APRA’s chairman has told Parliament that the regulator is “actively considering” what action it should take against Westpac in light of recent allegations by AUSTRAC that the bank breached anti-money laundering laws on 23 million occasions.
Embattled banking giant Westpac may be seeking to limit its potential liability in any shareholder class actions it may face in the wake of AUSTRAC’s lawsuit alleging 23 million breaches of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws, with the bank offering to refund some of those that purchased shares as part of a $2.5 billion capital raising.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has won its case against defunct financial advisor Dover Financial and its former director, who famously collapsed during the banking royal commission, with a judge saying the company engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct through its inaptly titled ‘client protection policy’.
A former National Australia Bank branch manager has been sentenced to a year of home detention for engaging in fraud in relation to the bank’s scandal-ridden Introducer home loan program.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s insurance division, CommInsure, has pleaded guilty to 87 criminal charges that it hawked life insurance products in unsolicited telephone calls, but wants credit for the early plea.
The National Australia Bank has admitted to most of the violations alleged in the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s case over the bank’s $24 billion scandal-ridden ‘Introducer’ loan referral program.
The National Australia Bank faces the prospect of “significant monetary penalties” after self-reporting a potentially large number of money laundering and counter terrorism financing breaches to AUSTRAC and its overseas counterparts.
The corporate regulator has shot back at “exaggerated and inaccurate criticisms” that its updated responsible lending guidelines were to blame for lack of access to credit.
Insolvency firm Worrells has come out in support of partner Jason Bettles, who is facing an investigation by the corporate regulator for his work as liquidator of the Members Alliance Group of companies, saying the probe was unexpected.
The former chief financial officer of Murray Goulburn has asked a judge to relieve him from any disqualification order sought by the corporate watchdog in its case over his alleged role in the milk supplier’s continuous disclosure breaches, saying he is already the subject of orders that ban him from the dairy industry.