Lending restrictions in the mortgage market have entrenched the big four's market share, says BoQ.

Australia's big banks are responding to a revenue crunch by cutting jobs and other costs, prompting fears on the eve of an inquiry into their businesses that the industry's tarnished reputation is about to take another hit.

• COMMENT

The royal commission into banking, whose public hearings start on Monday, won't get a lot of help from the Productivity Commission's report on competition within the sector. It's very limp-wristed.

• COMMENT

Farcical, damp squib, paper tiger, stillborn. They are just a few of the words being used to describe the long awaited and much needed Royal Commission into financial services.

"When you are appearing before Ken Hayne you know you have to be across all the issues."

New lending to property investors slumped by a tenth last year, but the prudential regulator is "not declaring victory just yet."

Banks have promised not to enforce confidentiality agreements struck with customers or former staff who are giving evidence to the royal commission.

The federal government is looking to ramp-up pressure on the big banks by requiring them to share more data on their customers from the middle of this year.

Shareholders have given AMP the thumbs-up after the Australasian life insurer and wealth manager posted an underlying profit to $1.04 billion for the 2017 calendar year.

With regulators applying the blowtorch to banks, analysts are questioning how sustainable it is for CBA's biggest division to be making so much money.

The bank's earnings momentum weakened in the latest quarter as profit margins declined and costs grew due to wage rises and higher investment spending.

AMP's result was helped by a recovery in its Australian wealth protection earnings and strong operating earnings growth from AMP Bank.

Commonwealth Bank's powerhouse retail banking arm has notched up bumper profit growth thanks to last year's hikes in mortgage rates.

The royal commission into banking sector misconduct has warned victims and whistleblowers of not breaching confidentiality agreements in their submissions.

• ANALYSIS

Solomon Lew is growing in confidence that Myer shareholders will have soon lost theirs in the department stores' embattled board and management. 

• UPDATED

CBA has set aside $375 million to cover fines it may face from a money laundering compliance scandal, and a further $200 million for other compliance costs.

The "four pillars" policy is unnecessary and there should be a sweeping review of restrictions on bank ownership, the Productivity Commission says.

Macquarie Group expects to reinvest the multimillion-dollar windfall it will receive from US corporate tax cuts in its future growth.

The bank fears customers are buying Bitcoin on credit cards in the hope that they will make a profit when the value goes up.

CBA may reveal fresh details about the potential hit to profits from its money laundering compliance scandal when it delivers its half-year earnings.

How Comyn rose up the CBA corporate ladder to take on the job of rebuilding CBA's reputation.

The Commonwealth Bank has been accused of rigging one of Australia's key interest rates.

A powerful inquiry into CBA's governance and culture will include analysis of more than 10,000 documents and detailed interviews with scores of executives.

CBA's board will consider whether to set aside money in its financial accounts to cover any fines it may face over a money laundering compliance scandal.

The Commonwealth Bank is being accused of trying to rig one of Australia's key interest rates, in yet another blow to its damaged reputation.

The top priorities for new Commonwealth Bank chief Matt Comyn should include rebuilding its tarnished reputation and possible cost-cutting, analysts said.

Since he was in his mid twenties, new Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn has worked on an almost uninterrupted basis for the country's largest bank.

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Commonwealth Bank's incoming chief executive Matt Comyn has vowed to "accelerate" the bank's attempts to address its cultural problems, as the lender seeks to restore its tarnished reputation after a series of scandals.

ANZ Bank's initial submission to the royal commission underlines there have been "significant failures over the last decade."