Allco About To Move On To Reprieve No. 4

DIFFICULTIES in finalising Allco Finance Group's deal with its banks to extend $250 million in short-term funding means the company is likely to gain another extension on its refinancing negotiations.

Allco On Track To Another Extension

DIFFICULTIES in finalising Allco Finance Group's deal with its banks to extend $250 million in short-term funding means the company is likely to gain yet another extension on its refinancing negotiations.

Banks to help your retirement

Banks offer many products that could help you in your retirement plans if you choose the most suitable for your financial situation.

ANZ one of the best banks for credit cards

Banks will usually focus on providing cards that benefit specific areas of the credit card market, but ANZ have proven this doesn't necessarily need to be so with the ANZ Balance Visa.

Only Yourselves To Blame For Crisis, Banks Told

BANKS have created the credit crunch and they should stop blaming it on complicated accounting standards, one of the world's top accounting rule-makers says.

Banks To Unveil Merger Details

WESTPAC and St George are set to unveil the detailed terms governing their planned merger after a mad scramble by teams of accounting and legal specialists over the weekend to complete their forensic investigations into each other's finances.

Children using banks

Banks can be helpful in teaching your children the value of saving, especially while interest rates are high.

Power Firm's Assets On The Line

THE besieged generating firm Babcock & Brown Power has been effectively forced to hock the bulk of its power stations to its banks to raise $2.7 billion of expensive new debt, as it struggles to restore investor confidence after another plunge in its share price.

Which banks offer good credit card deals?

Banks are often the providers of some of the best credit card deal available on the market, but rarely does one offer the best in every area.

Getting the banks to insure you

Banks can provide many insurance services, but while insurance for your possessions and assets is very important, insuring yourself in case of accidents is vital.

Underwater Works

It crossed Amy Wilson's mind that the upcoming holiday in Thailand in 2006 with her then boyfriend Robert Banks may include a marriage proposal.

Women-run Banks Are Breaking The Poverty Cycle

IN GHANA, there is a running joke that they are all becoming Italians - they can't afford rice anymore and are eating processed pasta from Italy. These are not the poorest of the poor, these are working urban Ghanaians, according to Amrote Abdella, who runs projects to break the hunger cycle in Africa.

Investec Turns Focus On Australia

SOUTH AFRICA'S Investec Group has signalled its plans to make Australia the centre of its international expansion efforts, making it one of the few overseas investment banks to take advantage of the global credit crisis to bolster its operations here.

What can the banks offer to your business?

Banks can take the functionality of a small business to the next level by providing premium business services that can make how your business runs more efficient as well as improving the convenience of your sales and borrowing.

Quick, Get Aboard. This Country Is Going One Way

The sharemarket is back. You can feel it. The Westpac takeover of St George. The frenzy in iron ore. BHP and Rio hitting new highs. Chinese companies buying stakes in Australian companies. Rumours of Chinese companies buying stakes in Australian companies. Short covering in Harvey Norman. A budget ignored. Capital raisings lining up. Suncorp-Metway's preference share issue oversubscribed. Wesfarmers pumping despite a $2.5 billion rights issue. Chief executives of US investment banks telling us we ...

Using banks to help your family budget

Banks provide many personal banking products to families throughout Australia, but how can you use common products from the banks to help your family budget?

A Borrower Nor A Lender Be

Should we blame ourselves or the banks for the debt crisis, wonders Josh Fear.

Time For Labor Renewal

I was most interested in Reg Wilding's suggestion for a "people's bank" to provide competition for the existing banks and financial institutions, curbing obscene profits and executive greed.

Union Seeks Tougher Rules On Banks

THE Finance Sector Union, which is opposing the merger of Westpac and St George Bank, has called for increased regulation to put the "interests of the community ahead of bigger profit margins".

Let Us Pray St Westpac Keeps Staff, Customers Safe

We are encouraged to believe the merger of two large banks will benefit both customers and shareholders ("Banking revolution", May 13). I fail to see how this can be achieved if, as is claimed, no jobs will be lost and no branches closed. It will be bad for the shareholder income stream if one can now use a St George EFTPOS card at a Westpac terminal, and vice versa, without penalty. Unless, of course, when they said no job losses, they meant that the jobs would be in India.

Banks will feel a boost from the Federal Budget

Banks will surely be swelling with deposits thanks to the tax cuts given in this year's Federal Budget.

