The Day Of The Hybrid

Last week NAB announced they were to withdraw a capital issue due to market conditions. Today they announced the conversion of 7,500,00 NAB Capital Notes which were issued on 23 March 2015, and issued 35,140,972 fully paid ordinary shares in connection with the conversion at a price of $21.342608.

The original securities were paying 3.5% plus bank bill rate less the tax rate, so would be quite expensive relative to other funding mechanisms. They are also due for conversion no later than 23 March 2022, but had an optional conversion on 23 March 2020, which NAB exercised.

I see some claiming this is a sign of distress, I disagree, it is a convenient and effective method of enhancing capital, ahead of pressures ahead. Yes, it is a conversion, but tagging it a “bail-in” is in my view inaccurate. The share price of the conversion was higher than the market price.

That said, in a falling market NAB shares were down around 10%.

Here is the release from NAB.

NAB Support For Businesses And Homeowners

NAB has today announced a sweeping support package for business and personal customers at a time when they need it most.

Business customers experiencing financial difficulty can defer their payments on a range of floating and variable rate business loans for up to six months. Home loan customers experiencing financial challenges will also be able to pause their repayments for up to six months.

NAB, which is Australia’s largest bank for businesses, will cut 200bps from the rate on new loans and all overdrafts on its flagship digital business product QuickBiz, effective March 30.

It will reduce variable rates on small business loans by 100bps, effective March 30 – on top of the 25bps reduction announced on March 13.

NAB also announced reductions of up to 60bps to fixed rate home loans to give customers the option of added certainty.

There are no changes to home loan variable rates. For depositors, NAB has introduced a 10-month term deposit rate of 1.75% p.a. in recognition that this low interest rate environment is hurting savers.

This package could provide a potential injection of more than $10 billion into the economy over six months, or $380 million a week, depending on customer needs and take-up.

NAB CEO Ross McEwan said: “Our focus is clear – to support our business and personal customers with their financial needs when they need it most.

“These measures will provide significant relief to businesses and homebuyers over the next six months as we all deal with this unprecedented situation.

“Businesses in particular need help and they need it now, so we have come through with a range of measures. This support will provide cash flow relief so they can stay open, and keep people in jobs. One third of Australia’s small to medium businesses bank with NAB and we are going to be there for them.

“The changes also offer our home loan customers the option to fix their rate at our lowest rate ever, or pause payments to help ease financial pressures.”

The support package announced by NAB is in addition to industry-wide measures announced earlier today by the Australian Banking Association.

“We support the measures announced by the ABA today and welcome recent actions taken by the Federal Government, Reserve Bank of Australia and APRA. We will continue to work with the Government and regulators on further initiatives,” Mr McEwan said.

“This is an extremely difficult time but we will get through this together. For more than 160 years, NAB has supported Australians through challenges. We are well-capitalised and stand ready to play our critical role.

“NAB is open for business. We continued lending throughout the Global Financial Crisis and we’ll continue to lend through this.”

Mr McEwan encouraged customers to call NAB to discuss how they may be able to access the relief package. “If any customer has questions or concerns contact your banker now – please don’t wait,” he said.

The full list of measures announced by NAB is:

NAB Business customers will be able to:

  • Defer principal and interest for up to six months on a range of business loans, including floating and variable rates, and equipment finance loans;
  • Receive a 200-basis point rate cut on new loans and all overdrafts on QuickBiz, effective March 30;
  • Receive an additional 100-basis point reduction on variable rates for small business loans, effective March 30. This is on top of a 25-bps reduction earlier this month;
  • Access up to $65 billion of additional secured limits to pre-assessed customers, with $7 billion currently available for fast assessment process;
  • Access up to $9 billion in additional limits for unsecured lending for existing customers via QuickBiz; and
  • Defer business credit card repayments.

