The sound and fury of excess bank profits

The sound and fury of excess bank profits
The personal banking touch is under scrutiny. (Image: Getty)
Paul McBeth
The battle lines are being drawn, and the big four Aussie-owned banks are doing their darnedest to avoid being tarred with the regulator’s excess-profits brush. Unfortunately for them, it almost seems a fait accompli that they will be accused of exercising their massively dominant collective position in extracting big old profits from little old New Zealand. That’ll teach them for daring to be big and get bigger, but unfortunately, it won’t be very useful in triggering a meaningful change in the domestic banking market wh...

More Finance

Life insurance market shrinks
Finance Risky Business

Life insurance market shrinks

Foreign firms dominate as affordability, tax and access barriers stymie growth.

Craigs beefs up in Hawkes Bay, eyes further expansion
Finance

Craigs beefs up in Hawkes Bay, eyes further expansion

Craigs looks to further expansion as it confirms the Somerset Smith Partners deal.

Court funding miss ‘undermines market confidence’
Finance

Court funding miss ‘undermines market confidence’

Plenary and Infrastructure NZ wrote to ministers over PPP ‘disappointment’.

Oliver Lewis 17 Sep 2025
Phasing out $6b capital layer unlikely to dent banks’ ratings
Finance

Phasing out $6b capital layer unlikely to dent banks’ ratings

Banks’ credit ratings likely unmoved if Additional Tier 1 capital phased out. 

Andy Macdonald 17 Sep 2025