Comment: CBA's compo conundrum
Questions of adequacy will be a sharp debating point as Commonwealth Bank finalises its compensation scheme for clients defrauded by some of its financial planners. The Financial Planning Association of Australia said it was "calling for all impacted clients of the recent CBA advice failure to receive full compensation." In an interview with ABC radio last night, FPA chief executive officer Mark Rantall said, "We were under the impression that full compensation had been given. This is new information [that affected clients have been left in limbo by the CBA], and what we say is if full compensation hasn't been given, or the appropriate clients haven't been identified, then that needs to happen."Fair enough. Rantall also said if the scheme announced by the CBA was "adequate" there was no need for a judicial inquiry, adding a royal commission may slow the compensation process."The important thing is that the clients get looked after. That will happen more quickly without a royal commission, I would think," he said.But several important points have not been clearly addressed by commentators. Here are a few that spring to mind:• How the bank defines "full compensation" will be interesting to record at the end of the exercise. • Will there be any compo for profits not earned, dividends not received and capital gains not realised?• Will fiduciary investments be shown to qualify for a bank promise that is as strong as for a bank deposit?We are expecting the Commonwealth Bank to break its silence and respond in detail this week, maybe as soon as today.