Round 3 hearings - Loans to small and medium enterprises

Round 3 hearings - Loans to small and medium enterprises

The third round of public hearings will be held in Melbourne at the Owen Dixon Commonwealth Law Courts Building at 305 William Street from Monday 21 May to Friday 1 June 2018.

This round of public hearings will consider the conduct of financial services entities in respect of their dealings with small and medium enterprises, in particular in providing credit to businesses. The hearings will also explore the current legal and regulatory regimes, as well as self-regulation under the Code of Banking Practice.

The Commission presently intends to deal with these issues for the purposes of the public hearings by reference to the case studies set out below.

  | Topic | Case Studies
1. | Responsible lending to small businesses | ANZBank of QueenslandCBAWestpacSuncorp
2. | Approach of banks to enforcement, management and monitoring of loans to businesses | CBA / BankwestNAB  
3. | Product and account administration | CBAWestpac
4. | Extension of unfair contract terms legislation to small business contracts | ASIC
5. | The Code of Banking Practice | ABAASIC

During the hearings, evidence will also be given by business owners and customers of their particular experiences together with other witnesses providing context for the case studies. The entities that are the subject of such evidence will be informed by the Commission.

Further topics or case studies for topics may be included and the list above will be updated accordingly before the hearings commence.