The competition regulator will not appeal a tribunal ruling that set aside its decision to block the $4.9 billion merger between ANZ and Suncorp, but promised it will continue to scrutinise the banking industry.
The ACCC’s rejection of a $4.9 billion merger between ANZ and Suncorp was hardly surprising given the concentrated nature of the home loans market, but the competition regulator faced an uphill battle in having the decision upheld, an expert says.
The ACCC’s decision to block a $4.9 billion merger between ANZ and Suncorp has been set aside, with a tribunal finding the transaction will not substantially lessen competition in the home loans market or for agribusiness and SME clients in Queensland.
Awaiting judgment in Federal Court class actions by shareholders over its money laundering risk disclosures, the Commonwealth Bank will ask the court to reopen the case to consider the relevance of two recent decisions that found shareholders in other class actions had failed to prove loss.
ANZ has criticised the ACCC’s objection to its planned $4.9 billion merger with Suncorp, arguing before a tribunal that the alleged “uncertain” effects on competition in banking was not a sufficient reason to block the deal.
BlueScope Steel is challenging a ruling that it pay a record $57.5 million penalty for engaging in attempted price fixing with flat steel distributors.
A judge has hit BlueScope Steel with a $57.5 million penalty for engaging in attempted cartel conduct and ordered a former executive to personally pay a $575,000 penalty.
Telstra and TPG will not challenge a decision by the Australian Competition Tribunal to uphold the ACCC’s rejection of their proposed regional network sharing agreement.
Telstra and TPG have lost their challenge to the ACCC’s decision refusing authorisation for a $1.8 billion regional network sharing agreement, with the Australian Competition Tribunal finding the deal would increase Telstra’s dominance in the mobile phone market.
Customers of wealth manager Colonial First State were $10 million to $12 million better off without a litigation funder in a class action over the slow transfer of accounts to low cost MySuper funds, a judge has found.