NAB Personal customers will be able to:

  • Pause home loan repayments for up to six months, including a three-month checkpoint. For a customer with a typical home loan of $400,000, this will mean access to an additional $11,006 over six months, or $1,834 per month.
  • Access a 10-month term deposit rate of 1.75% p.a. for 10 months, effective March 24. This is for personal customers only, with deposits of $5,000 to $2 million.
  • Access fixed home loan rates of 2.39% p.a. for 1-year, 2.29% p.a. for 2- and 3-year, and 2.79% p.a. for 5-year (owner-occupier P&I), effective March 25. First home buyers will have access to a rate of 2.19% p.a., fixed for two years. This delivers reductions of between 10 and 60bps (table below).
  • Access over $20bn in redraw and more than $30bn in offset. Note: Around 1 in 2 accounts are at least 6 months ahead based on redraw & offset balance; and 4 in 10 are 12 months ahead.
  • Reduce repayments on variable rate loans. Over the past 12 months, reductions of 84bps to our owner-occupier variable rates have provide a potential benefit of $3,360 per year to customers with a $400,000 loan. Most customers have not yet taken the option to reduce their payments.

NAB’s advertised package home loan fixed rates change as follows, from 25 March 2020:

More Details On FHLDS

Via The Adviser.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has confirmed that brokers will be able to apply for CBA’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme loans for their clients from 2 January 2020, while NAB has outlined that brokers will need to wait a while longer.

The federal government’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (FHLDS) is due to commence operations on 1 January 2020.

The scheme aims to allow up to 10,000 FHBs per year to get into the property market sooner, requiring just a 5 per cent deposit, yet still giving them access to competitive interest rates and waiving the need for lender’s mortgage insurance (LMI).

The government has agreed to guarantee the difference between the borrower’s 5 per cent deposit and the standard 20 per cent deposit required to take out a home loan without paying LMI.

The initial 27 lenders that will offer FHLDS loans have now been revealed, but questions have been raised regarding broker access to these loans.

It has previously been announced that the two major banks involved in the scheme, NAB and CBA, would be the first two lenders to start accepting applications for the scheme from borrowers, while the other 25 non-major lenders on the lending panel (mainly mutual banks and credit unions) will be accepting applications from 1 February 2020.

Brokers can offer CBA FHLDS loans from 2 January

CBA customers will be able to apply for the scheme via the CBA website and call centres from 1 January. 

However, given that 1 January 2020 is a public holiday, CBA has confirmed that it will make FHLDS loans available to customers on 2 January, via all channels – including branch and broker. 

A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson told The Adviser: “We’re excited that, from 2 January 2020, customers will be able to apply for the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme with Commonwealth Bank through our home loan channels, including brokers. 

“As Australia’s largest lender, we help more Australians buy their first home than any other bank, and its exciting that we can help get more first home buyers into the market under the scheme.”

NAB to offer FHLDS loans online first

However, brokers wishing to write FHLDS loans via NAB will need to wait a while longer before applying, as the bank will be taking a “phased approach”.

According to the bank, eligible customers will be able to apply for the scheme through NAB via its website and call centres from 1 January 2020, as well as through “select direct and retail channels”.

No date has yet been released for full rollout of the FHLDS loans via broker or the wider branch network, but NAB has said it will update broker partners in January with how the phased approach is tracking.

A NAB spokesperson told The Adviser: “It has always been our intention to offer the scheme through the broker channel. However, given the short timeframe between being announced as a participant lender and the go-live date, we’ve needed to take a phased approach to implementation.

“We are working hard to implement the scheme in the broker channel, and across our branch network, as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.

The delay will be a blow to brokers looking to write FHLDS loans for their clients, especially given the fact that the scheme is capped at just 10,000 loans per year and the choice of lenders available to brokers is limited.

While Minister for Housing Michael Sukkar commented that the “composition of the panel should also enable strong activation of mortgage broker channels and promote choice for first home buyers”, many brokers have highlighted that many of the smaller/regional lenders (who are expected to take up 50 per cent of the 10,000 loans) are not members of their aggregator’s panel – and therefore brokers would not be able to write loans to these lenders unless they directly accredit with them.

