Briefs: Westpac's insurer returning significant capital, broker commissions bumped up, prime housing 20 April 2015 4:03PM Banking Day staff Briefs, A Westpac insurance captive, Westpac Lenders Mortgage Insurance, "continues to generate significant levels of surplus capital," Fitch Ratings said on Friday. The bank "repatriated A$179 million of WLMI's ordinary equity through a share buy-back in addition to $25 million in dividends in 2014," Fitch said. The captive returned capital even though net profits declined 31 per cent to $29 million last year. Heritage Bank said it increased upfront commissions for mortgage brokers from 0.55 per cent to 0.65 per cent for loans funded from June 2015. A recent study by JP Morgan found upfront broker commissions paid by major banks have increased from an average of around 50 basis points to 55 bps over the past 12 months, while the average for smaller lenders has increased from an average of 55 bps to more than 60 points. Standard & Poor's said arrears on prime housing loans increased by three basis points to to 0.49 per cent over February 2015. S&P said that "February saw a small increase in arrears in prime RMBS and a modest reduction in arrears for nonconforming RMBS." Loans in arrears greater than 30 days increased by three bps in February to 1.15 per cent. Australia will provide A$25 million to the World Bank Group's Global Infrastructure Facility. The GIF aims to "facilitate greater private sector investment in the infrastructure of emerging market and developing countries."