Australia and New Zealand Banking Group News Archives

Commonwealth Bank says it will not discuss the exposures to the debt-laden Dubai World.

Tower Australia full-year profit declined by 32 per cent as the life insurer's investments were hit by volatile markets and a higher amortisations charge.

U.S. private equity investor JC Flowers is circling Britain's weakened banking industry, prepared to swoop on forced divestments over the next 12 months, according to the firm's new European and Asia Pacific boss.

RATINGS agency Standard & Poor's has warned that nearly all the world's big banks - including Australia's major lenders - have insufficient funds to cover their lending exposures and risk a ratings downgrade unless they move to bolster their balance sheets over the next 18 months.

An "evil" US con man who portrayed himself as a "Hanoi Hilton" prisoner of war survivor to scam victims in Australia, New Zealand and the US out of almost $US4 million has been jailed.

GE Capital, the financial services segment of the General Electric Company , today announced the appointment of Steve Sargent as president and CEO of GE Capital's business operations in Asia Pacific.

Sri Lanka's navy says it has intercepted two fishing trawlers carrying 60 asylum seekers heading for Australia.

MARKET RAP Time for a breather By R M Cutler MONTREAL - Asian stock exchanges began this week with a promising advance on Monday but Friday saw the MSCI Asia Pacific Index down for the fourth straight day, the longest losing streak in over four months.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA and SUNNYVALE, CA -- -- 11/22/09 -- Zultys, Inc., the leading provider of elegantly simple Unified Communications : and VoIP Business Phone Systems : since 2001, today announced a distribution partnership with Alloy Computer Products of Melbourne, Australia.

Talk about a sticky situation for a company undertaking a capital raising. Crane rental company Boom Logistics entered a trading halt to conduct a $67 million equity raising on Tuesday only to receive a hostile takeover approach from its largest shareholder, Harbrew Group hours later.

ANZ has offloaded its custodian services business to US bank JPMorgan, in a bid to lay the ghost of its securities lending problems.

Over the last two weeks Nortel staff have been learning whether they have a future with the company as the process of integrating the vendor into its new owner Avaya proceeds.

" Australia New Zealand Banking Group, the parent bank of ANZ and National Banks, intends to sell its custodian services businesses in Australasia to investment bank JP Morgan.

Japanese whaling ships left port on Thursday for Antarctic waters for their annual hunt of the ocean giants, Greenpeace said, setting the stage for high-seas confrontations with anti-whaling activists.

In a move that highlights the difficulty of regulating ratings agencies, Standard & Poor's has joined Moody's in withdrawing its application to supply ratings of corporate bonds and other debt-based securities to retail investors in Australia, after new rules were announced this month by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Police chiefs from around New Zealand and Australia have come together to launch a united stand against drunken violence.

Police chiefs from around Australia and New Zealand will come together to launch a united stand against drunken violence today.

French insurer AXA SA and Australia's AMP Ltd need to sweeten their bid for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings by about 10 percent to seal the proposed $11 billion deal, analysts and fund managers say.

Brightpoint, Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, Brightpoint Australia Pty Ltd , has entered into a distribution agreement with BlueAnt Wireless.

ANZ chief executive Mike Smith has emerged as the nation's highest-paid bank boss, last year taking home the equivalent of $10.9 million.

JUST two big banks now control almost half of Australia's domestic mortgage market with consumer watchdogs warning the lack of competition is hitting homeowners in the back pocket.

Fiji is short of judges, but any Canadian legal eagles who fancy a secondment in a South Pacific tropical paradise and get the call should think once, twice, thrice and then say "no." Seven Sri Lankan judges recently said "yes" when they were asked to fill vacancies on the Fijian bench, but even their journey to the archipelago of 322 islands and ...

Hypercom Corporation today announced that Westpac Banking Corporation, one of Australia's largest financial services organizations by market capitalization, has selected and will deploy thousands of Optimum T4200 countertop terminals to merchants throughout Australia.

Wednesday, 11 November 2009, 11:45 am Press Release: Chugg Entertainment "Watching Al Green sing live should be on any list of 'Things to Do Before You Die'." -- New York Times, June 2008 Chugg Entertainment is thrilled and honoured to bring to Australia and New Zealand for the very first time, the peerless prince of soul, the Reverend Al Green.

