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☆ Australian general insurers to repay $550 million over pricing misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 23 (Reuters) - Australian general insurers will repay A$815 million ($550.29 million) to more than 5.6 million consumers due to their systemic failures in delivering on pricing promises, the country's corporate regulator said on Friday. A report published by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) found insurers did not always have adequate oversight and controls over the pricing promises made or delivered by the distributors of their products. Acting upon pricing failures reported since Jan. 1, 2018, ASIC's Deputy Chair Karen Chester said systemic pricing failures were a result of "unnecessary complexity in pricing promises and pricing practices — accounting for the lion's share (at least A$379 million) of the remediation". Back in October 2021, the regulator had directed 11 general insurers, including Insurance Australia Group (IAG.AX), QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited and the local subsidiary of Allianz (ALVG.DE) to complete comprehensive reviews to find, fix, report and repay customers for pricing failures. "It's now up to the boards of general insurers to ensure the prompt and full repayment of the A$815 million owed to their 5.6 million customers, implement the fixes needed and rebuild consumer trust," added Chester.

Persons: Karen Chester, It's, Jaskiran Singh, Krishna Chandra Organizations: Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Insurance Australia Group, QBE Insurance, Allianz, Thomson Locations: Australian, Australia, Chester, Bengaluru

☆ Fortescue expands battery and electric powertrain output in UK with new plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 19 (Reuters) - Australian miner Fortescue Metals (FMG.AX) is expanding its battery and electric powertrain production operations in the UK with a new plant in Oxfordshire, its green power arm Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) said on Monday. The Banbury facility will open in 2024 and operate alongside Fortescue’s other Oxfordshire facilities including the Kidlington factory which will open later this year, FFI said in a press release. The new plant will focus primarily on manufacturing of heavy industry, electric and zero-emission powertrain systems and will offer automated assembly for battery modules and packs. The world's fourth largest iron ore maker, Fortescue is expanding into production of hydrogen from renewable resources, known as green hydrogen, under its Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) unit, and aims to become a global powerhouse in renewable energy. read moreReporting by Jaskiran Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fortescue, FFI, Kemi Badenoch, Jaskiran Singh, Kim Coghill Organizations: Fortescue Future Industries, Trade, Thomson Locations: Oxfordshire, Banbury, Bengaluru

2 lender, fell short of analyst forecasts in half-year profit released on Thursday and took a hit to its share price after warning that the windfall from rising interest rates had peaked. The update signals a tough new phase for Australia's lenders which have benefited from a year of rising interest rates by charging more to borrowers while limiting the amount they pay deposit-holders. "What the market's concerned about is the exit NIM (net interest margin)," said Hugh Dive, chief investment officer at Atlas Funds Management which holds bank stocks. In personal banking, which includes mortgages, profit shrank slightly due to a A$393 million impairment charge. The bank had telephoned 7,000 borrowers deemed to be most vulnerable to rising interest rates and just 13 had requested assistance.

☆ Australia's IPH reveals data breach originated from member firm's systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 17 (Reuters) - Australia's IPH Ltd (IPH.AX) said on Monday a forensic probe into the data breach last month revealed that a limited set of data, which originated from member firm Spruson & Ferguson (Australia), was downloaded by an unauthorised third-party. "Based on this analysis, IPH has determined to notify a small number of individuals whose personal information was in the dataset." The Sydney-based firm estimated A$2 million ($1.34 million) to A$2.5 million (pre-tax) to be incurred as non-underlying costs in its full-year 2023 accounts related to the incident. IPH joins a long list of Australian firms reporting cybersecurity breaches over the past few months, which experts have attributed to an understaffed cybersecurity industry in the country. read more($1 = 1.4923 Australian dollars)Reporting by Jaskiran Singh in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh VenkateshwaranOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia's Latitude Group opposed to paying ransom to cyber attack criminals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 11 (Reuters) - Australian consumer finance firm Latitude Group Holdings Ltd (LFS.AX) will not pay a ransom to those behind a cyber attack last month, saying it will be detrimental to customers and cause harm to the broader community by encouraging further attacks. "We will not reward criminal behaviour, nor do we believe that paying a ransom will result in the return or destruction of the information that was stolen," Latitude said in a statement on Tuesday. Latitude, which provides consumer finance services to retailers Harvey Norman (HVN.AX) and JB Hi-Fi (JBH.AX), had also taken its platforms offline. Several Australian firms have reported cyber attacks over the past few months, which experts attribute to an understaffed cyber security industry. Reporting by Jaskiran Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia's HMC Capital to buy hospitals from U.S. firm for $802 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 30 (Reuters) - Australian asset manager HMC Capital Ltd (HMC.AX) said on Thursday it will buy 11 private hospitals from U.S.-based Medical Properties Trust (MPW.N) for A$1.20 billion ($802.08 million). The hospitals are currently managed by Brookfield Corp's (BN.TO) Healthscope, the second-largest private hospital operator in Australia. Additionally, HMC Capital will raise A$123 million to fund the transaction. "This acquisition transforms HCW into Australia's largest diversified healthcare REIT with greater exposure to critical healthcare infrastructure in Australia's major capital cities," said HMC Capital CEO David Di Pilla. HMC Capital is a Sydney-based asset manager founded and backed by banker-turned-investor David Di Pilla.

