Suncorp Group announced that it has entered into a share purchase and sale agreement with Banking Group Limited (ANZ) of Australia and New Zealand for the sale of its banking operations. Suncorp’s insurance operations in Australia and New Zealand will not be included in the transaction and the group’s headquarters will remain in Queensland.
Suncorp making an agreement to sell its banking business to ANZ for $4.9 billion raises all sorts of questions.
But big banks buying and acquiring smaller banks happens frequently, so there’s no need to panic if you’re banking with Suncorp. Typically when a big bank acquires a new subsidiary, it continues to run under its original name.
For example, at the time of writing this, Westpac owns St. George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA, and while these banks are under the Westpac umbrella, they operate independently.
ANZ-Suncorp deal still to be finalised
Be mindful that even though ANZ has bought Suncorp’s baking services, the deal still has to be approved by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Treasurer.
Until then, ANZ doesn’t officially own Suncorp’s banking.
Also, once the deal is final, Suncorp will continue to operate under its name for the next five years, according to ANZ. There will be no job losses or changes to the number of branches in Queensland for the next three years.
Is it time to switch banks?
If you’re banking with Suncorp and don’t want to fall under ANZ’s umbrella, there are plenty of other bank options available. Every year, Mozo’s expert judges analyse what banks are the best and crown them winners of the Mozo Experts Choice Australia’s Best Banking Awards^.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to make your finances greener, consider banks that don’t invest in the fossil fuel industry.
No matter what you choose, you don’t need to rush. Unlike Volt Bank’s shutdown that required customers to find new banks in a fortnight, Suncorp’s acquisition is still in the works, so you’ll have plenty of time to research and decide what’s best for you and your finances.
In the meantime, you can stay up to date with the latest Australian banking news here at Mozo.