FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA

Hayne to probe industry super funds over union sponsorships

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 20-Jul-18

The superannuation industry will be a key focus of the banking royal commission’s next round of hearings, which will commence on 6 August. AustralianSuper, Hostplus and Cbus are believed to be among the industry super funds that have been asked to provide the inquiry with information on their sponsorship arrangements with unions. However, the inquiry is not believed to have requested similar information regarding such deals with employers’ groups.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, HOST-PLUS, CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, HEALTH EMPLOYEES’ SUPERANNUATION TRUST AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, THE NEW DAILY, INDUSTRY SUPER HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ME BANK, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Perpetual motion: Lloyd to lead NAB wealth spin-off

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 18-Jul-18

National Australia Bank has advised that Geoff Lloyd will become CEO of its MLC wealth business on 1 September. Lloyd recently stepped down as CEO of Perpetual after six years, a period which saw strong growth in its profits and share price. NAB plans to divest MLC via a sharemarket float or trade sale, and Lloyd says the opportunity to grow the business as a stand-alone wealth manager was a key reason for his decision to take on the role. The spin-off will include NAB’s superannuation and financial planning businesses.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MLC LIMITED, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, IOOF HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX IFL, JBWERE LIMITED, NABTRADE, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, NIPPON LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

AMP warns planners on risky advice

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Original article by Alice Uribe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Jul-18

AMP appears reluctant to retain self-employed financial planners under its operating licence, as it continues to be impacted by the "fee for no service" scandal. AMP is understood to have given some self-employed planners just months to find a new operating licence. Meanwhile, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission has confirmed that plans to continue its investigation of AMP over the fees scandal.

CORPORATES
AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, HILLROSS FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED, IPAC FINANCIAL CARE LIMITED, CHARTER FINANCIAL PLANNING LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, ADVISER SOLUTIONS PTY LTD, CONNECT FINANCIAL SERVICES BROKERS

ASIC calls for crackdown on card sharks

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 4-Jul-18

A review of the credit card industry by the Australian Securities & Investment Commission has found that many consumers are finding it hard to repay their debt. ASIC deputy chair Peter Kell says relatively few card issuers actively take action to address such problems. In addition to being in arrears, many consumers have been issued with credit cards that are inappropriate for their needs. ASIC has proposed new rules whereby a consumer’s credit card debt would be restricted to their capacity to repay it within three years.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, LATITUDE GROUP, AMERICAN EXERGEN CORPORATION, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

Labor credit report delay will entrench banks: Fintechs

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 15-Jun-18

The CEOs of five financial technology lenders have urged shadow treasurer Chris Bowen to reconsider Labor’s push for a key part of the comprehensive credit reporting regime to be delayed for 12 months. The CCR regulations are slated to take effect on 1 July, but Labor has advocated deferring the reporting of repayment history information for a year. The CEOs of SocietyOne, RateSetter, MoneyPlace, Harmoney and WISR have warned that such a delay will allow the major banks to retain their competitive advantage.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SOCIETYONE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RATESETTER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MONEYPLACE PTY LTD, HARMONEY LIMITED, WISR LIMITED – ASX WZR

Top financial advisers rush for the exits

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Original article by James Kirby
The Australian – Page: 19 : 13-Jun-18

The second annual list of Australia’s Top Fifty Financial Advisers shows that 29 are no longer affiliated with a financial services group such as a bank or insurance company. The growing trend for financial advisers to become non-aligned has coincided with the banking royal commission and moves by some of the major banks to retreat from the wealth management sector. The list is compiled by "The Australian" in partnership with financial magazine "Barron’s".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

Westpac ends referral deal with Prospa

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 28 : 12-Jun-18

Westpac has terminated a referral arrangement with fintech Prospa that it established in 2015. The arrangement saw Westpac refer customers that did not meet its lending criteria to Prospa; it is understood that not many referrals had been made under the agreement. The ending of the agreement is seen as being prompted by Westpac’s desire to increase the amount of unsecured loans it makes to small businesses, and comes after Prospa postponed plans to list on the Australian sharemarket.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, PROSPA GROUP LIMITED ASX PGL, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, MYOB GROUP LIMITED – ASX MYO, LIBERTY FINANCE PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, FINTECH AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS AND FAMILY ENTERPRISE OMBUDSMAN

AMP hit with fourth class action

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 23 : 8-Jun-18

Slater & Gordon is the latest law firm to formally file a class action lawsuit against wealth manager AMP in the wake of revelations that it charged clients for services that were not provided. Three other law firms have filed class actions to date, while Maurice Blackburn has yet to do so. Meanwhile, Kieren Chidgey of UBS estimates that financial planners who are affiliated with AMP and ANZ Bank are currently the least qualified to meet the new minimum education requirements for the sector that take effect in 2019.

CORPORATES
AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, SLATER AND GORDON LIMITED – ASX SGH, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, IOOF HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX IFL, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART AND SULLIVAN LP, SHINE LAWYERS, PHI FINNEY McDONALD PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED

Prospa float postponed by ASIC probe

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 16 : 7-Jun-18

Fintech company Prospa Group was slated to make its sharemarket debut on 6 June, but the listing has been delayed for 48 hours. Prospa has advised that the Australian Securities & Investments Commission has raised concerns about some aspects of its business loans contracts. The average annual interest rate of Prospa’s loans is 41 per cent, which has been criticised by Council of Small Business of Australia CEO Peter Strong. Prospa anticipates a default ratio of about one in every 20 customers.

CORPORATES
PROSPA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PGL, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, FIELD RESEARCH PTY LTD, FINTECH AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FINANCE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS AND FAMILY ENTERPRISE OMBUDSMAN, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, AUSTRALIAN BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION

Financial adviser exodus puts $900b of savings in flux

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Original article by Alice Uribe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 20 : 24-May-18

Research by consumer group Adviser Ratings shows that 7,000 Australian financial advisers have left the industry since 2015. An additional 14,000 are expected to do so in the next five years, primarily due to reforms that are likely to be implemented in response to the banking royal commission. The large number of advisers leaving the industry will affect around $A900m worth of clients’ funds, and Mark Hoven of Adviser Ratings says more than 25 per cent of these funds may end up not being under advice.

CORPORATES
ADVISER RATINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AZ NGA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, IOOF HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX IFL, NETWEALTH GROUP LIMITED – ASX NWL, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION