DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

A pedestrian looks at his phone as he walks past a logo for Australia's Westpac Banking Corp located outside a branch in central Sydney, Australia, November 5, 2018. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), Australia's third largest bank by market capitalisation, said on Monday it would raise A$750 million ($488.1 million) in an Additional Tier 1 (AT1) capital transaction. The AT1 bonds are used by banks to stabilise cashflow in periods of stress, according to APRA. Under that deal, holders of Credit Suisse AT1 bonds received nothing, while shareholders, who usually rank below bondholders in terms of who gets paid when a bank or company collapses, received $3.23 billion. ($1 = 1.5366 Australian dollars)Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Gray, Stephen Jones, Scott Murdoch, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Stephen Coates Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Rights, Westpac Banking Corp, Westpac, prudential, Credit Suisse, APRA, Credit Suisse AT1s, Commonwealth Bank, Credit, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Aussie 'big four' banks hike home loan rates after RBA decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People use Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) bank ATMs in Sydney, Australia May 3, 2018. The National Australia Bank (NAB.AX), ANZ Group Holdings (ANZ.AX) and Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), the other three of Australia's "big four", had hiked their home loan rates on Wednesday by 0.25%. The rate hike by the National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) and ANZ Group Holdings (ANZ.AX) would be effective from Nov. 17, while Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) would raise rates from Nov. 21, the lenders said in separate statements on Wednesday. CBA said its home loan variable rate change would be effective from Nov. 17. Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee and Upasana Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Edgar Su, Rishav Chatterjee, Upasana Singh, Savio D'Souza, Rashmi Organizations: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, REUTERS, Thursday, National Australia Bank, ANZ Group Holdings, Westpac Banking Corp, Reserve Bank of Australia, Wednesday, CBA, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

The results show how Australia's retail banks are leaning into businesses outside their traditional earnings engine of mortgages as higher interest rates raise the cost of repayments, spurring competition which has flattened profit margins. Sydney-listed Westpac said profit from its consumer division, which has just over one-fifth of Australian mortgages, shrank 7% in its full-year to end-September. Westpac gave no profit forecasts but said April-to-September trading was "more challenging" than the previous six months and "this is expected to continue into 2024". "If that does eventuate, interest rates will probably need to be higher than what we're thinking," he said on a call with analysts and media. Westpac declared a final dividend of 72 Australian cents per share, up from 64 Australian cents a year earlier.

Persons: David Gray, Azib Khan, Peter King, We've, Byron Kaye, Roushni Nair, Upasana Singh, Andrew Heavens, Josie Kao, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, ANZ, Sydney, midsession, P Capital, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Ukraine, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's Westpac warns of $109 mln hit to fiscal 2023 profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The bank sees an increase in provisions for customer refunds and associated payments and restructuring costs, among others, in fiscal 2023. Westpac reported a net profit attributable of A$5.69 billion in fiscal 2022. The company noted that the notable items recorded in fiscal 2023 are significantly lower than the notable items of A$874 million recorded in fiscal 2022. The net impact of these one-off items will reduce the bank's common equity tier 1 capital ratio by 4 basis points, it added. ($1 = 1.5855 Australian dollars)(This story has been corrected to say Westpac warns of a hit, not lower fiscal 2023 profit, in the headline)Reporting by Roushni Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Roushni Nair, Shailesh Organizations: Westpac, Central Business District of, REUTERS, Westpac Banking Corp, Thomson Locations: Central Business District of Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Dollar at 10-month top as US yields spike; yen slides
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Dollar banknote is seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The dollar stood by 10-month highs against a basket of major currencies on Tuesday, supported by U.S. bond yields scaling 16-year peaks, while the yen tiptoed deeper into the intervention danger zone. "Few currencies will resist the bullish dollar macro resiliency theme and the euro and Chinese yuan look more vulnerable than most." The yen has slowly but inexorably slid toward the 150-per-dollar mark as policymakers stuck with ultra-easy settings. The yen hit 148.97 to the dollar on Monday and last traded at 148.72.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sterling, Jane Foley, Tom Westbrook, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Treasury, U.S, Australia's Westpac, Swiss, Traders, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, Europe, Asia, U.S, Tokyo

☆ Dollar at 10-month top as U.S. yields spike, yen slides
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar stood by 10-month highs against a basket of major currencies on Tuesday, supported by U.S. bond yields scaling 16-year peaks, while the yen tiptoed deeper into the intervention danger zone. "Few currencies will resist the bullish dollar macro resiliency theme and the euro and Chinese yuan look more vulnerable than most." The yen has slowly but inexorably slid toward the 150-per-dollar mark as policymakers stuck with ultra-easy settings. The yen hit 148.97 to the dollar on Monday and last traded at 148.72. "We remain of the view that the dollar is unlikely to weaken significantly until Fed rate cuts are firmly on the horizon," she said.

