Banking News

Russell Cousins passed away on Wednesday the 20th of May 2020. Condolences to his wife Colleen and to their family. He fought for justice right to the end. Russ was a one of a kind giant who felt the injustice of corporate greed. He went into battle not just to bring justice to his family but to as many other victims of financial system crimes and misconduct as possible. We will miss Russ Cousins but he leaves a legacy that bank warriors will carry forward.

An essential in-depth analysis of Westpac bank's dark past. Dr Evan Jones shines a light on legacy cases that multiple Westpac CEOs have refused to properly deal with. It's all here - the Westpac Letters - the Foreign Currency Loan Scandal - Westpac and the Royal Commission.

Victims of bank crimes and coverups deserve to be heard and compensated. No bank can get away with the old deny, delay, deceive routine any longer. Have a look what happened to Colin Uebergang, Patrick Hayes, Peter Casaceli and others. Maybe Westpac could claw back some of the bonuses paid to Gail Kelly and Brian Hartzer to assist with the remediation program.

Our UK brother bank warriors Ian Lightbody and John Guidi are flying into Sydney for NAB's AGM on 18.12.19. Banks should have realised by now that activists are united around the country and around the world. The old delay, deny, deceive routine just doesn't work anymore. Victims of predatory banking know exactly what was done to them, how it was done, who profited from the misconduct and who is covering it up. Brave whistleblowers and gutsy journalists are assisting the path to justice and remediation.

The bank business model is flawed. What happened in the UK also happened in Australia. If the boards of these banks didn't know what was going on they were either incompetent or negligent. If they were neither they are complicit and culpable. Either way directors are in an untenable situation.

Westpac needs to show the community it has taken clear accountability. Brian Hartzer's tenure will come under pressure, but the board also has questions to answer.

Bank warriors did all of us proud at the Bendigo Bank AGM. Critical issues are being put on the table in public by activists that are not tolerating the way banks have done business in the past. This is how we get reform. Board members must realise that cover-ups and deception are no longer an effective way to run a business. Great work from Craig Caulfield and the team that attended - see this great summary and some video highlights right here.

A very sad story. The ill son of war hero "Weary" Dunlop ripped off by finance sector parasites ... and no-one in a position to help the family will take responsibility. Thanks to bank warrior Boyd Fraser the relatives of now deceased Alexander Dunlop have a chance to see justice. Boyd has his own battle with Perpetual and he's not going down without a fight and while he's at it he wants to help other victims too. This is an amazing case showing just how dodgy some characters are in the "business" world.

It's pretty hard to trust Anna Bligh and the Australian Banking Association when you consider the history of banking in Australia since the first Code of Conduct came into existence in 1993. The Soviet Union had possibly the finest documentation protecting the Human Rights of its citizens. Words on paper don't cut it..!! The system must be structured to serve the people's legitimate needs and interests. The Banking Codes have always served the interests of the banks. The new code is no different. But don't worry folks ...... there is light at the end of this long and torturous tunnel.

Dr Evan Jones has recently commented on several cases Bank Reform Now has been assisting with. The Hayes and Uebergang cases raise very serious issues for Westpac. CEO Brian Hartzer wasn't at the bank when these issues surfaced  but he can read. When Westpac was on the edge of collapse drastic measures were part of the rescue response. It's all been detailed in Hansard and then Senator Paul McLean's book Bankers And Bastards. The Westpac Letters scandal showed how the bank's board and their lawyers operated. We know they broke the law. We know they destroyed lives and businesses. Colin Uebergang suffered as a direct result. It's not good enough to pretend the bankers were saints in the 90s. We all now know the truth.