Attractive profit margins in merchant services

One item in the Royal Bank of Scotland announcement on its forced divestment of select businesses is the details relating to its Global Merchant Services division. The EU is forcing RBS to sell this a.. read more

Short-term rates thinking at Westpac

With its full-year profit to announce today Westpac must have felt the need for some public relations posturing in the context of having to announce a 25 basis point increase in its standard home loan.. read more

FirstMac profitable after the slump

Mortgage funder FirstMac yesterday reported its financial results for the 2009 financial year, with a net profit of $14.7 million, an increase of more than three times on 2008 and described as "a reco.. read more

$1.3bn in fees for Federal backstop

Updated budget papers for the Australian government provide some more data on the use by financial institutions of the various guarantee schemes on bank liabilities. read more

Gas crash a lesson for Macquarie

Amid the smorgasbord of write-downs and revaluations that coalesces with the everyday revenue flows from interest income (flat), fees (flat) and trading income (up) for the Macquarie Group in its Sept.. read more

No capital relief for banks

ANZ yesterday brushed away one of the stranger ideas to circulate in Australian investment circles over the last six weeks, namely the notion that banks could be considered to have surplus capital and.. read more

NAB picks cream of RHG loans

The cherry picking of the mortgage book of RHG by the firm's bankers is underway. RHG told the ASX yesterday that National Australia Bank enforced rights to buy $440 million worth of home loans at par.. read more

Tax Office debts take off

Tax debts owed by business and households climbed by 12 per cent in the year to June 2009, the annual report for the Australian Taxation Office shows. Collectable debt increased by only one per cent i.. read more