Crowning glory a suite befitting a banking king, or a banking chief executive at least

Nuno Matos takes a tour of the Bourke Street, Melbourne, branch while perhaps contemplating a flutter at Crown’s gaming tables. Picture: Arsineh Houspian.

Where do you stay if you’re the newly appointed boss of one of Australia’s big four banks and need to move to the country?

It’s a far cry from the shores of Hong Kong or an outlook over the Atlantic, but ANZ chief executive Nuno Matos has settled on some temporary digs in Melbourne, as he plans a permanent move with his family.

That’s a suite at Melbourne’s Crown Towers, according to newly lodged documents with the corporate regulator.

And look, there’s nothing wrong with Crown – it’s only a 20m walk from the ANZ office, and you have a choice of great views. Either the muddy Yarra river, or the diesel fumes above Port Melbourne and the Westgate Bridge, depending on which side of the building you land. After a hard day in the office, a late night spin around the pokies would also settle him nicely into Melbourne’s cultural delights.

It’s only a temporary home, Margin Call is told, as Portuguese import Nuno Goncalo de Macedo e Santana de Almeida – his full name – considers the all-important decision of which side of the Yarra he will make his permanent abode.

The ANZ boss could take in a high tea in Crown Towers’ Waiting Room.

But still, we can’t help wondering whether the major bank couldn’t have found a slightly better option than a hotel, however up-market. Surely there’s a recently repossessed mansion or two in Toorak that might have fit the bill? But at least a sign that all is forgotten after ANZ shut down Crown’s accounts with the banks over money-laundering concerns.

Matos’ wife is still set to join the new ANZ head honcho, with plans for his family to join him after settling on some new digs. The family has lived together in nine markets, with Australia set to make it 10.

The Matos clan could still eventually look to Melbourne’s east for a home, though, as it’s often a favourite of ANZ bosses looking to plant their feet – outgoing boss Shayne Elliott is a local at the Toorak shops, and there’s no doubt plenty to talk about.

We might also suggest Caroline Springs, home to the Portuguese Association of Victoria and only a 30-minute drive from ANZ HQ in the wind-blasted wasteland of Melbourne’s Docklands precinct.

It might even beat the short walk across the Yarra in Melbourne’s bitter chilly winter winds that he will be faced with. Certainly, Matos’s chances of finding a daily cab at Crown that is prepared to take such a short fare without a $50 upfront payment (cash only, please) are slim to none, in Margin Call’s experience.

He will also need to struggle with the slim lunch options available in the Docklands cultural desert. Though Matos is already munching it up across Melbourne, indulging in some Schnitz in a tour of the fast food friend’s headquarters as part of his Melbourne introduction.

The 58-year-old is also faced with the deadly political question of choosing a football team, one of Melbourne’s great choices.

Thankfully, or perhaps unhelpfully, ANZ is a sponsor of the league but not of any one team.

Whatever his decision, Matos is faced with a couple of tough months ahead wherever he lives, with ASIC’s investigation into a bond trading scandal yet to drop.