Financial Services and Insurance

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# Article Title Author
51 Small business still subsidising mortgages and big business: Report Madeleine Heffernan
52 Mobile payments will be mainstream in a few years, KPMG survey reveals Patrick Stafford
53 Brokers drop 26% as value of loans written drops $2.7 billion Patrick Stafford
54 Anger at introduction of anti-laundering levy Madeleine Heffernan
55 Business bank fees jump 14% as lending stalls Ammar Sachak
56 Commonwealth Bank targets SMEs with mobile payments service Madeleine Heffernan
57 SMEs warned falling house prices could hurt access to credit Madeleine Heffernan
58 Senate inquiry says no ‘silver bullet’ for banking competition, experts mixed on recommendations Madeleine Heffernan
59 Big four banks impress with record profits, but SME lending outlook fragile: Experts Madeleine Heffernan
60 Australian tech entrepreneur sells payments business for $106 million James Thomson
61 Bookkeepers warned of July deadline for professional indemnity insurance Madeleine Heffernan
62 Financial planners win concessions in Government reform package but fear fees will rise Madeleine Heffernan
63 SMEs forced to borrow from private lenders as banking competition stalls: Mortgage & Finance Association Michelle Hammond
64 Collapsed stockbroker MINC Financial Services sold off James Thomson
65 Regional independent banks top the majors for SMEs: Report Michelle Hammond
66 Why Mark Bouris’ Yellow Brick Road could be worth following: Bartholomeusz Stephen Bartholomeusz
67 SMEs would like to spend more time on growth, but bogged down by administrative tasks: Survey Madeleine Heffernan
68 Defeat of ASX takeover bad news for SMEs looking to list or raise money: Expert Madeleine Heffernan
69 Banks will lower pricing in fight for SME market: Expert Madeleine Heffernan
70 We need to do more to support SMEs: NAB business banking chief Patrick Stafford
71 NAB falls sharply in latest business banking satisfaction survey Ryan Jon Dunn
72 Bank marketing wars move to business lending Ryan Jon Dunn
73 ATM network operator says fees here to stay as investors target market Ryan Jon Dunn
74 Founder of collapsed property company Fincorp facing jail after being found guilty of dishonest payments James Thomson
75 Meet the bear who sees another credit market collapse building: Maley Karen Maley
76 Insurance premiums set for modest rises Michelle Hammond
77 NAB offers exit fees subsidy for mortgage holders as lending competition heats up Ryan Jon Dunn
78 Mark Bouris set to list Yellow Brick Road through reverse takeover after independent expert backs deal James Thomson
79 Mortgage exit fees banned on new loans, small lenders to receive more support under Government’s banking reform package James Thomson
80 Bluestone Group gets investment from Macquarie Group, eyes return to selling new mortgages James Thomson
81 Delays continue to plague NAB customers after technical problems James Thomson
82 Transactions and payments delayed as NAB hit by technical problems James Thomson
83 RAMS Homeloans founder John Kinghorn warns home loans to self-employed could dry up James Thomson
84 Mortgage exit fees on the way out as Gillard pledges to improve banking competition James Thomson
85 Former rich list member Phil Adams declared bankrupt James Thomson
86 Hockey and Swan set to unveil banking reform measures as sector profit hits $28.5 billion James Thomson
87 Investigation reveals millions in payments to financial planners not properly accounted for George Lekakis
88 Commonwealth Bank agrees to payouts over poor financial planning advice James Thomson
89 Demand for business credit falls as companies hold off on growth plans James Thomson
90 Financial services firm Prosperity Advisers in administration after battle with insurer James Thomson
91 Banks fighting over medium-sized companies as recovery gathers pace James Thomson
92 ACCC rejects NAB’s $13.3 billion bid for AXA James Thomson
93 HSBC to target Australian SME sector James Thomson
94 Data reveals bad debts rising across the economy, with construction sector hardest hit James Thomson
95 How Australia's Big Four banks became the Big Two: Report James Thomson
96 Richard Branson's Virgin Money picks Sydney for HQ, but is the Virgin Active gyms chain up for sale? James Thomson
97 Banking expert says banks are willing to lend to SMEs but lending requirements still tough Patrick Stafford
98 Chinese bank set to become the world’s biggest ever float – and Kerry Stokes has a stake James Thomson
99 Senate Committee says banks should abolish exit fees on variable loans James Thomson
100 Young Rich list member Jeremy Reid forced to wind down company James Thomson
 

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News


ASIC to crack down on liquidators as insolvencies rise
Patrick Stafford ASIC says it will keep an eye on liquidators in the wake of increased company collapses. | Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Court slaps pyramid scheme participants with $200,000 in penalties
Cara Waters The Federal Court has fined three people a total of $200,000 for taking part in a pyramid selling scheme. | Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Former BDO partners chased for $1.1 million in bad debts
Cara Waters Former partners in defunct accounting practice BDO Melbourne and Sydney are being pursued for more than $1 million in bad debts. | Monday, 21 May 2012

PwC bans staff meetings between 10am and 4pm: Five tips for running a good meeting
Cara Waters A chief executive's ban on meetings has been backed by a business performance expert. | Thursday, 17 May 2012

Big four "couldn't give a toss" about small business: Small Business Minister Brendan O'Connor
Oliver Milman The big four banks “couldn’t give a toss” about providing credit to new enterprises, federal Small Business Minister Brendan O’Connor has claimed. | Thursday, 17 May 2012

Private businesses predict profit increase of 18% next year: PwC
Cara Waters Australia's private businesses are continuing to experience slow growth rates, with sales growing by just 6% and profits by 7% in the last 12 months, according to PwC's Business Barometer published today. | Monday, 14 May 2012

