Bush's Last Plea To Head Off Disaster

GEORGE BUSH pleaded with US politicians last night, Sydney time, to "promptly" pass a $US700 billion rescue for embattled Wall Street banks, calling the compromise crucial to limiting serious damage to the nation.

Us Banks Extend Centro Deadline

THE stricken Centro Properties' efforts to resuscitate itself can move ahead with more clarity after receiving a reprieve from its United States bankers.

Taking out loans from banks

Banks will often provide a wide range of lending products, as lending money and charging interest is one of the easiest ways for banks to generate profits.

Rudd Rule For A Wild World

KEVIN RUDD has called on world leaders to impose tighter regulation on 85 per cent of the globe's banks while France's conservative President has declared that "the all-powerful market" and "laissez-faire" are finished.

$4b Bail-out But Don't Bet On Rate Cut

THE global financial crisis will shrink Australia's budget surplus and make it harder for banks to pass on cuts in official interest rates, the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, warns.

Rudd's Ideas Run Low

Rudd's ideas run low I've lived in Australia for over 30 years and love this country. Having always voted Labor, I am now having second thoughts, as we voted Kevin Rudd in to abolish workplace laws, to do something about the banks and fuel prices, to name a few. What has happened? Nothing.

The traps of 'budget' products from banks

Banks often offer many of their financial products as being suitable for those on a budget, but sometimes this is misleading.

Need a helping hand with your saving?

Banks offer many financial products designed to help you to save more of your money.

Trapped In Plastic

Five years ago, credit cards were probably cheap by international standards. But that has changed during the past few years, as banks and other lenders have hit cardholders with penalty fees and higher annual fees.

Vultures Circle For Feeding Frenzy

Distressed US banks are looking like "lunch" for the big institutions, writes David Hirst.

Hurdles Remain Even As Morgan Stanley And Goldman Sachs Evolve Into Banks

Once the excitement is over, short-selling can resume its legitimate place in the market.

Home, That's Where The Angst Is

A British IKEA catalogue last year said: "Home - the most important place in the world." It was onto something. Homes and mortgages are now troubling governments, banks and financial institutions the world over.

Rescue To Include Foreign Banks

THE US Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, has urged other countries to follow the US lead by establishing similar bail-out funds for institutions burdened with toxic assets that are dragging down world financial markets.

Nab Named As Suitor For Bradford & Bingley

NATIONAL Australia Bank has been named as one of several banks reportedly involved in talks with British regulators to engineer a takeover of troubled lender Bradford & Bingley.

Are you adequately insured?

Banks often have divisions that provide insurance, but are you utilising this form of asset protection effectively?

Banks Battered But Unbowed

AUSTRALIA'S banks have exposures of about $800 million to the failed American insurance giant AIG, according to informed sources.

Shotgun Mergers Could Result In Uneasy Union

IT'S BECOMING the revenge of the Main Street banks. The world's biggest investment banks are rushing into the arms of dowdy cousins better known for selling deposits, credit cards and mortgages in the suburbs.

Skills For Jobless In Greening Riverbank

TEN unemployed men and women have begun a six-month Green Corp project to rehabilitate the banks of the Hunter River near Singleton.

Why Governments Bail Out Banks

How come conservative American politicians, avowed believers in the free market, are busy propping up investment banks and nationalising insurance companies?

Central Banks Ride To The Rescue

SIX of the world's central banks have taken unprecedented joint emergency action to prop up global financial markets, as a deepening crisis of confidence threatens to plunge the world into recession.

$180bn Bid To Stem Global Slide

SIX of the world's central banks have taken joint emergency action to prop up global financial markets, as a deepening crisis of confidence threatens to plunge the world into recession.

Fear Stalks Global Markets Central Banks In Massive Bail-out

THE Australian sharemarket was pummelled again, closing at a 33-month low, and has now lost a third of its value in less than a year.

Rewards program credit cards

Banks can be excellent providers of rewards program credit cards.

Loose Lips Sink Banks, Rudd Tells Turnbull

KEVIN RUDD moved to reassure the nation that its banks were in "sound shape" as he accused Malcolm Turnbull of endangering Australia's financial institutions with reckless language.

Macquarie Hit As Giants Fall

THE capitulation of Wall Street's biggest investment banks has called into question the future of Macquarie Group, triggering a further plunge in its share price yesterday to its lowest level in more than five years.

