZ, with the ACCC alleging that bankers from the three companies conspired to restrict the supply of or maintain the price of ANZ shares following the capital raising. Former JP Morgan executive Richard Galvin has told the New South Wales Local Court that he had listened to covert phone recordings to help the ACCC identify bankers on the calls.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, LOCAL COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Banks boosted as Kiwis cave in

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 6-Dec-19

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will require the local subsidiaries of Australia’s four major banks to hold tier one capital that is equivalent to at least 16 per cent of their risk-weighted assets. They will also be required to hold total capital of 18 per cent, of which 13.5 per cent will have to be common equity tier one capital. However, the new rules will be implemented over a seven-year period, rather than the five-year time-frame that was initially proposed.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, S&P GLOBAL RATINGS

ASIC bans life and consumer credit insurance cold calls

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Original article by James Fernyhough
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 5-Dec-19

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission will crack down on the practice of hawking in the financial services sector. Insurers will not be allowed to sell life and consumer credit insurance products via unsolicited telephone calls from 13 January. ASIC says no insurer had objected to the proposed ban during a consultation period. The Hayne royal commission had recommended a total ban on cold calling for all insurance and superannuation products.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, COMMINSURE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, SELECT AFSL

Retail investors turn on director Marriott

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Original article by Aleks Vickovich
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 5-Dec-19

Westpac’s money-laundering scandal is set to dominate its AGM on 12 December. The Australian Shareholders’ Association has signalled its intention to vote against the remuneration report and the re-election of Westpac director Peter Marriott. However, it will support the re-election of Nerida Caesar, Steve Harker and Margaret Seale. The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors has indicated that it will vote in favour of Marriott’s re-election. Some 64.2 per cent of votes cast at Westpac’s 2018 AGM rejected its remuneration report.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIAN SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION INVESTORS INCORPORATED, LEGG MASON ASSET MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MARTIN CURRIE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Banks braced for RBNZ’s capital D-Day

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 16 : 5-Dec-19

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will announce its new tier-1 capital requirements for Australian banks’ NZ subsidiaries on 5 December. Cameron Bagrie from Bagrie Economics expects the central bank to push ahead with its previously flagged plan to increase minimum capital ratios to 16 per cent, despite warnings from banks that this is excessive. It is estimated that Australian banks would need to hold about $18bn worth of additional capital in New Zealand, which may reduce both their profits and dividends in Australia.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, BAGRIE ECONOMICS, EVANS AND PARTNERS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, NEW ZEALAND BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION

$45bn ASX hit as trade war flares

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 17 & 25 : 4-Dec-19

The Australian sharemarket recorded its third-biggest one-day fall in the year to date on 3 December; it was driven by factors such as the interest rate outlook and the latest tariff moves in the US. However, Kyle Rodda of IG Markets says the local bourse was overdue for a pullback after the recent strong gains. Wall Street and European stocks also fell sharply, although Asian markets recorded more modest declines, while the Australian dollar reached a three-week high. Richard Coppleson of Bell Potter still expects the local market to reach a new record high by the end of 2019.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, IG MARKETS LIMITED, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Westpac told of payments weeks ago

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Original article by Michael Roddan, Bridget Carter
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 29-Nov-19

Westpac has claimed that it was not aware of Austrac’s allegations regarding payments linked to child exploitation until 20 November, when the scandal was exposed. However, Austrac’s statement of claim shows that it specifically requested information from Westpac about such payments at least six weeks earlier. Meanwhile, Westpac has advised that it will allow retail investors to withdraw from a share purchase plan that was announced a week before Austrac filed civil proceedings against the bank.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, CLIME CAPITAL LIMITED – ASX CAM