NAB Wealth confirms letters on inappropriate advice



National Australia Bank's wealth division NAB Wealth today announced that it is proactively writing to customers as part of its ongoing customer response Initiative in the wake of concerns around the provision of inappropriate advice dating back to 2009.
The big banking group made the announcement at the same time as revealing that it had made $1.7 million in payments to 87 customers since February.
NAB Wealth Group Executive, Andrew Hagger, said the business was writing to customers where it believed there might be financial loss caused by inappropriate advice.
"We're committed to helping restore customer trust and confidence in the financial planning industry. As part of this, we're taking a detailed look at our advice business, acknowledging that we may have made mistakes. Where we identify these, we'll try to make things right," he said.
Hagger pointed out that the bank had, in August, said it would begin writing to customers starting in October.
"It's important for our customers that we undertake this review in a thorough manner — and we will. Where customers have suffered loss due to inappropriate advice, we will compensate them for that loss," he said.
Hagger said NAB would be writing to customers through a staged process as it continued its review of advice files with customer having a dedicated associate who would be able to answer questions about the review process.
Recommended for you
Digital advice tools are on the rise, but licensees will need to ensure they still meet adviser obligations or potentially risk a class action if clients lose money from a rogue algorithm.
Shaw and Partners has merged with Sydney wealth manager Kennedy Partners Wealth, while Ord Minnett has hired a private wealth adviser from Morgan Stanley.
Australian investors are more confident than their APAC peers in reaching their financial goals and are targeting annual gains of more than 10 per cent, according to Fidelity International.
Zenith Investment Partners has lost its head of portfolio solutions Steven Tang after 17 years with the firm, the latest in a series of senior exits from the research house.