Investors who entrusted their retirement savings to deceased fraudster Melissa Caddick may launch a class action against the auditors that signed off on financial statements for the funds.
Combatting “opportunistic” class actions is one of the main drivers behind proposed legislation to reform Australia’s continuous disclosure laws, but the federal treasury department has brushed off a Senate committee’s request for a list of cases apparently deserving of the derogatory tag.
Westpac has shot back at a lawsuit brought by ASIC over the selling of alleged poor value insurance products, with the bank saying its customers had agreed to take out the “optional” coverage.
Defence shipbuilder Austal has been hit with regulatory action over market disclosures linked to cost overruns with the company’s $3.5 billion US Navy warship program.
Criminal charges have been laid against the auditor of stockbroker Halifax Investment Services, whose 2008 collapse left around $200 million in client funds trapped, in the first criminal charges brought over auditing services in Australia.
JPMorgan is fighting to keep details of failed settlement talks with ASIC under wraps in criminal cartel proceedings over a $2.5 billion ANZ share placement, as ANZ seeks to uncover whether the corporate regulator made a deal with the investment bank ahead of the cartel case being filed.
The corporate cop has disqualified a director and former responsible manager of the collapsed over-the-counter derivatives issuer Union Standard from working in the financial services sector for the next 10 years.
Members Equity Bank has been hit with criminal charges for allegedly making false or misleading representations and violating the National Credit Code.
The corporate regulator is taking five AMP entities to court alleging they acted unconscionably by continuing to charge life insurance premiums and advice fees to more than 2,000 customers after they were notified of their death.
A former executive of hospital operator Healthe Care Pty has pleaded guilty to one charge of insider trading for acquiring a large number of shares in Pulse Health while in possession of inside information about the private hospital operator.