Another week of hearings at the banking inquiry of the Competition Commission; another bonanza for the lawyers. All the banks seem to have lawyers present at all the hearings, madly taking notes and looking very serious. The debate can degenerate into mind-numbing legalese, which is no doubt important in determining the legal framework of anti-competitive behaviour, writes Maya Fisher-French.
Some mining companies dispute that billions have been lost in mining investment in South Africa, as reported this week. They argue that while there may have been delays because of the new Mineral Petroleum and Resources Development Act, there has not been a loss in investment and the Act has brought about an increase in exploration in South Africa.
In the past nine months the ÂNedsec junior mining and exploration index has performed a massive 81% — with still more blue sky for those investors with an Âappetite for risk. Paul Miller, resource investment banker at Nedbank Capital, says the sector has transformed in the past few years and offers a viable asset class for retail investors.
Changing bank accounts is just too much hassle, a survey of consumers found, said Keith Weeks of the banking inquiry technical team. Next week, the final set of banking hearings will resume and, apart from pricing, it will look at how difficult it is to change bank accounts. But are banks the only ones to blame?
By filling in a subscription or competition postcard and dropping it in the post box, you could be exposing yourself to ID theft — one of the fastest growing crimes facing consumers. Identity theft occurs when a customer’s personal or banking details are illegally obtained and used to access the customer’s bank accounts.
Last month the finance miniÂster announced that individuals will be completing new, simpler tax forms this year. Instead of filling in 10 pages, individuals paying PAYE will only have to fill in two pages. You will not have to do any calculations, nor will you have to supply supporting documents such as an IRP5 — you will, however, need to keep these somewhere safe in case of an audit.
On June 1 the National Credit Act comes into force, which will change the way credit is extended as well as increase the importance of customers’ credit histories. Consumers who realise that their credit record is their most valuable asset and treat it accordingly will benefit, but those who are not prompt with payment and who over-extend themselves will find credit becoming increasingly expensive.
Most people have a bank account, but few understand the terminology banks use – and this can have a direct impact on your pocket. Paul Maggott, spokesperson for ICE, Old Mutual Bank’s young, urban market offering, says many commonly used banking terms are misunderstood, or not understood at all.
The South African Revenue Service is hoping that by reducing a normal salaried taxpayer’s tax return from 10 pages to two, more people will submit returns and less will require a tax consultant. However, as one tax consultant puts it, "a simpler tax return form does not simplify tax".
The unit trust industry has been lamenting the fact that investors have missed out on the best bull run we have seen in decades. Conservative investors who were badly burnt at the end of the Nineties have shown an unwillingness to enter the market. Investors have learnt that what goes up can also come down.
Despite a remarkable recovery that has seen listed property grow 53% in nine months after plummeting 26% in May and June last year, retail investors have not been moving back into the sector. Len van Niekerk, property fund manager at Old Mutual Investment Group, says investors are quick to panic but slow to see opportunities.
Eight months ago, Tumi — a character who represents the financial reality, as well as the hopes and dreams of many of our readers — sought some badly needed financial advice. She had recently had her first child, which had a significant impact on her priorities.
After a year of expectation, Absa announced recently that it has become the first bank to issue chip-enabled cards to clients. Although the bank only went public with the announcement this week, it began issuing the cards in March. So far, there are about 1 000 chip-enabled debit cards in circulation, according to Walter Volker, head of group payment systems at Absa.
As the Jali commission into banking fees continues, First National Bank (FNB) announced recently that it would be offering free banking on some of its services. FNB has already set the cat among the pigeons at the hearings by suggesting the removal of Saswitch fees on ATM transactions.
The introduction of an online verification process by Visa and Mastercard could set the stage for a new boom in online shopping in South Africa. Using Verified by Visa, which is widely used in Europe and America, provides protection for customers and merchants transacting online by ensuring that the person making the purchase is the owner of the card. Mastercard’s Securecode offers similar protection.
Vehicle insurance premiums have been soaring by 10% to 20% a year, adding to the cost of owning a car. Apart from the usual suspects — crime and the high cost of spare parts — reckless driving is becoming a major factor. But should cautious drivers be picking up the tab for the lunatics out there?
