CommSec margin lending flies

CommSec recorded growth in average monthly trade volumes of 42 per cent over the last six months, partly helped by the takeover of IWL in late November.

CommSec is Australia's largest retail brokerage platform and accounts for approximately 63 per cent of all online trade volume.

The bank said its margin lending book of $9 billion is in good shape, with a conservative loan to valuation ratio of 37 per cent at the end of January 2008.

CBA said it made margin calls on less than five per cent of customers during January, with only four per cent of those calls resulting in the forced sale of securities.

CommSec was one of two main drivers in the six per cent commission increase for the bank to $908 million over the comparative period. Volume-led increases in home lending package fees was the other.