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Big four

Yesterday

An Armaguard truck, delivering cash in Martin Place in Sydney.

Armaguard, banks seek independent price-setter for cash delivery

Resolving the cash transport drama is one step closer, with a callout this week for an expert to set contract prices – at a fair margin for Linfox.

This Month

Westpac has stumbled into a public relations nightmare after a customer was told he couldn’t transfer money from his account.

Westpac’s $50,000 call centre clash lands bank in PR nightmare

The lending giant thought it had detected a scam. But a customer is adamant he was denied access to his money with no explanation. And he’s gone public.

The outlook for banks stocks is uncertain.

Bank stocks still seen as a haven by investors

Bank shares are down 15pc from February peaks but have performed relatively better during the Trump tariff turmoil, as investors struggle to find alternatives.

Westpac says it rewarded Samantha Aitken for raising concerns about RAMS.

Westpac says loan fraud whistleblower got bigger bonus, not cast out

The bank’s former head of risk and treasury audit says she was victimised after raising concerns two years ago that some mortgage brokers were faking documents.

Mastercard says it will push CBA and Westpac to issue numberless cards to reduce fraud.

CBA and Westpac mull removing numbers from their credit cards

Australia is expected to be the first major market to embrace numberless credit cards in the next two years, according to Mastercard.

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Trump tanks markets | Virgin’s IPO | ANZ in the naughty corner

Also on this week’s podcast: why Australia’s second-biggest private hospital operator is in intensive care, Star on death watch; what was the big moment in the federal election.

Former ANZ director Jane Halton, chairman Paul O’Sullivan and outgoing CEO Shayne Elliott.

Inside the ‘great frustrations’ between Shayne Elliott and ANZ board

The veteran banker is finishing as chief executive next month – after nearly a decade, regulatory reprimands and plenty of tension at the top.

ANZ chairman Paul O’Sullivan is digesting the Oliver Wyman report.

ANZ review found staff raised concerns and middle managers failed them

Oliver Wyman’s detailed report into the cultural problems within the bank’s markets unit has singled out weak leaders who failed to supervise powerful traders.

APRA lashes ANZ’s risk culture, raises capital penalty to $1b

A separate review of the bank found “weaknesses in culture, leadership, and infrastructure could lead to material issues in the future”.

ANZ boss Shayne Elliot finishes with a black mark on his record.

ANZ has a trust problem – you can bank on it

Paul O’Sullivan has done what no bank chairman ever wants to do – agree to an enforceable undertaking with the regulator.

New ANZ boss Nuno Matos will start on May 12, having secured an early release from his former employer HSBC.

What to expect from ANZ’s new chief executive Nuno Matos

If the new ANZ boss’ execution mandate turns into executioner, investors will not mind. The first 100 days will be telling.

March

New Zealand Finance Minister Nicola Willis has supported a RBNZ review into bank capital requirements.

RBNZ to review capital requirements amid political pressure

The central bank will conduct an assessment of key settings and engage independent international experts after the unexpected resignation of its governor.

Election battlegrounds, budget vote buying, do we need a DOGE?

We take an early look at the issues that should shape the election; break down the federal budget; and ask why the Reject Shop got a French champagne takeover bid.

Westpac chief executive Anthony Miller is focusing on simplifying the bank’s technology processes in the hope it will save money in the long-term.

Westpac plots $3b technology overhaul to slash long-term costs

The bank’s new chief executive, Anthony Miller, outlined plans to shrink the number of systems to cut expenses described by analysts as unsustainable.

CBA chief information officer Gavin Munroe with CEO Matt Comyn in the bank’s new Seattle office on Thursday.=

CBA steps ups competition for AI engineers by opening Seattle office

The bank is deepening connections with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, including putting IT teams together in a new US office.

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The about-face by ANZ’s board on publishing the report comes after chair Paul O’Sullivan told investors in December the bank only intended to release a summary.

ANZ backflips on culture review and agrees to release report in full

The Melbourne-based bank’s board will meet this week to consider a report into governance in its markets unit authored by consultants at Oliver Wyman.

The big banks have bought nearly $20 billion of their own stock since August 2021.

The easy days of banks buying their own shares are numbered

The big four have bought nearly $30 billion worth of their own shares since August 2021. What happens when that buying stops?

Here’s a sector breakdown of Jim Chalmers’ budget.

Foreign investors banned: What else is in it for you

From a ban on foreign investors buying existing houses to pork-barrelling road projects in marginal electorates, here’s a sector breakdown of the budget.

The RBA is concerned about risks as banks migration payments from BECS to the NPP.

RBA tells banks national interest not profit comes first on payments system

RBA assistant governor Brad Jones accused banks of putting profit over the national interest in the roll-out of a critical system that moves $18 trillion payments.

ANZ group executive Maile Carnegie at the Financial Review Banking Summit last week.

ANZ quizzed over risks of new platform costing $1m a day

Analysts wondered how long it will take to fully migrate 6 million customers and another 1.2 million from Suncorp onto Maile Carnegie’s ANZ Plus.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/big-four-banks-5ux