BANKS AND BANKING – AUSTRALIA

Deutsche fires rogue forex trader

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Original article by Bianca Hartge-Hazelman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 20 : 22-Sep-14

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority will look into the actions of a "rogue" foreign exchange trader. Deutsche Bank dismissed Andy Donaldson in June 2014 after he was found to have been overstating foreign exchange trades, resulting in large losses for his employer. There have been similar scandals at Deutsche’s international operations

CORPORATES
DEUTSCHE BANK AG, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, BARCLAYS BANK PLC, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND GROUP PLC, UBS AG

Big four banks facing strong competition selling superannuation to their customers

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 4-Sep-14

A Roy Morgan Research Consumer Single Source survey has found that National Australia Bank had an 18.4 per cent share of its customers’ superannuation wallet in the year to July 2014. This compares with 20.5 per cent in the year to July 2010. The Commonwealth Bank now has a 13.2 per cent share of its customers’ super wallet, followed by Westpac with 13 per cent. Meanwhile, industry super funds hold around 25 per cent of bank customers’ super wallet, while AMP holds about six per cent

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

Correction in housing market ‘inevitable’

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Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 21 : 3-Sep-14

Residential real estate prices have risen an average 15% in a year in the Australian state and territory capital markets, while auction clearance rates in late August 2014 are around 70%. Australian Prudential Regulation Authority data also indicate that the main four banks are taking on riskier mortgage loan borrowers. However business leader David Gonski says while an eventual price decline is a certainty in the housing market, the banks are able to manage their lending strategies

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, SCHULTE RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL

Investors back secret BoQ, Suncorp merger talks

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Original article by James Chessell, Sarah Thompson, Ruth Liew, Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 45 : 3-Sep-14

Jan van der Schalk of CLSA believes that there were merits to the proposed merger between Suncorp Group’s banking division and the Bank of Queensland (BoQ). Ausbil Dexia’s Paul Xiradis says any such deal would have been well received by the market, but notes that the groups’ focus on Queensland could be a concern. It has been revealed that Suncorp and BoQ abandoned preliminary merger talks earlier in 2014. Chris Hall of Argo Investments says the resignation of BoQ CEO Stuart Grimshaw means further merger talks are unlikely

CORPORATES
SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSBIL DEXIA LIMITED, ARGO INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX ARG, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, PROMINA GROUP LIMITED, EZCORP INCORPORATED, VIRGIN MONEY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED MOTOR INSURERS LIMITED, GIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, BELL FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX BFG

Macquarie hits political opposition in US network plan

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 19 : 1-Sep-14

The Utah Taxpayers Association opposes Macquarie Group’s proposal to complete the construction of an open-access broadband network in the state. Work on the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) project started about 10 years ago, and Macquarie wants to finance completion of the network. The original proposal was for the network to cover 11 cities in Utah

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, UTAH TELECOMMUNICATION OPEN INFRASTRUCTURE AGENCY (UTOPIA), UTAH TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION, CENTURYLINK, COMCAST CORPORATION, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PARTNERS LLC, ECONOWEST ASSOCIATES

S&P 500 makes history

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Original article by John Kehoe, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 27-Aug-14

The S&P 500 scaled new heights on 25 August 2014, briefly rising above the 2,000-point level. The index reached the 1,000-point milestone for the first time in early February 1998. However, US financial stocks have underperformed over the last 16 years, gaining just 10 per cent overall. Shares in Citigroup, Bank of America and American International Group in particular have been savagely sold down since 1998, while the shares of Australia’s four major banks have surged

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, CITIGROUP INCORPORATED, BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION, AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP INCORPORATED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, PM CAPITAL LIMITED, DELTEC INTERNATIONAL GROUP, JP MORGAN AND COMPANY INCORPORATED

NAB funding costs hit GFC low

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 23 : 26-Aug-14

Debt financing has become more affordable for Australia’s four main banks, meaning they can compete more vigorously for mortgage loan customers without sacrificing margins. National Australia Bank has in mid-August 2014 sourced $A1.65bn via bonds with a maturity of 5.25 years and an interest rate of just 82 basis points above the bank bill swap rate. This is the lowest cost for such a move by the "big four" since the global financial crisis. The majority of bank funding still comes from deposits, but long-term debt accounts for 12%

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

CBA enlists heavyweights for compo panel

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 16 : 25-Aug-14

Following a scandal over improper advice by its financial planning arm, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has formed an Independent Review Panel for the Open Advice Review Program meant to compensate affected customers. Some 400,000 clients of Commonwealth Financial Planning and Financial Wisdom from 2003 to 2012 will benefit. CBA has sought the services of a number of class action law firms on the issue, appointed ex- judges Geoffrey ­Davies and Julie Dodds-Streeton to the panel, and recruited US-based Promontory Financial Group to monitor internal processes at the bank

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, COMMONWEALTH FINANCIAL PLANNING LIMITED, FINANCIAL WISDOM LIMITED, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, McGRATH NICOL AND PARTNERS SERVICES PTY LTD, COURT OF APPEAL (QUEENSLAND), SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, PROMONTORY FINANCIAL GROUP LLC, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, MACQUARIE PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, QUEENSLAND. PUBLIC HOSPITALS COMMISSION OF INQUIRY, QUEENSLAND. LITIGATION REFORM COMMISSION

CBA to continue march into China

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Original article by Scott Murdoch
The Australian – Page: 17 : 22-Aug-14

Simon Blair, head of international financial services at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), says its push into the Chinese market has a focus on the regions. It has launched 15 banks in such areas since 2011, the latest being Handanxian County Bank in Hebei province. CBA has full ownership of a third of the businesses, and stakes of 80% each in the remainder. The Chinese county banks have recorded 13% growth in lending and 97% in deposits during 2013-14

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, HANDANXIAN COUNTY BANK

Bank rush for fixed-rate loans

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Original article by Clancy Yeates
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 18-Aug-14

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has matched recent moves by several rivals to reduce their most popular fixed interest rate home loans. CBA’s three-year interest rate has been reduced by 15 basis points, to 4.94 per cent, while its four-year fixed rate has been cut by 50 basis points to 5.09 per cent. CBA’s Clive van Horen notes that there has been a spike in customers opting for fixed-rate loans since its five-year rate was cut in July 2014

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CANSTAR PTY LTD