For example, brokers operating under the larger broker groups – AFG, Aussie, Connective, Loan Market and Mortgage Choice – are unable to access more than half of the lenders chosen under the FHLDS, as they are not on the groups’ lender panel (according to the lender panels listed on the groups’ websites). 

These include: Australian Military Bank, Bank First, Bank of us, Community First Credit Union, Defence Bank, G&C Mutual Bank, Indigenous Business Australia, Mortgageport, People’s Choice Credit Union, Queensland Country Credit Union, Regional Australia Bank, The Mutual Bank or WAW Credit Union.

ASIC Takes Court Action Against NAB

ASIC has commenced civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against National Australia Bank Limited (NAB) and seeks findings of several thousand contraventions of the ASIC Act and the Corporations Act. 

ASIC alleges that from December 2013 to February 2019, NAB:

  • engaged in Fees for No Service Conduct by failing to provide ongoing financial planning services to a large number of customers while charging fees to those customers;
  • failed to issue, or issued defective, fee disclosure statements (FDSs). ASIC alleges that the defective FDSs contained false or misleading representations in that they did not accurately describe the fees the customer paid and/or the services the customer actually received. The provision of the defective or out-of-time FDSs terminated the ongoing fee arrangements between NAB and its customers and it is ASIC’s case that consequently NAB was not lawfully entitled to continue to charge the fees;
  • failed to establish and maintain compliance systems and processes to detect and prevent these failures; and
  • contravened its overarching obligations as an Australian Financial Services licence holder to act efficiently, honestly and fairly.

It is also ASIC’s case that NAB engaged in unconscionable conduct from at least May 2018 by continuing to charge ongoing service fees to certain customers when it knew that it had not delivered the services and had issued defective FDSs or at least knew that there was a real risk that it had engaged in this conduct. However, NAB did not stop charging fees to its customers until 4 February 2019.

ASIC is seeking declarations, pecuniary penalties and compliance orders from the Federal Court to prevent similar contraventions occurring in the future.

‘Fees for No Service misconduct has been widespread and is subject to ongoing ASIC regulatory responses including investigations and enforcement actions. This widespread misconduct was examined in some detail by the Financial Services Royal Commission. ASIC views these instances of misconduct as systematic failures, unfair to customers including those that are more vulnerable. 

‘When the Fees for No Service misconduct is coupled with Fees Disclosure Statements inadequacies or failings, customers are potentially placed in a more disadvantageous position. The customer may not therefore have been provided with the opportunity to know whether they have received the services for which they have paid or the amount of fees charged to them’ said ASIC Deputy Chair Daniel Crennan QC.

The maximum civil penalty for contraventions alleged against NAB are:

  • $250,000 per contravention for breaches of s962P (charging ongoing fees after the termination of an ongoing fee arrangement) and s962S (failing to provide a timely FDS);
  • $1.7 to $2.1 million maximum penalty (depending on the time period) per contravention for breaches of s12CB (unconscionable conduct) and s12DB (false or misleading representations).

NAB received more than $650 million in ongoing service fees from 2009 to 2018. NAB has stated that it has provisioned more than $2 billion for Fee for No Service remediation across all of its advice licensees.

Background

Fees for No Service conduct and remediation of that conduct by NAB and other licensees was examined as part of the Financial Services Royal Commission. ASIC has been monitoring NAB’s (and other licensees’) remediation of its fees for no service failures with the last update on its progress provided on 11 March 2019 (19-051MR).

On 28 November 2019, ASIC released Report 636 – compliance with the fee disclosure statement and renewal notice obligations (19-325MR).

As noted by Report 636, FDSs are intended to help customers understand what services they have paid for, what services they have received and how much those services cost, and to enable them to make more informed decisions about whether their ongoing fee arrangements with their adviser should continue. Not issuing or issuing late or defective FDSs deprive customers of an opportunity to make those important decisions. 