The banking sector, probably more than any other industry, feels the greatest impact of crime. Banks are, after all, the custodians of the money that the criminals are after. Bank robberies take an unquantifiable toll on staff morale and productivity. The costs of maintaining integrity in the banking system in the face of card and online fraud costs the industry hundreds of millions of rands.
Property owners will be relieved to know that there has been a pick-up in property activity over the past quarter, according to the latest FNB residential property barometer. The index, which gauges property activity through 150 property agents, has been declining since the second quarter of last year as a direct result of interest rate hikes last year.
<i>M&G Money</i> has previously warned against falling for the status appeal of a gold card. The annual fees are higher, but the benefits are much the same as any other credit card — especially if you use it sensibly and pay off your full balance each month.
The Life Offices Association has made a recommendation that HIV/Aids exclusions should be dropped on all existing life and disability policies because Aids should be treated like any chronic disease and not singled out for special pre-conditions. This is an important psychological step for the country in terms of how it views the disease.
Old Mutual’s decision to restructure its asset management into 12 boutique businesses, now called Old Mutual Investment Group SA, highlights the global trend towards specialised fund management as well as the company’s desire to shake its old-world life assurance label to become the leading investment and savings group in South Africa.
Cellphones look set to take over from our wallets as developments in Africa take cellphone banking to a whole new level. Airtime is becoming a currency and technology is allowing money transfers to be paid by SMS. Got Prepaid, a subsidiary of Venture Group, has created a local payment process that sells airtime directly to consumers via their cellphones without using a voucher.
We are concerned that you, the mother of empowerment, should be embroiled in such an ugly scandal. Unfortunately, we can’t say that we’re surprised that you and Absa have decided to terminate your services as a director. For the last few weeks, this parting has seemed inevitable.
Cellphone technology is the way of the future, was the overwhelming response from people who took part in a survey on mobile banking for low income customers. The survey is the first of its kind in the world on how low income people view mobile banking. South Africa was used in the study because it is the only country which a mobile banking service is targeted specifically at low income people with enough of a sample base
In January, during an interview, Mark Wurr, head of trading for Global Trader, said: "What this market needs is a nice 10% to 15% clean-out. A nice sell-off would bring foreigners back into the market." Traders love volatility and Wurr is seeing quite a shake-up at the moment, with the markets all over the place as data from the United States housing market sent shockwaves across the world this week.
International Women’s Day is a time when we take stock each year of the progress, or lack of it, on women’s rights. This stockÂtaking happens all over the world, involving both women and men, and it reveals some progress. Sadly, it also suggests that we still have a long way to go.
Changes to the usury rate came into effect recently and herald a new era of competition among banks, especially in the credit card market. Moreover, the introduction of the National Credit Act will open a whole new market for the banks. Says Sim Tshabalala, CE of personal and business banking at Standard Bank, banking will never be the same again.
Did you know that by defaulting on an R8 000 loan, you could end up paying R61 000? This happened to a client of a microlender who stopped making repayments on his loan. Although the bank came to an agreement with him, legally he was obliged to pay off R61 000 in R700-a-month instalments.
The social security and retirement reform discussion paper has given an outline of what South Africans can expect from the social security system, which should be be introduced in 2010. The contributions will be compulsory and will be collected by the South African Revenue Service from the employer.
This year’s budget was a little more tempered for individual taxpayers. We may have become used to having loads of money put back into our pocket each year, but this year Finance Minister Trevor Manuel held back, covering only for inflation adjustment and the impacts of changes to car allowance and medical aid contributions last year.
Learn from me and stick to your budgets, was the clear message from the finance minister in his budget address to media this year, as he introduced the first surplus the government has ever run. The budget balance is expected to show a R5 billion surplus on a budget of R470 billion, just more than 1%.
When I find a good financial product I write about it because the media’s role should not just be to dish out dirt, but also to applaud when financial companies meet our needs. But I have to admit that two banks I have written about recently have let me down.