Persons: Sterling, Jane Foley Organizations: Treasury, U.S, Australia's Westpac, Swiss, Traders, Bank of Japan Locations: Europe, Asia, U.S

☆ Not much exciting about Aussie banks as high costs pressure earnings - Macquarie
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's "Big Four" banks - among the top seven listed companies in the country - control 75% of the country's A$2 trillion mortgage market. That euphoria is now largely over as high living costs impact borrowers' capacity to repay loans. Macquarie, an investment bank with a small retail banking operation, said banks' cost bases are likely to remain under pressure as more than 70% of their expenses related to personnel. Macquarie added that it expects banks' expenses to grow by around 1% to 7% in fiscal 2023 through to fiscal 2025, with third-biggest lender Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) seen being impacted more than its peers. The regional banks will remain disadvantaged in the current environment as they will have to continue to invest to keep up, Macquarie said, estimating up to 4% higher expenses than consensus.

Persons: Macquarie, Sameer Manekar, Janane Organizations: Macquarie, Westpac Banking Corp, ANZ Group Holdings, CBA, NAB, Adelaide Bank, Bank of Queensland, Thomson Locations: Bendigo, Bengaluru

☆ Not much exciting about Aussie banks as high costs pressure earnings, Macquarie says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Persons: Loren Elliott, Macquarie, Sameer Manekar, Janane Organizations: Central Business, REUTERS, Macquarie, Westpac Banking Corp, ANZ Group Holdings, CBA, NAB, Adelaide Bank, Bank of Queensland, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bendigo, Bengaluru

☆ Aussie lender NAB to cut 222 back-office jobs, says trade union
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Poonam Behura | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) is planning to cut 222 back-office jobs, the Finance Sector Union (FSU) said in an emailed response to Reuters. FSU, a white-collar trade union, said NAB’s restructuring will impact its departments such as Personal Direct Lending, Technology and Operations, Corporate Finance and Client Coverage. "This means certain roles may no longer be required or need to be moved to support other teams." NAB reported a 5% jump in third-quarter cash earnings in August, including a decline in its margins due to higher home lending competition and deposit costs.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, Julia Angrisano, Poonam, Shilpi Majumdar, Devika Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, Finance Sector Union, FSU, Reuters, Technology, Corporate Finance, NAB, Australian, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corp, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Westpac acknowledges legal proceedings on financial hardships negligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Loren Elliott Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Westpac Banking Corp FollowSept 4 (Reuters) - Australia's Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) on Tuesday said it was aware of legal proceedings launched by the country's corporate regulator alleging the lender's failure to assist its customers with financial hardship notices between 2015 and 2022. The legal proceedings are linked with a "technology failure" in which the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) claimed 229 applications for financial hardship assistance logged between 2015 and 2022 were not evaluated within 21 days, Westpac said in an email response to Reuters. "This error meant we didn't provide some of our customers with the help they needed. For this, we are deeply sorry," said Westpac Group Chief Information Officer Scott Collary. Over the alleged period of breach, Westpac received about 630,000 applications for hardship assistance, the company told Reuters.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Scott Collary, Roushni Nair, Sandra Maler Organizations: Westpac, Central Business District of, REUTERS, Rights Companies Westpac Banking, Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Reuters, Westpac Group, Australia's National, Thomson Locations: Central Business District of Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Aussie lender NAB to cut 10% jobs in markets division, Australian Financial Review reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 28 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) is preparing to cut around 60 jobs of the 600-staff at its markets division and undertake a broad restructuring exercise across its seven business, the Australian Financial Review said on early on Monday citing sources. The country's second-biggest bank would begin the layoffs as early as this week but is yet to announce the changes internally, AFR said. Layoffs at NAB would include capital markets types working within its corporate and institutional banking unit, where its markets business sits with a team of about 600. Reporting by Poonam Behura in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, AFR, Poonam, Alison Williams Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, Australian Financial, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corp, NAB, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Strategist discusses outlook for the Chinese yuan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChinese yuan: Authorities want pace of decline to be as slow as possible, strategist saysSean Callow of Westpac Bank discusses the outlook for the Chinese yuan and says "we're getting a clear message from the daily fixing that they want to keep a lid on the pace of depreciation."

Persons: Sean Callow, we're Organizations: Westpac Bank

☆ Westpac flags higher expenses in quarterly update; shares drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Archishma Iyer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Sydney-based Westpac fell about 2.1% to trade at A$20.82 at 0040 GMT, hitting their lowest since July 12. Broadly, Australia's major banks have all flagged stiff competition in the mortgage space, along with higher expenses as inflationary pressures weigh. The higher interest rates have also contributed to increased living costs, which are pushing up debt arrears. Westpac did not publish a comparable quarterly net profit figure for the same period a year earlier. The figure reported on Monday was below the A$2 billion average profit for the first two quarters of fiscal 2023.