ASIC’s action against NAB falls within ASIC’s Wealth Management Major Financial Institutions Portfolio. The Portfolio focuses on the financial services conduct of Australia’s largest financial institutions (NAB, Westpac, CBA, ANZ, Macquarie and AMP) with respect to credit and retail lending, financial advice, fees for no service, superannuation trustees, insurance, unfair contract terms and other licensee obligations, and other conduct arising from the Financial Services Royal

NAB To Offer Government FTB Mortgages

NAB has announced it will be taking part in the government’s first home loan deposit scheme, operational from 1 January 2020. Via Australian Broker.

The bank has been selected by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) to offer mortgages under the scheme.

“We are proud to be chosen to partner with the federal government and NHFIC,” said Mike Baird, NAB chief customer officer of consumer banking.

“Every year our bankers help more than 15,000 Australians achieve their dream of owning their first home. This scheme is a fantastic way of helping even more customers, allowing them to potentially save thousands of dollars on their mortgage.”

The scheme will provide 10,000 eligible Australians per year access to a home loan with a deposit of as little as 5%. To implement the scheme, the NHFIC will contract with a panel of selected lenders rather than having direct contact with borrowers.

Before offering the guaranteed loans, lenders will need to update their internal systems and train front-line lending staff on how to apply the scheme eligibility criteria alongside regular considerations, such as loan serviceability.

The NHFIC has communicated key considerations in its selection of lender partners includes the loan products on offer, including interest rates and other fees, as well as the quality of the customer experience.

According to Baird, NAB is the only major to have a special rate for first homebuyers, which is currently 2.88% fixed for two years. The major bank also emphasised it will not charge eligible customers higher interest rates than equivalent customers outside of the scheme.

“We see this appointment as a great endorsement of NAB’s home loan offering and our support of Australians looking to buy their own home for the first time,” said Baird.

Before the scheme is live in the new year, customers are able to check their potential eligibility on the NHFIC website.

Reserve Bank Increases Its Supervision of BNZ

The New Zealand Reserve Bank has increased its supervisory monitoring of the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) and applied precautionary adjustments to its capital requirements following the identification of weaknesses in BNZ’s capital calculation processes.

BNZ identified a number of errors while undertaking a programme of remediation, which began in early 2018 and is expected to continue into 2020. These included three capital calculation errors, which resulted in misreported risk weighted assets over a number of years.

It is now required to increase the risk weight floor of its operational risk capital model from $350 million to $600 million capital. The $250m increase is a supervisory capital overlay.

The Reserve Bank requires banks to maintain a minimum amount of capital, which is determined relative to the risk of each bank’s business. BNZ has not been in breach of minimum capital requirements at any point.

“However given the likelihood that further compliance issues will be discovered during the review and remediation, the Reserve Bank regards a precautionary capital adjustment as prudent,” Deputy Governor Geoff Bascand says.

In 2017, the Reserve Bank conducted a review of bank director attestation processes and noted that many banks were attesting to compliance on the basis of negative assurance, ie they did not have evidence to suggest that they were not in compliance.

Breaches are now being identified as banks review their governance, control and assurance processes and move from a negative assurance to a positive evidence-based assurance framework. Over the past year, a number of banks have disclosed breaches of their conditions of registration, Mr Bascand says. Many of these have related to errors in the calculation of their regulatory capital or liquidity which, in some cases, have gone undetected for a number of years.

“We are reassured by BNZ’s response to the issues along with the independent oversight from PWC,” Mr Bascand says. “BNZ has committed to providing the Reserve Bank with regular and timely updates of the details of issues as they are discovered and the remedial activity as this work progresses. “The additional capital overlay will be removed when remediation is complete. It is the Reserve Bank’s expectation that the current review will identify all outstanding compliance issues and potential breaches.”

Big bank CEOs Deny ‘Loyalty Tax’ Accusations

The chief executives of the big four banks have doubled down in defence of their mortgage pricing decisions after being accused of profiting off a “loyalty tax” imposed on customers. Via The Adviser.

Appearing before the House of Representatives standing committee on economics on Friday (15 November), NAB chairman Philip Chronican and ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott denied that the banks have been “profiting from inertia” by charging existing mortgage customers higher rates in a lower rate environment.

