Suncorp has hired UBS to help it work through the merits of a sale or demerger of its banking arm, the AFR reports in its Street Talk column. "It's understood no decisions have been made and the work is preliminary and purely hypothetical - at least for the time being," the column reports. Suncorp's banking and wealth division's net profit was A$182 million over the December 2018 half. New Zealand's Heartland Group has appointed Cherise Barrie as its chief financial officer. Barrie is a chartered accountant who has held executive positions and Westpac New Zealand, Health Alliance NZ and Sovereign Ltd.