ASIC has dropped its fight with Westpac over the bank’s financial assessment of home loan borrowers following political pressure, citing the “challenging economic circumstances”.
ASIC has called for a $15 million penalty against National Australia Bank over its scandal-ridden ‘Introducer’ loan referral program, but a judge has questioned the “superficial” investigations in the case and remarked on the corporate regulator’s “pattern” of bringing enforcement action after remediation programs were well underway.
Australia’s corporate watchdog has lost its bid to obtain Ashurst’s advice to Australia and New Zealand Banking Group about potentially illegal bank fees “for now”, but a judge has signalled that this may not be the end of the matter.
ASIC has launched court proceedings against Melbourne-based foreign exchange and derivative trader Forex CT alleging it engaged in unconscionable sales tactics that led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in investor losses.
Queensland politician and mining magnate Clive Palmer has been hit with criminal charges for allegedly using his position as director of Minerology to allow $12 million in transfers for unauthorised purposes, including to support his party’s political ambitions.
Westpac has been hit with a class action over a “shonky” car loan scheme, in what is the first class to be filed in Victoria Supreme Court following passage of a state law allowing lawyers to earn contingency fees.
Elderly victims of Ponzi schemer Bradley Sherwin have told the government’s class action inquiry of their “horrendous class action journey”, which led to a “pathetic outcome” in which the majority of a $12 million settlement with the Bank of Queensland went to the law firm and funder behind the case.
The corporate watchdog would not take action on funding terms in a Fair Work class action brought by Adero Law, after receiving reports of potential misleading or deceptive conduct by the law firm and the funder backing the case, according to submissions made in the government’s latest inquiry into litigation funding and class actions.
A former Sydney liquidator has been charged with dishonesty offences and faces possible jail time after allegedly misappropriating almost $240,000 from company bank accounts.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has won its challenge to a tribunal ruling that overturned a permanant ban imposed on a RI Advice Group authorised financial planner who double charged his clients.