Deputy chair of the committee and Labor MP Andrew Leigh accused the banks of imposing a “loyalty tax” on existing borrowers, which do not receive rate discounts offered to new customers.  

In response, NAB chairman Philip Chronican said there were a range of factors influencing the bank’s pricing decisions, adding that the level of discounting on a particular loan was determined by the characteristics of the credit contract.   

“On our variable rate mortgage products, we charge different rates for different products for a whole range of reasons,” he said.

“The overwhelming majority of our variable mortgage rate customers, in fact, 97 per cent, have discounts below the standard variable rate, and each of those discounts are set with reference to the riskiness of the loan, the size of the loan, and the combination of business that the customer brings in. 

“The discount is for the life of the loan, unless of course the customer, at their discretion, comes back and wants to reunite with us or refinance with another organisation if they can get a better deal.”

Mr Chronican said that in light of cuts to the cash rate, the bank has offered existing customers reviews of their home loans.

“We offer all of our customers a review of their mortgage and have called all of our customers over the past 12 months, asking if they’d like a review of their mortgage,” he said.

“In the month of October alone, 15,000 customers took advantage of that and we increased the discount on those.”

However, deputy chair of the committee Andrew Leigh pressed Mr Chronican, asking: “Why is it that customers have to respond to a request for a review rather than simply receiving the same rate as a new customer would get? Aren’t you profiting from inertia?”

To which Mr Crhonican responded: “It doesn’t exactly feel like that. It’s a competitive market to get new business. 

“We are accurately conscious that we want to retain our customers, but as I’ve explained, the differences are not as great as many people make them out to be.

“We compete at a point of time to get a customer, and we quote a discounted rate to get them and be competitive.”

He conceded: “We are conscious that overtime, those rates become uncompetitive, but [it’s] hard to have an individual negotiated rate if everybody has to get the same rate.”

Meanwhile, ANZ CEO Shayne Eliot flatly rejected claims that the bank has been charging a loyalty tax, also citing competitive pressures.

“I don’t accept the concept of loyalty tax. What we do is we competitively priced our products every day to offer the best price that we can for the services that we provide,” he said.

“Given the nature of our products, you will no doubt be referring to that there is a difference between what is known as the front book and the back of book; the pricing that we charge a new customer today versus the customer yesterday, or previously.

“But we don’t impose a tax. It’s an outcome of a highly competitive well-functioning market.”

When asked if it was “unusual” to charge customers different prices for the same product, Mr Elliott said: “Well, it’s not the same product, with respect. A mortgage today is not the same as a mortgage tomorrow or week ago.

“We price mortgages on the day based on the environment they’re in, the cost of funds on that day, the risk environment on that day and the competitive environment on that day, so I’m not sure that they are equivalent products.”

Scrutiny over the pricing behaviour of the big banks recently intensified following their failure to pass on the RBA’s full 25 basis point cuts to the cash rate.

This triggered Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to commission the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to conduct a Home Loan Price Inquiry. The inquiry will review pricing behaviour from 1 January 2019 to examine:

  • the differences between advertised rates and the prices actually charged or paid;
  • the differences between rates paid by existing customers and those paid by new customers (front and back book pricing behaviour);
  • pricing decisions in response to changes to the official cash rate; and
  • factors preventing customers from switching to cheaper home loans.

In exploring these matters, the ACCC will consider consumer decision making and biases, information used by consumers, and the extent to which lenders may contribute to consumers paying more than they need to for home loans.

NAB Takes A Hit As Well

Nab reported a 13.6% fall in statutory net profit for 2019, at $4,798 million, compared with $5,702 million last year. Along with ANZ and Westpac, it is the same story of a massive hit from customer remediation (past results inflated by milking customers, and many customers still require remediation), margin compression, not helped by lower cash rates, weak loan growth, and higher mortgage delinquency and provisions. And again they expect 2020 to be a weak year economically speaking. So no growth story here.

