Briefs: Murder trails ANZ Malaysian scandal, ANZ refunds customer fees, N1 Loans extends lead genera
The Australian reports on ANZ's Malaysian AML mess, one thoroughly entangled with the questionable business and political practices of the country's elite. A recent murder of a prosecutor on the trail of payments into AmBank accounts for Prime Minister Najib Razak is one detail to remember. ANZ is understood to have been trying to divest its 24.9 per cent stake in the bank since at least September 2015, the newspaper reports. ANZ will refund around A$5 million to 25,000 customers after it failed to properly apply fee reductions and waivers for customers who held an ANZ Access Basic account and who also held an ANZ credit card or Everyday Visa Debit Card since 2007. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission said the refunds would include an additional amount of interest and, in some cases, refunds of overpayments of credit card insurance premiums. ASIC said the errors were due to "breakdowns in the interaction between automated and manual systems." With its initial public offering out of the way, specialist Chinese-language mortgage broker N1 Loans is making good on its promise to expand its business activities. The company has extended its agreement with its lead generation partner 1300HomeLoan, which will provide N1 with access to customer leads in Queensland and Victoria, as well as the current arrangement in New South Wales. N1 raised $5 million in equity capital through its IPO and was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange on March 18.