Briefs: Support for Kiwi banking whistleblowers, from Westpac NZ to Treasury, regulator mad at Moola 04 March 2021 6:04AM Banking Day staff Finance regulation, Ombudsman services, Work & career, Customer satisfaction, Bank fees, Payday lending, Consumer lending, Westpac, Appointments Kiwi bank customers can now see how many complaints have been made against their bank and how quickly complaints have been handled. The data is on the new ‘complaints dashboard’ launched by the New Zealand Banking Ombudsman Scheme. And the scheme is also launching a whistleblower service for bank staff, which will run as an independent service taking anonymous complaints from bank workers, reports interest.co.nz From March 14, Westpac NZ Chief Economist Dominick Stephens will take up a ten-month secondment later this month as the New Zealand Treasury’s Deputy Secretary, Chief Economic Advisor. Michael Gordon will be Westpac Acting Chief Economist in his absence. New Zealand short term lender Moola is to credit or refund approximately NZ$2.8 million to current and former borrowers, after settling with the Commerce Commission’s over its charging of unreasonable credit and default fees. Between February 2016 and July 2017 Moola charged default fees of $60, establishment fees of $150 or $350, and processing fees of $50. Prior to the introduction of a daily rate of charge cap in June 2020, it offered loans with interest rates as high as 620.5 per cent pa, the Commission said.