The Royal Australian Navy's heavy landing ship HMAS Tobruk yesterday arrived in Apia, the capital of Samoa, to deliver humanitarian aid coordinated by AusAID as part of the ongoing support to Samoa and Tonga following the tsunami that devastated parts of both island nations on 30 September.

THE European Union expressed regret on Tuesday at a decision by Fiji's military leader to expel top envoys from Australia and New Zealand, and urged the Pacific Island nation not to isolate itself.

Fletcher Building, New Zealanda s biggest construction company, may report 2010 earnings at the lower end of analystsa forecasts unless there is a a sustainable recoverya in volumes, chairman Rod Deane told shareholders at their annual meeting today.

RATE rise in December is now a ''live'' possibility, say analysts, after new data showed businesses were more confident than at any time since 2002 and more keen to hire than before the global financial crisis.

Researchers from Australia and the UK are calling for a new approach to the debate over whether alcohol industry sponsorship of sports increases drinking among sports participants.

THE dollar was more than a cent higher at noon after breaking through the 92 cent barrier in early trade, buoyed by positive weekend sentiment and favourable domestic housing data.

Axa Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd. , the Australian unit of Francea s biggest insurer, rejected an unsolicited $10 billion bid from parent Axa SA and wealth manager AMP Ltd.

Cedenco Foods, the tomato, corn and apple processor, has been put into receivership by ANZ National Bank, which extended seasonal funding to allow the company to continue to trade.

SYDNEY : Fiji-born Australian academic Brij Lal says he was subjected to intense verbal abuse while in detention in Suva, prior to being sent back to Australia.

ING Real Estate was "definitely not" planning to leave Australia, said chief executive Denis Hickey two months after taking on one of the more difficult jobs in the industry.

The vice foreign minister on Thursday hailed Vice Premier Li Keqiang's official visit to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea as "very fruitful," calling it a major diplomatic activity of China with the South Pacific region.

A businessman takes an escalator as a stock quotation board is reflected on a window in Tokyo in this June 23, 2009 HONG KONG: Asian stocks rose ahead of the latest U.S. payrolls report on Friday, expected to show the fewest job losses since August 2008, while oil prices recovered after a sharp drop on high U.S. fuel inventories.

There's enough in the profit result Westpac handed down yesterday to confirm that last year's approval of the bank's $16 billion takeover of St George was good for Westpac, but bad for competition.

Nov 4 - Fiji's self-appointed Prime Minister orders Australia and New Zealand envoys to leave, accusing countries of judicial interference.

The Australian dollar opened lower today after the widely expected interest rate rise failed to entice investors into the domestic currency.

AUSTRALIA'S big four banks have moved quickly to hit home loan customers with another interest rate rise after yesterday's move by the Reserve Bank.

A significant drop in earnings from its institutional banking and New Zealand divisions and a huge rise in bad debts have seen annual net profits at the Westpac Group slide 11 per cent to $3.4 billion.

Statement by PM Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama on the Interference with Fiji Judiciary by Australia and New Zealand Governments Statement by PM Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama on the Interference with Fiji Judiciary by Australia and New Zealand Governments Ladies and Gentlemen The Chief Justice has already highlighted the interference into ...

Cheese supplier and educator Lynne Tietzel believes safety is an issue with raw-milk cheese production.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted its key interest rate for a second month in a row as it attempts to keep Australia's economy on track for sustained growth.

Fiji has ordered envoys from New Zealand and Australia, its two biggest neighbours, to return home within 24 hours, accusing them of interfering in its internal affairs.

Nov. 3 – Abano Healthcare Group has confirmed it has sold its New Zealand audiology business to concentrate on hearing care in Australia and Asia.

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 -- There is vast potential for relations between Australia and Malaysia to further expand politically and economically, says Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Penny Williams.

Prince William will visit Australia and New Zealand early next year in his first official overseas trip.

Concerns over the way New Zealand officials handled a visa application for a Fijian judge with a sick child have led to a diplomatic tiff in Suva.

Thank you. The week ahead with Michael Pascoe The start of a week as good as any for increasing official interest rates.

This is the season for Asian gatherings. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Thailand in late October brought all the key players of Asia together.