Briefs: Westpac appoints retail GM, 7000 join NAB suit and ASIC checks 17 low doc lenders 16 October 2012 5:12PM Briefs, Westpac has appointed Gai McGrath as general manager of retail banking in Australia, the Financial Review reported. McGrath held the same position at Westpac New Zealand. More than 7000 investors have signed up to the class action that Maurice Blackburn is bringing against National Australia Bank over the lack of timely disclosure over losses on collateralised debt obligations. More than 6000 registered over recent weeks to meet a court deadline, the Financial Review reported. The Australian reported that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission told a Senate inquiry that it had launched 17 investigations into alleged fraud relating to mortgage brokers providing false information in loan application forms. ASIC fined Barclays A$80,000 for removing A$13.8 million in funds from a segregated client account for five days in early 2011. The transfer of the funds was an operations error and corrected once detected by bank staff.