The Australian Financial Complaints Authority AFCA the new one-stop-shop for resolving financial complaints has had a very busy first six months of operation ...

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority AFCA the new one-stop-shop for resolving financial complaints has had a very busy first six months of operation ...

The Federal Government has released a consultation paper which takes action on Recommendation 4.8 of the Banking Royal Commission's Final Report. If implemented, the handling and settlement of insurance claims will become a 'financial service' under the Corporations Act 2001 ...

ASIC's 'why not litigate?' approach to enforcement activities and its change in tone confirm the new era of regulatory engagement has arrived. In particular, its recent actions in the Federal Court place the waiving of legal professional privilege under the spotlight. ...

Commissioner Hayne's recommendations may initially seem somewhat modest – they do not undo vertical integration, impose limits on executive remuneration or ban bonuses and they do not recommend that directors prefer the interests of their customers. But, while it is true that the recommendations are not radical, there is much in the report that will mean some real changes for financial services companies, their Boards and their executives, as well as for their regulators and advisers. ...

Throughout the Royal Commission, Commissioner Hayne grappled with the difficulties of striking an appropriate balance between ensuring that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have access to credit, and imposing standards on the provision of that credit to protect SME borrowers and third-party guara ...

The sale to a consortium of Triton and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority follows a dual track separation process which consisted of running a competitive trade sale, while in parallel, preparing t ...

In his Interim Report, Commissioner Hayne rejected claims that misconduct in the financial services sector was the fault of 'a few bad apples' and did not raise 'broader or systemic concerns. This Insight considers what can and should be done about such systemic issues. ...

Proposed changes to the FSC Life Insurance Code designed to improve standards in product design sales underwriting customer service complaints and claim handling are afoot and the deadline for comments is fast approaching ...

In the Final Report, the Commissioner has found that, for the most part, whilst the legislative tools necessary to protect borrowers are already available, there have been significant shortcomings in their application and enforcement. ...