Australia's banks are being told to amass even more capital by the International Monetary Fund, which says lenders should have larger buffers for absorbing losses from a housing market shock.

The fight for control of troubled fund manager Hunter Hall took a new twist on Friday as competing bidders joust to win a key block of shares from founder Peter Hall.

Tougher restrictions on bank lending may be needed if Australian house prices or mortgage debt accelerate again, the International Monetary Fund says.

Life insurers are feeling the impact of the crisis engulfing the $44 billion sector, with AMP hitting shareholders with a $344 million full-year loss and Suncorp signalling it is considering exiting the sector altogether.

A former Westpac banker has been given a three-year jail sentence after submitting loan documents with false information, as he encouraged elderly and vulnerable people to borrow against their homes and put the money into a property investment scheme.

AMP has moved to reassure shareholders the worst is behind it after it reported a $344 million full-year loss following massive writedowns in its troubled life insurance division.

Suncorp, Australia's second-largest general insurer by market share, said on Thursday it was considering "strategic alternatives" for its life insurance division after reporting a 1.3 percent rise in half-yearly net profit.

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That infamous phone call between Donald Trump and Malcolm Turnbull notwithstanding, shareholders in Australian banks should be grateful for the US president's appreciation of their dividend checks.

The Commonwealth Bank is freezing new lending to property investors looking to switch banks and refinance their mortgage, a move designed to slow strong growth in its lending to landlords.

Genworth Mortgage Insurance Australia expects a further decline in its premium revenue as it feels the pinch of rising mortgage stress and contracts with key customers come up for renewal.

Financial advisers inside the banks' wealth divisions are biased towards selling the banks' own life insurance products, the corporate watchdog has told a life insurance inquiry.

BNP Paribas shares dropped after France's largest bank posted earnings that cast doubt over growth in its home market.

The Commonwealth Bank has paid out $23 million to 1800 customers as part of its troubled internal compensation scheme for victims of bad financial advice.

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Macquarie Group's growth in the Australian home loan market slowed to a near standstill over the first three quarters of this financial year, partly because it did not want to match aggressive discounting by rivals.

National Australia Bank's first-quarter profit slipped 1 per cent to $1.6 billion, as earnings were dampened by higher expenses growth caused by staff pay rises.

National Australia Bank has been forced to pay $36.5 million in compensation after the regulator revealed it had ripped off hundreds of thousands of superannuation members and knocked back insurance claims to seriously ill customers.

As he prepared to sign orders designed to roll back bank regulations enacted to stop the next financial crisis, President Donald Trump said that the rules are stifling lending.

A "damning" report into lending practices by the big banks to small business has fuelled calls for a royal commission into the financial services sector.

Should compulsory superannuation aim to give Australians a retirement that is "comfortable," "adequate" or "dignified"?

President Donald Trump is moving to loosen rules enacted after the financial crisis that restrict the way Wall St operates.

Wall Street banks will have to show they could survive a major global recession as part of an annual stress test by the Fed.

Apple predicts its system that turns iPhones into "digital wallets" can unleash a new round of competition between banks on credit cards, pushing lenders to offer shoppers more perks for paying on credit.

National Australia Bank's wealth arm has been forced to compensate customers $36.5 million, after wrongly charging fees to superannuation customers and incorrectly assessing insurance claims.

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Insurers are struggling to predict how storms will impact their bottom line.

Home and car owners face a 4 per cent lift in their insurance bills this year, according to new industry predictions.

The banking regulator's cap on property investor loan growth could be back on the agenda unless conditions soften, economists say, amid a resurgence in bank lending to landlords.

Former National Australia Bank-owned UK lender CYBG is taking a cautious approach to Brexit after surviving its first year on its own.

Future Fund chairman Peter Costello has signalled the sovereign wealth fund will face an uphill battle in hitting its long-term performance target.

The big four banks will again face public scrutiny with a second round of parliamentary hearings scheduled for March.