Articles

Christopher Joye| Australian Financial Review| 20 April 2018 http://www.afr.com/personal-finance/shares/strip-amp-apart-and-unwind-byzantine-banks-20180419-h0z0hl Arguably the apogee of the “vertical integration” of Australia’s financial system, which this column has aggressively railed against for years, came in early 2014 when the banks (and AMP) convinced the Coalition to roll back the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) laws. They did so to allow them […]

Raymond Gill| The New Daily| 13 April 2018 https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2018/04/13/banking-royal-commission-fears-home-prices/ Property experts have scotched fears that the banking royal commission could lead to a crash in Australia’s house prices. The first round of the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry‘s public hearings uncovered story after dispiriting story about lax mortgage lending […]

David Scutt| The New Daily|10 April 2018 https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australia-population-growth-housing-affordability-supply-forecasts-hia-2018-4 Australia’s population is about to tick over 24.9 million, and is growing at an annual pace of 1.6%, according to data from the ABS. If that pace of growth is maintained over the next few decades, it will see Australia’s population rise to over 41.4 million by the year […]

A message from the MFAA CEO, Mike Felton 9 April 2018 https://www.mfaa.com.au/news/dont_blame_brokers_for_big_bank_misconduct There is a risk that the big banks are using brokers as a shield to divert attention away from allegations of their systemic issues, stifling of competition and massive community trust deficit. If this is the case and it proves successful for the […]

David Scutt| Business Insider| 5 April 2018 https://www.businessinsider.com.au/anz-australia-house-price-forecasts-2018-4 ANZ Bank remains confident that Australia’s housing market is on track for a “soft landing”, predicting that rather than heralding the start of a prolonged slump, prices will actually increase this year. “We retain our view that prices will not materially decline,” say Daniel Gradwell and Joanne […]

James Fernyhough| The New Daily| 4 April 2018 https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2018/04/04/greens-peoples-bank-unpicked/ The Greens have unveiled a radical plan to give Australians access to much cheaper home loans than are currently on offer, in an unabashed attack on the big four banks’ stranglehold on the mortgage market. Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Greens leader Richard […]