Australian Court Rejects Regulator’s Record Fine Against Westpac

Australian Court Rejects Regulator’s Record Fine Against Westpac
A pedestrian looks at his phone as he walks past a logo for Australia's Westpac Banking Corp located outside a branch in central Sydney, Australia, Nov. 5, 2018. Reuters/David Gray
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SYDNEY—An Australian court refused on Nov. 13 to approve a record $35 million fine imposed on Westpac Banking Corp by the corporate regulator for using inappropriate calculations to determine if customers could afford home loans.

The decision is a further blow to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), after a public inquiry into the financial sector found it had failed to stop systemic wrongdoing by the major banks.