Westpac has withdrawn messages it was sending to credit card customers about limit increases after the Australian Securities and Investments Commission raised concerns. Westpac informed customers about changes to credit law starting on July 1 and requested that customers give consent to continue receiving credit limit increase offers. ASIC formed the view that the messages were misleading because they suggested that customers needed to act urgently and that if customers did not consent they could miss out on future access to additional funds. The Australian reported that a record 25 Australian and New Zealand companies raised money in the United States private placement market last year. According to Goldman Sachs research, the total amount raised was US$7.8 billion. In the first quarter of 2012 five Australian and New Zealand companies have raised US$1.4 billion in that market.