SECURITIES COMMISSIONS – AUSTRALIA

‘Do the right thing’: ASIC raises pressure on CBA over refund refusal

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Original article by Clancy Yeates
The Age – Page: Online : 30-Jul-25

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is under scrutiny after advising that it will not provide refunds to low-income customers who had been charged high account fees. Westpac and the ANZ Bank have both agreed to provide such refunds to welfare recipients in the wake of an investigation by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. However, the CBA contends that the fees in question were disclosed to customers and charged in accordance with its terms and conditions, although it subsequently indicated that it will consider making ‘goodwill payments’ to some affected customers. ASIC chairman Joe Longo has urged CBA to avoid taking a legalistic approach to the issue, arguing that other major banks are "doing the right thing".

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

ANZ probed on account interest

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis, David Ross
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 22-Jan-25

The ANZ Bank is believed to be under renewed scrutiny by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, in the wake of recent claims that it deducted fees from the accounts of customers who had died. ANZ has now been accused of incorrectly calculating the interest on a range of savings and deposit accounts, including bonus interest rates. ANZ was embroiled in a similar scandal in 2015, when it was forced to compensate customers regarding the bonus interest they received over a seven-year period.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Watchdog probes fee theft from dead people: ANZ in more strife

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis, David Ross
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 18-Dec-24

The ANZ Bank’s board is likely to face more pressure to address compliance issues in the wake of allegations that fees were deducted from the accounts of customers who had died. Sources have indicated that the Australian Securities & Investments Commission is considering enforcement action against ANZ’s retail banking arm in response to the scandal. Helen Bird from Swinburne University says it is "surprising and disappointing" that scandals of this nature are still occurring more than five years after AMP came under scrutiny by the Hayne royal commission for engaging in this conduct.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

ANZ had early warning of probe

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Original article by David Ross
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 27-Nov-24

The ANZ Bank is continuing to attract scrutiny over its role in a $14 billion government bond placement in April 2023. The bank formally informed shareholders in mid-May 2024 that it is being investigated by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission with regard to the bond placement. ASIC had served ANZ with a formal notice of investigation in February, but sources have indicated that the bank’s senior management had been aware of the regulator’s interest in the bond deal in August 2023, when it requested access to documents concerning ANZ’s role in the transaction.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Longo suspects ANZ broke law

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Original article by Ronald Mizen, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 24-Jul-24

Australian Securities & Investments Commission chairman Joe Longo has responded to claims by ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott regarding the bank’s government bond scandal. Elliott said ANZ does not believe that there was any wrongdoing on its part, and ASIC has simply asked it to "please explain" some "unusual activity" in the bond market in April 2023. However, Longo says it is on the public record that ASIC is investigating the bond trades, adding that this means by definition that the corporate regulator suspects a breach of the law. Longo has also advised that ASIC has established a dedicated insider trading team.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

10 years on, ASIC drops Rio pursuit

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 15 : 1-Mar-22

Rio Tinto has agreed to settle the Australian Securities & Investments Commission’s legal action over the $US29bn writedown of its Mozambique coal assets in early 2013. The $750,000 civil penalty for breaching Rio Tinto’s continuous disclosure obligations in the lead-up to the writedown must be approved by the Federal Court. ASIC has dropped most of the original charges against Rio Tinto, as well as former CEO Tom Albanese and ex-CFO Guy Elliott. Rio Tinto had acquired Mozambique-focused Riversdale Mining for $US3.7bn in 2011.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, RIVERSDALE MINING LIMITED

10 years on, ASIC drops Rio pursuit

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 15 : 1-Mar-22

Rio Tinto has agreed to settle the Australian Securities & Investments Commission’s legal action over the $US29bn writedown of its Mozambique coal assets in early 2013. The $750,000 civil penalty for breaching Rio Tinto’s continuous disclosure obligations in the lead-up to the writedown must be approved by the Federal Court. ASIC has dropped most of the original charges against Rio Tinto, as well as former CEO Tom Albanese and ex-CFO Guy Elliott. Rio Tinto had acquired Mozambique-focused Riversdale Mining for $US3.7bn in 2011.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, RIVERSDALE MINING LIMITED

ASIC warning: no crypto safety net

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Original article by John Kehoe, Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: S3 : 23-Nov-21

Australian Securities & Investments Commission chairman Joe Longo has urged retail investors to be cautious when it comes to putting money into cryptocurrencies, as he doubts that many understand what they are investing in. He admitted to the 2021 Super & Wealth summit that ASIC has very little power to intervene in cryptocurrency assets as many are probably not financial products. Fidelity portfolio manager Kate Howitt told the summit that assessing the value of crypto is difficult because it is an asset that does not have a cash flow stream.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FIDELITY INVESTMENTS AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Dodgy advice refunds hit $1.86bn

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 17 : 6-Aug-21

The fee-for-no-service scandal has now cost six of Australia’s biggest financial institutions more than $1.6bn in total. New data from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission shows that the four major banks, Macquarie Group and AMP paid out an additional $620.9m during the first six months of 2021. They have also paid out $224.6m in total to customers who received non-compliant financial advice. It has also been alleged that about 2,000 of AMP’s customers had continued to be charged fees after the institution was informed that they had died.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Westpac insurance sales misleading: ASIC

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 9-Apr-21

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission is taking legal action against Westpac in the Federal Court. ASIC claims that Westpac mis-sold credit card insurance to customers who did not want it, with more than 380 customers affected in a four-month period between April and July 2015. Westpac has stated that it will work with ASIC constructively through the court process, and that it has not sold credit card insurance since 2019. Credit card insurance came under scrutiny during the Hayne royal commission, and the big banks have stopped selling the product.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA