Commonwealth Bank and Bankwest escaped any real censure from the Senate's economics committee in its report on the "post-GFC banking sector" released yesterday.The committee's inquiry had its origins in agitation by aggrieved borrowers of Bankwest who lost their businesses and livelihoods after CBA - which took control of Bankwest in 2008 - called in many loans. The report acknowledged the paucity of evidence for a central tenet of many submissions from borrowers - the notion that "there was an unusual incentive for the CBA-owned Bankwest" to take an unduly harsh approach towards borrowers. Some borrowers had argued that CBA's purchase agreement and clawback arrangements with HBOS (the former owner) provided incentives to do so.The committee concluded that "other factors such as the deterioration of the property market and general anxiety about the business and economic environment" were more relevant to the decision to foreclose on many customers. "In any case, the committee does not consider that it is necessary for it to definitively determine which factors may have influenced Bankwest's actions. The possible reasons provide some context, however, the concerns about Bankwest's approach and the regulatory responses required can largely be considered independently of these issues. "While it can be conceived that situations similar to those that faced Bankwest's borrowers could be experienced by future customers of any lender, they could be caused by any number of events. The recommendations made by the committee are accordingly directed towards changes that will support more equitable dealings generally between small businesses and banks and that can apply to a broad range of future situations.The committee noted that while it "questioned Bankwest about particular cases and has utilised evidence relating to specific disputes to support its findings, readers of this report should not expect to find the committee's judgment on individual cases."