Persons: David Gray, Riya Sharma, Archishma Iyer, Sam Holmes, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac Banking Corp, Sydney, Westpac, Citi, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Westpac flags margin squeeze from rising home loan competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/David Gray Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Reports quarterly cash profit A$1.8 billionLate loan repayments rises to 0.8% in AustraliaCET1 Ratio of 11.9%Aug 21 (Reuters) - Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), Australia's third-largest lender, on Monday posted a quarterly cash profit of A$1.8 billion ($1.15 billion), as increased competition for home lending squeezed margins. Australia's major banks have all flagged stiff competition in the mortgage space, along with higher expenses as inflationary pressures weigh. Sydney-based Westpac said expenses for the second half to date were up 5% from the first half, fuelled by higher supplier costs and staff wages. In Australia, loan repayments past 90 days late rose to 0.80% in the three-months ended June, up 7 basis points from 0.73% in March, Westpac said. The lender reported a core net interest margin of 1.86% for the quarter, down 4 basis points from the first half of fiscal 2023.

Persons: David Gray, Riya Sharma, Archishma Iyer, Lisa Shumaker, Sam Holmes Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac Banking Corp, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ The British pound 'had a good run' but faces a tough time ahead: Westpac Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe British pound 'had a good run' but faces a tough time ahead: Westpac BankSean Callow of Westpac Bank discusses why he isn't bullish on the pound despite inflation cooling in the UK

Persons: Westpac Bank Sean Callow, bullish Organizations: Westpac Bank

☆ Australia's Westpac splits consumer and business banking unit into two
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 19 (Reuters) - Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) on Wednesday said it would split its consumer and business banking business into two, with each having its own CEO, effective Aug. 1. The bank said Chris de Bruin, currently head of the combined unit, will leave and named Jason Yetton as CEO of the consumer business and Anthony Miller as CEO of the business and wealth division. Westpac also promoted Nell Hutton to head its institutional bank unit. These changes come at a time when Australia's biggest banks are reeling under the pressures of increased interest rates, which have contributed to slowing credit growth. The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised interest rates by a whopping 400 basis points in just 14 months.

Persons: Chris de Bruin, Jason Yetton, Anthony Miller, Nell Hutton, Harish Sridharan, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Westpac Banking Corp, Westpac, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ National Australia Bank to change home loan refinancing criteria
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 7 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB) (NAB.AX) on Friday said it would refresh its approach to like-for-like refinancing criteria to help customers who would otherwise fail to meet an industry standard that assesses their ability to repay loans. Last month, top lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) cut its buffer rate for some borrowers refinancing their existing home loan to 1% from the industry standard of 3%. After NAB, ANZ Group Holdings (ANZ.AX) is the only bank left among the top four to ease refinancing loans criteria for customers unable to meet APRA standard. NAB said the changes to its refinancing criteria will apply from July 21, but added that it will take a "case-by-case" approach when assessing appropriate serviceability. Reporting by Himanshi Akhand and Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Himanshi Akhand, Sameer Manekar, Varun Organizations: National Australia Bank, NAB, Reuters, The, Prudential Regulation Authority, APRA, Reserve Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corp, ANZ Group Holdings, ANZ, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ CBA lowers home loan buffer rates for some refinancing clients to 1%
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 21 (Reuters) - Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) on Wednesday cut its buffer rate for some borrowers refinancing their existing home loan to 1% from the industry standard of 3%, providing relief to many clients who would otherwise fail to qualify due to high interest rates. The country's prudential regulator advises lenders to refinance home loans only if they believe the customer could repay at 3% higher than current market rates. While CBA's alternate buffer is not in line with the regulator's recommendation, it does not break the serviceability buffer, the regulator said, as it allows exceptions to the policy but warns against high volumes. CBA has a quarter of the Australian mortgage market, where thousands of borrowers are expected to end their fixed rate loans this year, forcing them to shop around for new loans at current rates. "We know that due to the current interest rate environment some home owners are facing challenges refinancing their home loans so we are introducing an alternate interest rate serviceability buffer," CBA's Michael Baumann, executive general manager home buying said.