Proposed ASX rule changes for small companies come under fire
Cara Waters Shareholder activists have criticised an ASX proposal to increase capital raising limits for small and mid-cap companies from 15% to 25%, saying it ignores small investors. | Monday, 14 May 2012

Why the big banks won't break their gambling addiction: Kohler
Alan Kohler JP Morgan's $2 billion loss has led to calls in the US for tougher regulations on trading, but don't bet on change happening soon. | Sunday, 13 May 2012

CBA and NAB cut rates but withhold a large chunk of the Reserve Bank’s reduction
Cara Waters Commonwealth Bank will lower its standard variable interest rate by 40 basis points. | Thursday, 3 May 2012

The “super-sized” rate cut is good news for business, but banks still hesitant
Cara Waters The Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to cut the official interest rate by 50 basis points yesterday has been hailed as “courageous” by economists. | Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Trends


Google appoints new Motorola Mobility CEO after takeover deal closes
Andrew Sadauskas Google has appointed a new CEO to Motorola Mobility after completing its takeover of the smartphone maker. | Thursday, 24 May 2012

Nokia rapidly burning through cash reserves as marketshare collapses
Andrew Sadauskas Nokia, Microsoft, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7, Google, Apple, Android, iOS, Credit Default Swaps, Standard & Poor's, Information Technology | Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Harvey Norman scoops Telstra, Optus and Vodafone to secure Sony Xperia Sola
Andrew Sadauskas Harvey Norman has secured an exclusive Australian distribution agreement for the Sony Xperia Sola, scooping Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. | Monday, 21 May 2012

Features


Your sector-by-sector guide to 2012
Madeleine Heffernan The only certainty is uncertainty: chances are the Australian economy is headed for another topsy-turvy year. | Tuesday, 17 January 2012

All’s not well for online customers in health insurance sector
James Thomson Health insurance is an industry that has become dominated by comparison websites. So you would expect the main players to be internet savvy. But they're not. | Tuesday, 23 August 2011

Insurers bank on better times
Robert Bryant An accelerating economy will yield strong demand for general insurance and this will force insurers to lift prices as capacity is stretched. | Tuesday, 28 June 2011

How I diversified my business risk when a key staff member resigned
Patrick Stafford APEX Insurance Brokers' Daniel Johnson reveals his uphill battle after a key staff member left the company. | Thursday, 2 June 2011

Insuring the future
Robert Bryant, IBISWorld Price increases and investment returns will strengthen revenue for the insurance industry. | Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Five industries set to fly in 2010-2011
Robert Bryant, IBISWorld With the new financial year upon us, IBISWorld looks at the Australian industries set to fly in the next 12 months - and those set to fall. | Tuesday, 22 June 2010

Bring companies back from the dead
Patrick Stafford By the time a financially distressed company requests assistance, many are too far along to help, warns Vantage Performance's Michael Fingland. | Thursday, 18 March 2010

How to get cash from banks
Patrick Stafford Spotless financial records, low debtor levels and a clear, easy-to-understand business case are three critical requirements for SMEs that want funding. | Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Late payment
Robert Bryant The finance and insurance sector is being hammered by the global financial crisis, but the sector's underlying growth prospects are good. | Tuesday, 7 April 2009

How to pick the best investment adviser
Michael Laurence Storm Financial’s formula for investment success was fundamentally flawed, and should have sent warning signs to investors with even minimal investment skills. MICHAEL LAURENCE asks long-time investor specialists how to identify investment advisers that should be avoided | Monday, 16 February 2009

Entrepreneur Zone


Clive Rabie
Madeleine Heffernan News imageClive Rabie, the CEO of accounting software company Reckon, says 2012 has got off to a good start and SMEs are feeling more optimistic. BY MADELEINE HEFFERNAN. | Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Adir Shiffman
James Thomson News imageHelp Me Choose founder, Adir Shiffman, talks about building a business throughout the GFC, the pitfalls of fast growth and why he still keeps his hand in as a doctor. | Tuesday, 24 August 2010

Mark Forsyth
James Thomson News imageFirstfolio is one of the fastest-growing players in the mortgage market. Chief exec Mark Forsyth talks about the trade off between short-term profit and long-term growth. | Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Jo Burston
Patrick Stafford News imageWhile Jo Burston had an idea for a business which could provide services for payroll packaging and outsourcing she had no funding. | Thursday, 11 February 2010

Michael Russell
James Thomson News imageMichael Russell is the chief executive of Mortgage Choice, Australia's largest independent mortgage broker. Russell was appointed in May, in the middle of an extremely difficult year for the company. He talks to SmartCompany about the pressure on commissions, the need for more competition in the banking sector and whether or not our kids will ever be able to afford their own homes. | Tuesday, 1 December 2009

Sean Russo
Patrick Stafford News imageIf you allowed your clients to decide how much to pay you, what sort of fee would you receive? | Thursday, 29 October 2009

Ned Montarello
James Thomson News imageDespite the downturn, ThinkSmart, which specialises in providing finance products for the B2B sector, has had a solid year. | Wednesday, 21 October 2009

Tim Johnston
Amber Plum News imageAn unserviced niche in the accountancy industry saw BooksOnSite become one of the fifth largest bookkeeping businesses in the country. | Friday, 2 October 2009

Keeping business cooking
James Thomson News imageSilverChef's Allan English has used the 'rent, try, buy' model to help hospitality businesses while helping his own. | Thursday, 21 May 2009

Recruiter rides the outsourcing wave
Amanda Gome Andrew Banks heads the winning HR firm Talent2, and has built a highly successful and lucrative career from making canny calls on recruitment trends. He tells AMANDA GOME about his strategies and predictions. | Tuesday, 14 October 2008
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