National Australia Bank's interim CEO Phil Chronican is binning the company's "controversial" introducer program that has triggered a string of fraud investigations into former staff of the bank.While ex-NAB boss Andrew Thorburn scaled back the introducer program last year, around 1000 loan spotters are continuing to receive payments for directing borrowers to the bank's products.However, Chronican said on Monday that all loan-spotting fees currently being paid to eligible introducers would end from the beginning of October."We want customers to have the confidence to come to NAB because of the products and services we provide - not because a third party received a payment to recommend us," he said."Like other businesses, we will still welcome referrals and will continue to build strong relationships with business and community partners."However, there will be no 'Introducer' payments made."Under Thorburn the introducer program became an integral part of NAB's mortgage distribution strategy and the fastest growing source of loan origination.It also fostered a dysfunctional sales culture that resulted in criminal charges being brought against former branch staff in Victoria and New South Wales.Until 2016 the bank had doled out fees to at least 9000 individuals and community organisations before senior executives found evidence of branch staff rorting the program.An internal investigation that year led to the sacking of 20 staff and disciplinary action taken against 32 others.Some of those matters were referred to ASIC and police for investigation, which have since resulted in staff facing charges for criminal offences such as fraud and obtaining property by deception.A Victorian NAB banker last year was charged with defrauding around A$800,000 of incentive payments from the bank after he allegedly used a friend to act as an "introducer" on loans he was managing.Police allege the banker kept most of the introducer fees on a large volume of loans that were officially recorded as having been originated by the friend.Evidence presented to the Hayne royal commission also highlighted a systemic breakdown in the integrity of loan origination practices in NAB branches across western Sydney.Some staff employed in western Sydney branches are alleged to have accepted kickbacks from customers after helping them to falsify information submitted to the bank on loan application forms.According to ASIC, one Sydney branch manager received more than $180,000 in introducer payments on 101 loans that were supposedly originated by a third party.While NAB is the first major bank to bin payments to introducers, consumer advocates argue the company has moved too slowly to bin the practice."National Australia Bank knew as far back as 2015 that their introducer program was shonky," said CHOICE's head of policy, Patrick Veyret."It's shameful it's taken this long for them to act. Thousands of Australians have had their lives affected by false applications from this introducer program."The Royal Commission revealed that many Australians were duped by introducers into unaffordable loans and defaulted as a result."Thorburn revealed last year that at least 2000 home loans were non-compliant with responsible lending and other statutory requirements as a result of staff misconduct.NAB has shelled