Briefs: RAMS website retains more customers, KPMG buys cyber security firm

Banking Day staff
  • According to the Global Reviews Home Loans Industry Digital Marketing & Sales Effectiveness Report, the RAMS website offers consumers the best experience during the "consideration" phase of home loans. This was closely followed by ING Direct, St George and ANZ. On average, one in six consumers moved to another home loan website if they encountered a problem. Of the Big Four banks, Westpac lost out the most, with 82 per cent of potential customers moving on between shortlisting consideration and final preference.

  • Six weeks after Brian Hartzer replaced Gail Kelly at Westpac, he revealed the group would spend $40m in the next two years, upgrading its regional network to new "Bank Now" branches, which are about 25 per cent smaller than traditional stores, rather than making the more radical move of closing doors, The Australian has reported.

  • KPMG Australia will acquire First Point Global, an Asia Pacific identity and access management business. Founding partners John Havers and Jan Zeilinga will join KPMG's cyber security leadership team and bring in 30 professionals - the largest specialist IAM team in the country. According to Havers, digital identity and access management have risen in visibility within the corporate hierarchy, as has the recognition that information systems are assets that need protection.