Revenue was down 4.2%, although they at pains to point out that excluding customer-related remediation, revenue rose 1.1% mainly reflecting growth in business lending partly offset by lower margins. Of course they dismiss many of the writes-downs as a one-off, and there will be some “putting the trash out” as the new CEO takes up the reigns. $2,092 million for customer remediation all up, is a big number, and not yet final. But do not be misled, the underlying business is under extreme pressure, and competition for the meager loan volumes is intense.

Net Interest Margin (NIM) declined 7 basis points (bps) to 1.78%. Excluding Markets and Treasury and customer-related remediation, NIM declined 4bps with home lending competition an important driver.

Expenses rose 0.2%. Excluding large notable items, expenses were up 0.4% with productivity benefits and lower performance based compensation largely offsetting higher investment and increased spend to strengthen the compliance and control environment.

But the revenue excludes customer-related remediation $1,207m in FY19, $249m in FY18. Expenses excludes: customer-related remediation $364m in FY19, $111m in FY18; capitalised software policy change $494m in FY19; restructuring-related costs $755m in FY18.

In cash earnings terms, they fell by 10.6%, from $5,702 million in 2018 to $5,097 in 2019.

FY19 cash earnings includes charges of $1,100 million after tax for additional customer-related remediation. During FY19 they uplifted customer remediation practices with more than 950 people (including NAB employees and external resources) solely dedicated to remediating customers.

In combination with provisions raised in 2H18 which have not yet been utilised, provisions for customer-related remediation as at 30 September 2019 total $2,092 million. They warn that the final cost of such remediation matters remains uncertain.

Cost savings of $480 million were achieved in FY19 bringing total savings since September 2017 to $800 million.

Collective provisions rose to 0.96% of CRWA’s, which equates to $3,360 million.

Whereas specific provisions fell to 39.7%, but were also higher.

Credit impairment charges increased 18% to $919 million, and as a percentage of gross loans and acceptances rose 2bps to 15bps. FY19 charges include $60 million of additional collective provision forward looking adjustments for targeted sectors experiencing elevated levels of risk.

The ratio of 90+ days past due and gross impaired assets to gross loans and acceptances increased 22bps to 0.93%, largely due to rising Australian mortgage delinquencies.

While Australian housing arrears increased further, loss rates for this portfolio is 2bps. Collective provision forward looking adjustments for targeted sectors increased over FY19 and now stand at $641 million. In their scenario testing, they estimate a Peak Net Credit Impairment of $1.8bn in year 2, which equates to 57 basis points, based on an average home price fall of 25.2%

2.4% of mortgages in Australia are above 100% LVR (based on SA3 level CoreLogic data, so not very specific).

The final fully franked dividend of 83 cents per share (cps) has been held stable with the 2019 interim dividend, bringing the total for FY19 to 166 cps. This represents a 16% reduction compared with FY18.

Across the divisions in cash earning terms:

Business & Private Banking $2,840 were down 2.4% on last years, reflecting higher credit impairment, charges and higher investment spend. Revenue increased 1% reflecting good SME business lending growth.

Consumer Banking & Wealth $1,366 were down 11.2% where banking earnings decreased given lower margins with competitive pressures in housing a key driver, combined with increased credit impairment charges.

Wealth earnings also declined reflecting the impact of customer preferences and repricing on margins, and lower average funds under management and administration.

Corporate & Institutional Banking $1,508 down 2.1% reflecting higher credit impairment charges relating to impairment of a small number of larger exposures. Revenue increased 1% despite lower Markets income, with higher lending volumes benefitting from continued focus on growth segments.

New Zealand Banking NZ$1,055m up 5.1% benefitting from
growth in lending, partly offset by increased investment spend and higher credit impairment charges.

The Group Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio is 10.38%, up 18bps from September 2018, and includes $1 billion (25bps) of proceeds received in
July from the 1H19 underwritten Dividend Reinvestment Plan and 34bps adverse impact from regulatory changes relating to operating risk and derivative counter party credit risk measurement.

Leverage ratio (APRA basis) of 5.5%

Liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) quarterly average of 126% and Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) of 113%

NAB expects weak credit growth ahead, a GDP result in 202 of around 2% and business confidence also weakened which may dampen business credit growth.