MELBOURNE, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Australia's Whitehaven Coal Ltd (WHC.AX) posted a more than five-fold jump in first-half profit on Thursday, aided by soaring coal prices, but paid a lower than expected dividend, sending its shares down. But Whitehaven announced an interim dividend of only 32 Australian cents per share, about 30% lower than Citi estimates and about 16 cents below Goldman Sachs' forecast. Whitehaven shares slid as much as 12.3% after news of the coal reservation scheme broke, before paring loses to A$7.88, down 3.8%. "We do think the structural underpinnings of the market are very positive, but in the short term, coal prices have come off quite a bit," Flynn added. Subsequently, the company kept its run-of-mine coal production guidance of between 19.0 million and 20.4 million tonnes for the 2023 fiscal year unchanged.

SYDNEY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - A venture headed by China's Tianqi Lithium (002466.SZ) made an A$136 million ($94.07 million) bid to buy Australian lithium developer Essential Metals (ESS.AX), in a big test of Australian regulators' appetite for Chinese-led foreign investment. Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA), which is 51% owned by Shenzhen- and Hong Kong-listed Tianqi Lithium Corporation and 49% by Australian miner IGO Ltd (IGO.AX), set the bid at 50 Australian cents per share. The deal requires the approval of Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), with Treasurer Jim Chalmers having the ultimate say. Essential Metals' shares surged as much as 40% on Monday, trading as high as 48.50 Australian cents. It expects the Essential Metals deal to be completed by May 2023.

☆ Apple's Australian workers go on Christmas strike demanding better wages, work terms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 23 (Reuters) - Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) workers in Australia initiated a strike Friday afternoon, demanding better working conditions and wages, a workers' union said, a move that might dent sales of the tech giant during the peak Christmas shopping time. Workers represented by Australia's Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU) had earlier this month announced a walk out from Apple's retail outlets nationwide at 3 PM local time (0400 GMT) on Dec. 23, with plans to stay away throughout Christmas Eve. Earlier in June, Apple workers in Maryland, United States, became the first retail employees of the tech giant to unionize in the country as workers continued to criticize the company's working conditions. RAFFWU, which is at the forefront of the strike, claims an eight-year old agreement denies workers "weekends, consecutive days off, set rosters, set days of work, 12-hour breaks between shifts, overtime rates," among others. "The 2014 agreement is one such agreement which pushed workers below the legal minimum," the union alleged, demanding the iPhone maker immediately return to the table and negotiate a fair agreement.

☆ Evergrande to sell Shenzhen commercial plot for $1.05 bln amid debt woes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 28 (Reuters) - China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) said on Monday its unit has entered into a deal to sell a piece of commercial land in Shenzhen for 7.54 billion yuan ($1.05 billion), as the embattled property developer looks to shave off its massive debt. Evergrande, which has about $300 billion in liabilities, has been at the centre of a deepening property debt crisis in China that has seen multiple developers defaulting on their offshore debt obligations over the past year, prompting many to consider debt restructuring. read moreThe company said it will sell the land to Shenzhen Anhe No. 1 Property Development, a unit of Shenzhen Anju Construction Investment and Operation. Evergrande expects a loss of about 163 million yuan from the disposal of the 10,376.82 square meter landholding located in Shenzhen.

Australia's fourth-largest bank also said it would reduce exposure to its largest carbon-emitting customers that do not improve their emission transition plans by 2025. ANZ also disclosed that it would lower its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2025 and 90% by 2030. "Our exposure to thermal coal will continue to decline in line with our existing commitments, which includes no longer onboarding any new business customers with material thermal coal exposures, or directly financing new thermal coal mines or power plants," ANZ said. In July, Westpac (WBC.AX) unveiled plans to reduce its lending to coal, oil and gas companies by nearly a quarter by 2030 to slash emissions. read more($1 = A$1.4786)Reporting by Tejaswi Marthi and Jaskiran Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Uttaresh.VOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Australia Inc roiled by raft of cyberattacks this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. The data exposed included home addresses, drivers' licences and passport numbers. AUSTRALIAN CLINICAL LABSAustralian Clinical Labs Ltd (ACL.AX), one of the country's largest pathology providers, said unit Medlab suffered a breach that exposed data of about 223,000 patients. TELSTRAAustralia's largest telecoms operator Telstra (TLS.AX) suffered what it called a small data breach, which exposed data of about 30,000 current and former employees dating back to 2017. Compiled by Jaskiran Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ James Hardie cuts fiscal 2023 profit view as inflation clouds housing market
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 8 (Reuters) - James Hardie Industries (JHX.AX) on Tuesday lowered its earnings forecast for fiscal 2023 for the second time, as the world's largest fibre cement maker saw volumes across all three key regions tumbling amid uncertainties around a slowing housing market. Demand in the housing market has tapered down owing to an aggressive policy tightening by global central banks to contain decades-high inflation, making it less affordable for consumers to take out mortgages. The Australia-listed firm now expects full-year adjusted net income between $650 million and $710 million, down from $730 million to $780 million. "We see a weakened housing market for the remainder of our fiscal year, softening volumes in all three regions we participate in," James Hardie Chief Executive Aaron Erter said. James Hardie decided to skip the payment of an interim dividend and instead announced a share buyback program for up to $200 million, commencing immediately through to Oct. 31 2023.

