BANKS AND BANKING – AUSTRALIA

are still dragging satisfaction levels down

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: online : 5-Jan-17

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that banking using an app on a mobile phone or tablet is now more popular than using branches, with 38.8% of Australians using it in an average four-week period, compared with only 28.2% for branches. Satisfaction is a major driver of this trend with 90.7% satisfaction with mobile banking among the big four, compared to 84.8% satisfaction with branches. With a 93.8% satisfaction rate among its mobile banking customers, the CBA has the highest satisfaction of the 10 major banks and has improved by 2.2% points over the last 12 months. Bendigo Bank is a close second with 93.4%, followed by ING Direct on 92.7%. The remainder of the big four banks were well below this top group with ANZ on 88.4%, NAB on 88.0% and Westpac on 87.7%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, GREATER BANK LIMITED, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN, ING DIRECT, SUNCORP BANK, ST GEORGE BANK LIMITED, BANK OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

ANZ leads in the big four investing game

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Original article by Tony Boyd
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 40 : 4-Jan-17

The ANZ Banking Group is selling its 20 per cent stake in the Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank for $A1.8 billion. The transaction will have a positive effect on the bank’s common equity tier 1 capital ratio, raising it to the highest level among Australia’s big four banks. Shareholders have reasons to be satisfied. The bank is likely to increase its return on equity.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, SHANGHAI RURAL COMMERCIAL BANK, ESANDA FINANCE CORPORATION LIMITED, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, DBS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

ANZ fires up Asia exit in $1.8b sale

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 4-Jan-17

ANZ Banking Group is retreating from Asia, with the latest transaction being the sale of its 20 per cent stake in Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank for $A1.8 billion. The stake is being acquired in two equal tranches by China COSCO Shipping Corporation and Shanghai Sino Poland Enterprise Management Development Corporation. The sale will result in a rise in ANZ’s tier one capital ratio from 9.6 per cent to 10 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, SHANGHAI RURAL COMMERCIAL BANK, ESANDA FINANCE CORPORATION LIMITED, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, DBS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED, CHINA COSCO SHIPPING CORPORATION, SHANGHAI SINO POLAND ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, BANK OF TIANJIN COMPANY LIMITED, AMBANK BERHAD

Westpac subsidiary taken to court on super advice

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Original article by Lucy Battersby
The Age – Page: 19 : 23-Dec-16

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission has launched legal action against Westpac Securities Administration Limited (WSAL) and BT Funds Management (BTFM). ASIC alleges in documents filed with the Federal Court’s New South Wales registry on 21 December 2016 that WSAL and BTFM breached the "best interests duty" regulations on 15 occasions during a sales campaign promoting superannuation products.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, WESTPAC SECURITISIES ADMINISTRATION LIMITED, BT FUNDS MANAGEMENT

Lenders see sanity return to home loans

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 15 & 18 : 19-Dec-16

Bendigo & Adelaide Bank CEO Mike Hirst notes that Australia’s four major banks are offering smaller discounts on mortgage interest rates than in the first half of 2016. He adds that the banks would have struggled to achieve a good return on these loans given the size of some discounts. Credit Union Australia CEO Rob Goudswaard expects a rise in mortgage interest rates after a period of intense competition. He also does anticipate a rise in the cash rate in 2017.

CORPORATES
BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN, CREDIT UNION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, LIBERTY FINANCIAL PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, DIGITAL FINANCE ANALYTICS, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Schwartz to replace Ridout on RBA board

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 19 : 16-Dec-16

Businesswoman and philanthropist Carol Schwartz will take up a five-year appointment on the Reserve Bank of Australia’s board in February 2017. Schwartz owns a property development company and is a director of the listed Stockland. Heather Ridout will step down from the RBA board after five years. The Federal Government has also appointed new members to agencies such as the Productivity Commission and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, QUALITAS PROPERTY PARTNERS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS TRIBUNAL, AUDITING AND ASSURANCE STANDARDS BOARD, PAYMENTS SYSTEM BOARD, SUSSAN CORPORATION (AUST) PTY LTD, BANK OF MELBOURNE LIMITED, WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, HIGGINS 200 CLUB

Westpac and NAB lift rates on investors

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 6-Dec-16

National Australia Bank (NAB) and Westpac have raised their interest rates on loans to property investors. NAB’s new and existing investors will now pay 5.55 per cent on loans with variable rates. A rise of 15 basis points will take effect on 12 December 2016. The rate for owners-occupiers remains unchanged at 5.25 per cent. Westpac has lifted interest-only rates for investors and owner-occupiers by eight basis points.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Foreign banks fill lending void

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Original article by Scott Murdoch
The Australian – Page: 23 : 30-Nov-16

Data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority shows that the average mortgage balance has risen from $A244,000 in 2015 to $A255,000. However, the value of new home loans grew by only 0.1 per cent year-on-year in the September 2016 quarter. A recent move by Australia’s major banks to reduce their lending to residential developers has also seen the value of offshore banks’ lending to local developers rise from $A1.49bn to $A2.65bn in the last year. Meanwhile, data from the Housing Industry Association shows that sales of new detached homes and apartments fell by 8.2 per cent and 9.2 per cent respectively in October.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD

Satisfaction with big four banks declines in October

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Nov-16

A Roy Morgan Research Single Source survey has found that the satisfaction level of personal customers of Australia’s four major banks fell to 79.5% in October 2016, compared with 79.8% in September. This represents a 2.0% decline in satisfaction with the big four since May 2015, when it peaked at 81.5%. The main cause of this decline has been the big reduction in satisfaction among home loan customers, down 3.4% points to 75.8%, compared with a decline of only 0.9% to 80.4% for other customers. The CBA remains the big four market leader, with a customer satisfaction rating of 81.7% (down 0.3%), but NAB was the only one among the big four to record an increase in customer satisfaction (up 0.7% to 78.7%). Meanwhile, the mutual banking sector’s overall customer satisfaction was 91.0% in October, well above the big four’s average of 79.5%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, GREATER BANK LIMITED, VICTORIA TEACHERS MUTUAL BANK, BANK AUSTRALIA, TEACHERS MUTUAL BANK LIMITED, BENDIGO BANK, ING DIRECT

Rally in local bank shares won’t last: CLSA

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 30 : 25-Nov-16

The share prices of Australia’s four major banks have risen by an average of nearly seven per cent since Donald Trump’s presidential election win. However, Brian Johnson of CLSA does not expect this to be sustained, noting that local and international banks are facing a number of headwinds. He adds that Australian bank stocks are expensive compared with their overseas peers, while their common-equity tier-one capital must be increased by some $A27bn.

CORPORATES
CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