Persons: CBA's Michael Baumann, Sameer Manekar, Byron Kaye, Nivedita Organizations: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, prudential, CBA, Prudential Regulation Authority, Westpac Banking Corp, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, Sydney

☆ Westpac to layoff 300 workers in business and retail unit, says trade union
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 12 (Reuters) - Australian lender Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) will cut around 300 jobs in its consumer and business banking segments at a time of strong profit growth amid rising interest rates and soaring inflation, a local trade body said. The Finance Sector Union of Australia (FSU) said on Friday the country's third-largest bank would reduce headcount from its Consumer and Business Banking Division, citing a Westpac internal memo seen by the union. 2 mortgage provider reported a 22% rise in its first half net profit to A$4.00 billion ($2.70 billion) amid a high-inflationary environment. The bank could not be reached immediately for a comment on account of a public holiday on Monday. ($1 = 1.4839 Australian dollars)Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Julia Angrisano, Rishav Chatterjee, Rashmi Organizations: Westpac Banking Corp, Finance Sector Union of Australia, FSU, Consumer, Business Banking, Westpac, Reuters, ANZ Group, National Australia Bank, DBS, Australia's, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Australian lender Westpac to raise interest rates after cenbank hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 6 (Reuters) - Top Australian lender Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) said on Tuesday that it will raise its home loan variable interest rates by 25 basis points (bps), in line with the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) rate hike. In a surprise move, the RBA raised interest rates by a quarter-point to an 11-year high, and warned that further tightening may be required to ensure that inflation returns to target. The cash rate now sits at 4.1%, bringing the total RBA hikes in its price battle to a whopping 400 basis points since May last year. Westpac's new home loan rate will be effective from June 20, the bank said in a statement. Westpac is the first of the 'big four' banks to have passed on the central bank's latest rate hike to its customers, with the other three expected to follow suit soon.

Persons: Echha Jain, Savio D'Souza, Eileen Soreng Organizations: Westpac Banking Corp, Reserve Bank of Australia's, Westpac, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

May 30 (Reuters) - Crown Resorts, the Australian casino operator bought by Blackstone Inc (BX.N) after three damaging inquiries, agreed to pay a A$450 million ($294 million) fine for breaking anti-money laundering laws, a step toward ending its darkest chapter. "We are pleased to have reached this agreement with AUSTRAC," said Crown Resorts CEO Ciarán Carruthers, who started in the role in September. "The company that committed these unacceptable, historic breaches is far removed from the company that exists today." Australian regulators over the recent years have penalised a slew of companies over breaches and non-compliances, with the country's "Big Four" banks fined the most. ($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye in Sydney and Harish Sridharan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Penalties imposed on Australian companies over the recent years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some of the major penalties imposed by the regulators:AMP LTD (AMP.AX)Troubled Australian wealth manager AMP Ltd was fined a court-mandated penalty of A$24 million in May for billing dead clients for insurance and financial advice. In October 2022, ANZ was penalised A$25 million for failing to provide certain benefits it had agreed to give customers. In October 2022, CBA's trading unit was fined A$20 million for compliance failures in delivering financial services. NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK (NAB.AX)National Australia Bank, the country's second-largest bank, was charged A$18.5 million penalty in August 2021 by a court for issuing misleading fee disclosure statements or none at all. WESTPAC BANKING CORP (WBC.AX)Australia's third-biggest lender, Westpac Banking Corp was ordered to pay A$113 million in penalties in April 2022 for multiple compliance failures across its businesses.

2 mortgage provider has told mortgage brokers that "if a customer is unable to meet serviceability under the standard assessment criteria", it might apply a modified serviceability assessment rate. Since the buffer is a guideline, banks are allowed to deviate from it. "APRA should consider officially lowering the serviceability buffer for refinancers." Representatives for Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) and ANZ Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX) were not immediately available for comment. ($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye and Lewis Jackson; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Binance Australia says banking disrupted after payment provider cuts off service
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, May 18 (Reuters) - The Australian arm of Binance, the world's largest crypto-currency exchange, on Thursday said some local customers will be unable to deposit or withdraw money after a third-party payment provider cut off its service. Binance on social media said users are unable to make Australian dollar deposits by bank transfer with immediate effect. "We are working hard to find an alternative provider to continue offering AUD deposits and withdrawals to our users," Binance said in a statement. The Australian Financial Review reported the provider was Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), the country's second-largest retail bank. Reporting by Lewis Jackson and Byron Kaye in Sydney; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Australian banks' bid to shake mortgage reliance brings new risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"When there's a macroeconomic downturn, it's generally institutional and business lending exposures that are impacted first," he added. For decades, Australian housing finance has significantly outpaced business lending, making home loan margins the engine of profits. A more recent exodus from non-lending retail services like financial advice has further weighted banks' allocation of capital to residential property. The big four banks said in earnings updates this month that their net interest margins peaked in late 2022 and have since narrowed. To hedge against interest rates risks, the Big Four may now chase new services-based revenues from commercial clients in non-lending segments, added Garland.

Search resuls for: "Westpac Bank"

25 mentions found