Australia's Banks Safe: Rba Chief

RESERVE Bank governor Glenn Stevens has declared Australia's financial system sound, even as the US yesterday bailed out the world's biggest insurer, American International Group.

Australian Banks Safe: Rba Chief

RESERVE Bank governor Glenn Stevens has declared Australia's financial system sound, even as the US yesterday bailed out the world's biggest insurer, American International Group.

Banks Face Up To Raw End Of Crunch

CBA and Westpac have admitted to exposures but their problems are less than those of ANZ and NAB.

Closer Eye Being Kept On Banks

AUSTRALIA'S financial services regulator has increased its monitoring of the liquidity of Australia's banks. The move is in response to the global credit crisis.

Banks' Exposure Is Small

AUSTRALIAN banks yesterday disclosed up to $400 million in exposure to Lehman Brothers as banks, derivative dealers, and even local councils continue to unravel their links to the biggest bankruptcy in history.

Negotiating with the banks

Banks may not seem willing to do so, but sometimes they will negotiate in order to keep a customer.

Where We Go From Here Is In The Hands Of Investors

There was an eerie feeling in financial markets around the world yesterday as investors and central banks alike sensed the momentum of the credit crisis had overtaken efforts to keep the damage under control.

Gloom Spreads As Us Financial Giant Collapses

THE collapse of one of Wall Street's oldest investment banks, Lehman Brothers, has sent global markets into a tailspin and reinforced fears that the world is heading into recession.

Jitters Spread As Us Banking Giant Collapses

THE collapse of one of Wall Street's oldest investment banks, Lehman Brothers, has triggered a fresh wave of selling across global markets, and reinforced fears that the world is heading into recession.

Jitters Spread As Us Financial Giant Collapses

THE collapse of one of Wall Street's oldest investment banks, Lehman Brothers, has triggered a fresh wave of selling across global markets, and reinforced fears that the world is heading into recession.

Preparing for retirement

Banks offer many products to help you to set yourself up for retirement.

Banks Cry Wolf On Funding Crisis But Dragon Calls The Furphy

In politics, handing out cash to voters just before they enter the polling booth is a practice that is usually frowned upon. Most countries take a dim view of it, unless a barrel of pork is involved.

Banks Safer Than Houses For Most

THE recent interest rate cut and more stability in the price of petrol have raised consumer spirits, say property researchers.

Savings accounts for children

Banks provide better educational value for children learning about saving than piggy banks.

Australia Can Expect To Share Pain

AUSTRALIAN banks and stockbroking firms have not yet made wholesale job cuts like those in Wall Street and London but many believe it is just a matter of time before turmoil in global markets is felt among local finance professionals.

Business credit cards

Banks can be excellent providers of business credit cards, as they can sometimes package these with other products to give better value.

Beaten To The Crunch

In the wake of the global credit crisis the banks are tightening their lending practices, making home loans much harder to get.

Overseas holiday considerations

Banks can provide many products to help you with an overseas holiday trip.

Insurance from banks

One of the advantages of choosing banks to provide insurance is that they have such a large financial backing.

Banks Quietly Lift Cost Of Fast Money

WHILE banks appear to be giving with one hand they are poised to take with the other.

Anz, Nab Placed To Cash In On Caution

Two big banks are expected to bounce back soonish.

A return to expansion

Business borrowing could increase with the lowering of interest rates by many banks, fuelling expansion and possibly maintaining inflation at its high levels.

Hark, The Sound Of Four Banks Cutting

A public relations exercise of monumental proportions played out yesterday as the four major banks pressed a button one minute after the Reserve declared a 25 basis point cut to the official cash rate, taking their standard variable home loan rates down by the same amount.

Banks In Rush To Keep Up Appearances

THE speed at which banks pledged to pass on interest rate cuts gave the appearance that funding pressures had eased in global financial markets. But yesterday's promise of cuts was more about political expediency than margin management.

Banks May Hold On To Rate Cut

MORTGAGE greed could collectively cost home loan customers almost $3.4 million a day for every day the big five banks delay passing on any anticipated interest rate cuts.

Official Interest Rate Cuts Give Lenders A Chance To Restore Their Margins

Don't expect too much mortgage relief as banks move to regain their health, writes Steve Keen.

RBA lowers rates, banks set to follow

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has decided to lower the target cash rate by 25 basis points, with many banks committed to dropping their rates in response.

Better banks for bigger savings

When looking for high interest accounts from the banks in order to increase your savings it can be helpful to use comparison tables to find the best deals.