BANKS AND BANKING – AUSTRALIA

NAB withheld size of fee scandal from ASIC for 11 months

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 22-Aug-18

Australian financial services providers could be forced to repay clients more than $1bn over the fee-for-no-service scandal. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission’s deputy chairman Peter Kell has told the banking royal commission that just $260m has been refunded to date. Meanwhile, National Australia Bank informed ASIC in early November 2016 that clients affected by the scandal were owed $34.6m, but ASIC contends that NAB was aware of the extent of these liabilities some 11 months earlier. ASIC’s first report on the scandal had estimated that NAB owed just $12m.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP

NAB’s board met ASIC days before Hayne hit

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Original article by Pamela Williams
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 17-Aug-18

Senior National Australia Bank executives held a meeting with Australian Securities & Investments Commission officials at the bank’s headquarters on 30 July. NAB executives subsequently fronted the banking royal commission in early August, after featuring prominently in its previous hearings. An NAB spokesman has indicated that the meeting with ASIC had been organised in late 2017 and such meetings are held regularly. Documents released by the inquiry on 15 August show that ASIC has accused NAB of a range of civil and criminal offences in relation to the "fee for no service" scandal.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE

NAB fee grab slammed by the watchdog

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Original article by Ben Butler
The Australian – Page: 17 & 22 : 16-Aug-18

Documents released by the banking royal commission show that the Australian Securities & Investments Commission has criticised National Australia Bank over its lack of action in addressing the fee-for-no-service scandal. ASIC wrote to NAB in May to express its dissatisfaction with the bank’s proposed remedial action, stating that it did not constitute an "acceptable resolution" to the regulator’s concerns. ASIC has accused NAB of a range of civil and criminal offences.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, NULIS NOMINEES AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Senator demands extension to the Hayne inquiry to hear all claims

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 15-Aug-18

The banking royal commission is slated to deliver its final report by 1 February. However, Katter’s Australia Party senator Fraser Anning wants the inquiry to be extended, noting that just six farmers have been given the opportunity to provide evidence about misconduct in the financial services industry. Anning has also called for the inquiry’s terms of reference to be broadened to include the conduct of receivers, liquidators and valuers. He has raised the possibility of voting against government bills if the inquiry is not extended.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, KATTER’S AUSTRALIAN PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ONE NATION PARTY

CBA’s 15,000 crimes waved on by APRA

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Original article by Ben Butler, Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 18 & 23 : 15-Aug-18

The banking royal commission has been told that the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority did not pursue action against Colonial First State over its tardiness in transitioning customers to MySuper products. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia subsidiary had been required to shift clients to the low-fee accounts by the start of 2014. However, it did not do so for more than three years. CBA admitted to over 15,000 breaches of the Superannuation Industry Supervision Act, but rather than impose fines, APRA approved a plan to gradually transition CFS clients to MySuper accounts.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, COLONIAL FIRST STATE GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSSIE HOME LOANS LIMITED, COUNT FINANCIAL LIMITED, FINANCIAL WISDOM LIMITED

NAB hid compo from ASIC

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Original article by Ben Butler, Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 14-Aug-18

National Australia Bank’s Andrew Hagger has denied allegations that it withheld information on compensation payments from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. He told the banking royal commission that he had been "open and transparent" with ASIC commissioner Greg Tanzer in a telephone conversation on 24 October 2016, several hours after NAB’s wealth unit passed a resolution to increase compensation over its plan service fee. NAB released its financial results three days later, the same day on which ASIC released a report on the fees-for-no-service scandal.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, NATIONAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED, NULIS NOMINEES AUSTRALIA LIMITED

NAB chief insists acts not a crime

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 10-Aug-18

The banking royal commission has heard that National Australia Bank is being investigated over more than 100 alleged breaches of the law. The alleged breaches relate to actions by its superannuation and wealth management units, with the investigations being carried out by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. NAB CEO Andrew Thornburn says that it does not consider that the alleged claims against it amounted to criminal breaches, and he is absolutely certain that they were not criminal acts.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, MLC LIMITED, AMCOR LIMITED – ASX AMC, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, CARLTON AND UNITED BREWERIES

NAB placed on criminal charge alert

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Original article by Ben Butler, Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Aug-18

The "fee for no service" scandal has deepened, with the banking royal commission being told that National Australia Bank had charged more than 4,000 clients some $3m in fees after they had died. Nicole Smith, the chair of NAB’s superannuation trustee, confirmed that it had been charging dead people an adviser fee as recently as June. She said NAB looked into the issue earlier in 2018 after the inquiry heard that the Commonwealth Bank had been collecting fees from deceased customers. The inquiry was also told that NAB’s conduct could potentially incur criminal charges.

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

Fels backs Greens’ bank-breaker bid

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Aug-18

Former Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Allan Fels has expressed support for the Greens’ proposal to break up the nation’s largest banks and wealth manager AMP. Fels said he has been surprised by the extent of unethical behaviour in the financial services sector that has been exposed by the banking royal commission. He also says there may be merit in the Greens’ proposal to shift responsibility for regulating the sector to the ACCC, arguing that it has been more effective at enforcing the law than ASIC.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Comyn passes first test

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Original article by James Eyers, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 18 : 9-Aug-18

The Commonwealth Bank has posted a 2017-18 cash profit of $9.23bn, which is 4.8 per cent lower than previously. The result was marred by a 9.2 per cent increase in operating expenses in the wake of the bank’s money-laundering scandal and the banking royal commission. CEO Matt Comyn says there will be "substantial progress" on addressing governance issues during 2018-19. Shareholders will receive a 2017-18 full-year dividend of $4.31 per share, which is $0.02 higher than previously.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, CLIME ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, PERENNIAL VALUE MANAGEMENT LIMITED, ALPHINITY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY