800 Bourke Street
Docklands VIC 3008
AUSTRALIA
www.nabgroup.com
ASX Announcement
Tuesday, 17 December 2019
ASIC proceedings in relation to ongoing fee arrangements
National Australia Bank today provided the following response to civil legal action taken by ASIC in the Federal Court in relation to alleged breaches concerning ongoing fee arrangements with clients of NAB Financial Planning (NAB FP).
Chief Legal & Commercial Counsel Sharon Cook said: "We take this action seriously and will now carefully assess the allegations. We will continue to work co-operatively and constructively with ASIC to deal with this issue.
"We have already acknowledged failures where customers have paid fees for services they didn't receive and have paid $37.8 million to 27,500 NAB FP clients. Remediation began in December 2018 and is expected to be completed by June 2020.
"From February 2019 NAB FP began switching off fees for all clients with ongoing fee arrangements and determined to refund all ongoing fees paid by clients after 31 May 2018 until the client entered into a new advice arrangement. From 1 April 2019, NAB began transitioning clients to 12-month advice contracts and ceased entering into any new ongoing fee arrangements.
"NAB Financial Planning has made changes to systems and controls and will continue to improve so we can service our clients better," Ms Cook said.
These changes include:
· Improved guidance and training to employees in relation to ongoing service arrangements and fee disclosure statement requirements
· Centralisation of the production of fee disclosure statements to enable enhanced monitoring and supervision of compliance with fee disclosure statements requirements
Sharon Cook
Chief Legal & Commercial Counsel
For further information:
Media Investor Relations
Mark Alexander Sally Mihell
M: +61(0) 412 171 447 M: +61(0) 436 857 669
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