Having Fewer Banks Won't Guarantee Better Banking

Regulators need to carefully assess the effect of a Westpac-St George merger on a competitive banking market.

Labor Faces Test On Banks Deal

But there is little to indicate the planned merger will not go ahead.

Four Pillars Looking For Wisdom

WE NOW know what the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, will be doing after he has bedded down his first budget: he will be working out whether to approve the latest round of consolidation in Australia's banking industry. The proposed merger between Westpac and St George, if it passes all the regulatory hurdles, will create Australia's biggest bank out of the present numbers three and five. It will reduce competition and, as both banks have strong representation in NSW, that consequence is significant for ...

Watchdogs Will Bark, May Bite, Over Banks

WESTPAC may face a showdown with regulators over its attempt to merge with St George after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission expressed concerns that the move might reduce competition in the banking sector.

With This Sort Of Deal, You Can Bank On A Competition Debit

Any tie-up between Westpac and St George could start a merger "run" on other regional banks.

Banks Facing Tougher Times

DOUBLE-DIGIT growth over the past several years has ended for the big banks, and they are about to experience further increases in the cost of bad debt.

Two major Australian banks may merge

St George Bank Limited and Westpac Banking Corporation are in negotiations about a potential merger between the two banks.

Banks Well Placed To Weather Storm

THE years of double-digit growth are over for Australia's big banks, and the cost of bad debt is about to rise again.

Fairness Test Bid To Cut Bank Fees

BANKS that slug customers with excessive penalties for minor transgressions could be forced to comply with a new fairness test being considered by the Federal Government.

Withdrawal Symptoms

BANKS charging excessive penalties for customers' minor transgressions could be forced to comply with a new fairness test being considered by the Federal Government.

After Centro's Good News, A Suit

TWENTY-FOUR hours after Centro Properties Group struck a $2.8 billion deal with its banks to keep it afloat, a foreshadowed shareholder class action was filed in the Federal Court.

Far From The Madding Crowd, Local Banks Escape Being Shepherded Off Cliff

The tyranny of distance that dogs this country has in this credit crisis been a blessing.

Miners And Banks Give Investors Some Cheer

THERE were two forces at work on the Australian market that pointed towards a weekly rise: strong commodity prices; and a positive report from one of Australia's biggest banks.

Origin Bid Up In Air As Bg Gets Cashed Up

ORIGIN ENERGY shares surged to a record high yesterday after BG Group disclosed it had received firm commitments from banks to finance its $12.9 billion bid.

A bank for the years to come

Banks often target a particular section of the community with their advertising and services.

Soaring Fuel Fails To Ignite Activity As Banks Lead March Down

AFTER a brief vacation south of $US115 a barrel, oil has surged to a record $US121.84, suggesting speculative investors are still relying on it as a foil to US dollar weakness.

Banks See Chance To Lift Loan Gains

THE shake-up in credit markets will actually help banks increase the margins they earn on mortgages, according to some industry players.

Dragon Supporters Can Breathe A Deep Sigh Of Relief

As profits from the big Australian banks dribble out to the Stock Exchange, it is becoming increasingly clear that investors have overshot the mark and probably oversold the banks.

What level of insurance is right?

Banks tend to make money from insurance due to people overestimating their insurance needs.

Banks and home loans

Banks are often the first and last stop for many people looking for home loans, possibly due to the perceived security of such established institutions.

Big Five Revise Needs As Corporate Lending Peaks

THE country's leading banks are planning to scale back the amount of money they will raise from international credit markets next year as demand for lending falls away from the highs seen in the past few months as a result of the slowing economy.

Bendigo Raises Rates To High Of 9.65%

THE financial pressures on heavily indebted home-owners continue to build after one of the leading regional banks yesterday lifted its mortgage interest rate to a high of 9.65 per cent - well ahead of the domestic banking pack.

The Reserve

The Reserve Russell Banks Bloomsbury, $35

Be aware of what the banks are offering

Banks can often advertise features of an account that sound appealing but may not apply to your situation.

Brakes On Borrowing As Banks Keep Closer Eye On Credit

BORROWING by business has braked abruptly, as growth in credit from the banks has slowed to its lowest level in seven years, pointing to tough times ahead for banks and their customers alike.

Working in banks

There are many jobs available to those interested in banks and the banking field due to the wide range of services that banks tend to have on offer.