News

Andy Park    Many homeowners and indeed renters would have breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when the RBA decided to keep the cash rate on hold but with the RBA Governor saying it’s too soon to declare victory, the question is not if but when there will be another interest rate hike. Perhaps certainly before… Read more »

Ali Moore  Well, if you’ve got a HECS or HELP debt, what happened if you’ve been to your bank and you’ve asked for a home loan, how much of a difference has it made to what you’re able to borrow? And what are the options for treating student debt differently? Anna Bligh is the CEO… Read more »

Chris O’Keefe    When it comes to cash, 424 bank branches have closed, or 11% of Australia’s overall branches. This included 122 branches in regional and remote areas plus a further 718 ATMs were shut down or removed during the same period. So they make it hard for us to use cash, both businesses and banks,… Read more »

Jenny Marchant    Your biggest cost is probably your rent or your mortgage, and they’re probably also the bills you’ll move heaven and earth to pay if you have to, because we all need somewhere to live. But the number of mortgage holders struggling with payments is increasing. If you find yourself in that position in… Read more »

Tom Connell  Those people with a home loan who have had a fixed rate are getting a shock as they come off that fixed rate. Often as low as two percent and onto the new variable rate that can be as high as six or even seven percent. So how is that affecting people out… Read more »

Steve Austin  Well as you know, the Commonwealth Government has made it clear they consider access to cash a priority for the Australian economy and the country’s largest banks, as well as Coles, Woolworths, companies like Wesfarmers and Australia Post have been trying to put together a short term lifeline for Armaguard, who’s the company… Read more »

Natalie Barr  And to the cash emergency hitting our country. Emergency talks are being held this week, with our top banks preparing for a potential cash crash. It comes as Australia’s key money supplier Armaguard fights to stay afloat. Spearheaded by the Australian Banking Association, the banks are now pulling together a contingency plan to… Read more »

Andy Park  The Reserve Bank is now calling on banks to do more to reduce the impact of these surcharges on businesses and customers. Anna Bligh, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Banking Association, she joins me now. Anna, a billion dollars in card fees, this is having a pretty significant impact on… Read more »

Oliver Peterson: Joining me in the studios today is the CEO of the Australian Banking Association, Anna Bligh. It’s lovely to meet you.  Anna Bligh: Great to be here, Oliver.  Oliver Peterson: What brings you to Perth?  Anna Bligh: Well, I’ve got a few things to do with work here, and I was very keen… Read more »

Australian Banking Association CEO Anna Bligh:   Today Australia’s banking system is coming together to launch the most comprehensive set of new anti-scam reforms.   With a level of unprecedented cooperation, banks, commercial banks, building societies, credit unions, and mutual banks have joined together to commit to a set of anti-scam reforms to keep Australians and their… Read more »

Ross Greenwood: Well, one industry that does have an effective ombudsman scheme is banking, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, but as rates rise and pressure on households and businesses, managing customers and their debts is again back on the bank’s radar. Today, the Australian Banking Association launched a campaign called ‘Don’t tough it out on… Read more »

Mel Rush: What does it mean if you’ve got uncashed cheques in your wallet? Will they continue to be honored over time? Anna Bligh is CEO of the Australian Banking Association. Anna Bligh good morning.  Anna Bligh: Good morning. How are you?  Mel Rush: Very well, thanks, Anna. Look, this latest news is a little… Read more »

Hamish MacDonald: A Senate inquiry is examining a wave of bank closures that have hit regional Australia particularly hard. More than 1600 bank branches have closed nationally in the past six years, including 309 in the last financial year. Like post offices and milk bars, bank branches form part of the architecture of regional communities… Read more »

“…we anticipate seeing branches as a part of Australia’s banking system for a very long time. It’s not about closing all branches, but we do expect from time to time, there will be some branches closing as more and more Australians choose to bank differently.”

“There’s no doubt there’s a lot of stress and that’s one of the reasons people are talking to those hardship teams in banks. And I encourage people to do that.”

“Speed is the essence when it comes to getting your money back from a scammer. Even if you’re not sure, even if you just suspect something’s not right, ring your bank as fast as you possibly can.”

“Remember the money and funds available to banks, the majority of them are other people’s deposits. So they need to be very careful about how they use that money. I think there’s a real question there about whether your deposits and your bank should be paying out to someone who decided to take a big investment risk”

“Robbers don’t come with a sawn off shotgun anymore. They come through your phone, and banks are putting their resources where their customers are. And that’s in the digital world.”

“if somebody comes to them in financial difficulty, they can help them set up one of these vetoes. It’s not a difficult thing to do”

“it’s a very competitive environment out there at the moment, there’s about 2400 Australians every single day refinancing every working day, have been for six months, it’s the highest rate of refinance we’ve ever seen in Australia. So you’re right, people are going out and getting a better deal”