Briefs: Saatchi & Saatchi wins Westpac account, NZ's Co-op allows ATM freeze, DBS hit with bad Chine

Customers of New Zealand's Co-operative Bank will soon be able to temporarily freeze their own ATM cards through their banking apps on their mobile phones. The bank said the new feature was designed to allow customers to suspend a lost card while they worked out if it was stolen or just mislaid, but it expected some customers would use it to fight retail temptation. "Making security easy for customers is key to security being effective. We also wouldn't be surprised if customers started using this feature as a way to curb their spending on their card too," said Michael Garden, head of digital, marketing and products at The Co-operative Bank.
Saatchi & Saatchi has won the lead creative account for Westpac's St George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne brands, Ad News reports. The agency has been working with the St George brand since 2013.
Singapore's biggest bank, DBS Group, has reported a 40 per cent increase in bad debt provisions during the December quarter - a result of an increase in non-performing loans in China and Singapore. According to an asiaone report, trading income dropped 44 per cent during the quarter, which the bank put down to less favourable trading conditions. The bank posted a small increase in net profit for the quarter but failed to meet analysts' expectations.