Banking royal commission: CBA executive David Cohen in frame to face grilling

CBA’s chief risk officer looks set to take the hot seat during the next round of royal commission hearings starting Monday.

Commonwealth Bank’s chief risk officer David Cohen.

Commonwealth Bank chief risk officer David Cohen is in the frame to appear as a witness in the financial services royal commission, which kicks off its third round of hearings on loans to small- and medium-sized businesses on Monday.

If Mr Cohen appears, he would be the second executive from a major-bank senior leadership team to face cross-examination at the royal commission.

The first was National Australia Bank chief customer officer consumer and wealth Andrew Hagger, who appeared on April 23 in the last round of hearings on financial advice.

It’s understood that CBA has prepared a witness statement for Mr Cohen on the second topic of the hearings — the approach of banks to enforcement, management and monitoring of loans to businesses.

Cases studies on the topic will focus on CBA/BankWest and NAB.

CBA has already faced heavy scrutiny by parliamentary committees over its aggressive approach to a select group of BankWest commercial customers after it acquired the bank at the peak of the financial crisis in late 2008.

Preparation of a witness statement doesn’t always mean a guaranteed appearance, with the royal commission ultimately determining who will appear before it.

That said, it’s unlikely that royal commissioner Ken Hayne and his senior counsel assisting will overlook Mr Cohen’s credentials as chief risk officer since July 2016, and group general counsel since 2008.