☆ Factbox: Australia Inc roiled by raft of cyberattacks since late 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. AUSTRALIAN CLINICAL LABSAustralian Clinical Labs Ltd (ACL.AX), one of the country's largest pathology providers, said unit Medlab suffered a breach that exposed data of about 223,000 patients. TPG TELECOMAustralia's No.2 internet service provider TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) said it had been notified of unauthorised access to a hosted exchange service that hosts email accounts of up to 15,000 business customers. CBACommonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX said its Indonesian unit, PT Bank Commonwealth (PTBC), had been hit by a cyber incident involving unauthorised access of a web-based software application used for project management. IPHAustralian intellectual property services provider IPH Ltd (IPH.AX) said it had detected unauthorised access to a portion of its IT environment, compromising information including administrative documents and some client documents.

☆ Australian watchdog to take Dell to court for alleged misleading cost claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator said on Friday it would take the local unit of U.S. computer firm Dell Technologies Inc (DELL.N) to court for allegedly misleading people about the cost of buying add-on monitors. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said between August 2019 to Dec. 16, 2021, Dell Australia allegedly made false or misleading representations on its website and the potential savings a customer got when an additional monitor was purchased with a computer. In an emailed statement, Dell said the issue affected about 2,100 customers due to an error in its pricing processes which led to incorrect information being displayed on its website about the pricing and savings associated with certain monitors. The company added that it was actively working to update its systems to prevent the error from re-occurring. Reporting by Jaskiran Singh and Upasana Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Macquarie sees more commodities unit strength after profit jumps
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 28 (Reuters) - Australia's Macquarie (MQG.AX) on Friday forecast higher short-term income from its commodities trading business, after the unit tapped volatile oil and gas prices to boost profit in the first half. Financial conglomerates such as Macquarie have benefited from sharp volatility and supply chain disruptions in commodities markets that began in 2020 and increased this year with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. read moreThe Sydney-based firm's Commodities and Global Markets (CGM) segment delivered a net profit contribution of about A$2 billion, 15% higher than last year, thanks to more clients hedging against volatile energy markets. The financial conglomerate's attributable profit for the six months to September was A$2.31 billion ($1.49 billion), compared with A$2.04 billion reported a year ago and a Refinitiv IBES estimate of A$2.19 billion. Macquarie also warned that transaction activity at the segment would be substantially lower in the short-term, compared with record levels seen last year.

☆ Fortescue Metals posts rise in iron ore shipments, costs grow
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 27 (Reuters) - Australia's Fortescue Metals Group (FMG.AX) on Thursday reported a 4.2% rise in iron ore shipments for the first quarter, boosted by higher production at its key operations in Western Australia. However, rising prices of diesel and labour pushed Fortescue's direct costs 16% higher year-over-year to $17.69 per wet metric tonne (wmt). The world's fourth-largest iron ore miner said it shipped 47.5 million tonnes (mt) of iron ore in the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with 45.6 mt a year earlier. The company, however, kept its full-year guidance unchanged, expecting to ship between 187 million tonnes to 192 million tonnes of ore in fiscal 2023. Reporting by Jaskiran Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia's Ampol expects record annual profit; shares tumble on quarterly miss
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Australia's Ampol Ltd (ALD.AX) forecast record full-year earnings and posted a threefold jump in quarterly profit on Tuesday, as strong demand for refined products pushed up refining margins at the country's biggest fuel supplier. Its shares, however, sank more than 9%, as its third-quarter net profit missed Jefferies' estimate, amid the company warning of further market volatility. "The market volatility experienced year to date is expected to continue in the period ahead." The company's quarterly net profit on a replacement cost basis, which excludes the impact of inventory and foreign exchange changes, was A$102.5 million ($64.70 million), significantly missing Jefferies' estimate of A$199 million. Refining margin at the Queensland refinery was $15.46 per barrel, significantly higher than $6.76 per barrel a year ago, but below the $32.96 a barrel in the prior quarter.

☆ Australia's Lake Resources to supply lithium to S. Korean battery maker
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Australia's Lake Resources (LKE.AX) said on Wednesday it had signed a deal with South Korean battery maker SK On Co Ltd to supply lithium from its flagship Kachi project in Argentina. SK On, a unit of SK Innovation (096770.KS), will acquire a 10% stake in New South Wales-based lithium developer Lake Resources as part of the agreement. Automobile and battery makers have been signing deals with Australian miners for supply of lithium, a key ingredient in electric vehicle batteries, amid a global push towards cleaner sources of energy. read moreThe agreement allows SK On to secure a stable lithium supplier for its U.S. supply chain, said Jinsuk Ryu, SK On's vice president. Last month, Lake Resources said operations at its Kachi project were proceeding, after a dispute with Bill Gates-backed Lilac Solutions over certain performance milestones to get a 25% stake in the project.

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