NAB To Drop 2H19 Cash Earnings By ~$1,123 Million

National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB) announced additional charges of $1,180 million after tax ($1,683 million before tax) relating to increased provisions for customer-related remediation and a change to the application of the software capitalisation policy. This is expected to reduce 2H19 cash earnings by an estimated $1,123 million after tax and earnings from discontinued operations by an estimated $57 million after tax.

Customer-Related Remediation
The 2H19 result will include charges of $832 million after tax ($1,189 million before tax) for additional customer-related remediation. The key driver of these additional charges is inclusion of a provision for potential customer refunds of adviser service fees paid to self-employed advisers. NAB now has in place provisions for the estimated costs and customer payments relating to all known material customer-related remediation matters based on information currently available. However, until all customer payments have been completed, the final cost of such remediation matters remains uncertain.

NAB Chief Executive Officer, Philip Chronican, said: “NAB is moving forward with rigour and discipline to make things right for customers. While we previously noted additional customerrelated remediation provisions were expected in 2H19, the size of these provisions is significant. We understand that shareholders will be rightly disappointed. However, we also recognise the need to prioritise dealing with these past issues and fixing them for customers.

“We have undertaken to significantly uplift customer remediation practices, as part of a broad program of reform to change the way we operate and ensure NAB meets customer and community expectations. We have made approximately 450,000 payments to customers with a total value of $202 million between June 2018 and August 2019, and have a dedicated remediation team of about 400 people helping to bring greater discipline and focus to remediating customers.”

Of the 2H19 charges, approximately 92% are for Wealth and Insurance-related matters, with the remainder for Banking-related matters. In combination with provisions raised in 2H18 and 1H19 which have not yet been utilised, this brings total provisions for customer-related remediation at 30 September 2019 to $2,092 million.

The key items giving rise to increased provisions for customer-related remediation include:

  • Adviser service fees charged by NAB Advice Partnerships (self-employed advisers). Provisions have been increased to include allowance for customer refunds based on total ongoing advice fees received between 2009-2018 of approximately $1.3 billion, with an assumed refund rate of 36% (or approximately 55% including interest costs). Key considerations in estimating a refund rate include assumptions about  circumstances where documents are not available or readily accessible, including where advisers are no longer working in the industry;
  • Consumer Credit Insurance sales through certain NAB channels. This relates to a previously disclosed remediation program which arose from an ASIC industry-wide review. Provisions have been increased mainly to reflect higher refund rates based on experience to date;
  • Non-compliant advice provided to Wealth customers which is being addressed as part of NAB’s ongoing wealth advice review. Provisions have been increased mainly to cover higher expected costs to undertake the program; and
  • Adviser service fees charged by NAB Financial Planning (salaried advisers). Provisions have been increased to reflect higher expected costs and a higher assumed refund rate of 28% (or approximately 39% including interest costs).

Capitalised Software Policy Change
Following a review of NAB’s software capitalisation policies, the minimum threshold at which software is to be capitalised has increased from $0.5 million to $2 million, reflecting NAB’s focus on simplification and the increasingly shorter useful life of smaller software items. The change will be applied to both current and future software balances and is expected to reduce NAB’s capitalised software balance at 30 September 2019 by $494 million and NAB’s 2H19 cash earnings by $348 million (post tax). There is no impact on Group capital given capitalised software balances are already deducted from Common Equity Tier 1 capital. This change in approach will significantly
reduce the number of individual capitalised assets on the balance sheet from approximately 1,390 to 340.

Earnings Impact
Details of the expected 2H19 cash earnings impact are provided in the table below. As has been the case in prior periods, 2H19 customer-related remediation costs and capitalised software change will be excluded from FY19 and FY20 expense growth guidance of ‘broadly flat’. Further detail will be provided when NAB releases its 2019 Full Year results on 7 November 2019, including an update on progress towards achieving unquestionably strong capital requirements. The matters in this announcement remain subject to finalisation of NAB’s 2019 Full Year results, including review by the auditors.