BFCSA Blog

I rise tonight to talk about what I consider to be the greatest oxymoron in Australia at the moment—that is, ethical banking. I wish to relate some of my experiences during the early 1980s when my family were involved in a foreign currency loan in Swiss francs. We drew down the loan in January 1985. Shortly after that, we saw the depreciation of the Australian dollar. There was only one way to protect yourself from those loans and that was to hedge your loan. I went to my bank manager, Peter Neil—a good man who lives out here near Goulburn these days—and requested that I hedge my loan. He informed me that I could not, that that would change our currency and you could do that only at rollover periods. The rest is history because Mr Neil was wrong. The bank had not trained their staff properly and it led to...

"A Royal Commission into the Australian Banking Sector is our democratic right. To deny us that right is truly unAustralian."   There are many strong arguments in favour of holding a Royal Commission into Banking with wide terms of reference.  One of the side effect of the Royal Commission is its capacity to bring the issues into every Australian home through the main stream media. This in turn will generate far greater awareness of the serious anomalies and inherent risks within the Australian Financial Sector. It may also answer the questions for so many Australians whose lives have been smashed by the deregulated "free market" Australian Financial Sector, directly and indirectly, including the big ones: Why weren't we told? How could this be allowed to happen in Australia? Consumer protection isn't for just for the elderly - it benefits all Australians. We've been badly misled by those entrusted to protect us,...

I was reading this article (link below at end) & was particularly concerned/apalled at one paragraph: "Variant says the Reserve Bank will come to the rescue of the big four Australian banks in a crisis because they are too important to fail." Is this why our banks treat us plebs (aka 'customers') with so much disdain & utter arrogance? The same attitude they displayed/presented/portrayed to the recent Senate Inquiry & those preceding inquiries? They believe they are too big too fail therefore they are above ALL laws in this unlucky country of ours? The next paragraph is quoting an Australian Analyst's perspective. I think she is caught up in the banks' hype & has not got a good grip on what is occurring in her own backyard so to speak. Then in her final paragraph this statement is made: "She noted that Australian banks were extremely profitable and now far less...

29 August, 2012 BankWest customers tell the Senate shocking stories of fraudulent foreclosures while Australia’s financial journalists are out to lunch — dining on the Commonwealth’s Bank’s record profits. Associate Professor Evan Jones reports. ON THURSDAY 16 August, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the Commonwealth Bank’s approximately $7.1 billion profit, up $700 million from 2010-11. The Herald’s financial journalists fell over themselves in adulation. Here was a true national champion. The previous week, a different story was being played out. The Senate Inquiry into the ‘post-GFC banking sector’ held hearings in Canberra (8th) and Sydney (9th & 10th). A couple of dozen spectators attended the Sydney hearings; it appears that the Herald was not amongst them. It was a spectacle. Transcripts of the hearings are available here. The Senate Economics Committee instigated its banking inquiry in March, following pressure from myriad former customers of CBA-owned BankWest who claim that their...

What is it with ASIC and women brokers? ASIC in their hurry to be seen to be doing "something" for the money have shot the wrong horse again and sent the message to banks that they'll keep punishing the brokers and letting the banks off the hook. This is not what the people (ASICs bosses) asked for! I hope the scapegoat brokers appeal against their public vilification by an out of touch and out of date system and tell all to the media and BFCSA, like Kate did. I guess the BANKS and ASIC "lost" Kate as a victim, so they had to find another one to hang out to dry. Does anyone know the brokers who were busted for the BANKS crimes? ASIC are money harvesting cowards. They lack the fundamentals to take on the banks beyond a token effort. I've seen it over and over - ASIC pick...