ANZ New Zealand says an improving economy and its ditching of the National Bank in favour of a single retail brand helped it achieve a 27 per cent lift in half-year cash profit to a record $887 million.

ANZ New Zealand has posted a $887 million first-half cash profit - a 27 per cent gain from a year earlier.

Australia's major banks are scrambling to distance themselves from dealings with companies accused illegal or immoral practices

A Queenstown woman done for a $400,000 bank rip-off has admitted the offending - and using the money for a house, overseas trips and paying off debts.

New Zealand consumer confidence rose in April as Kiwis became more confident about their own financial position, giving them greater enthusiasm for buying major household items.

Each year thousands of people dream about starting their own business, taking control of their lives and having more flexibility.

A Queenstown bank worker has been charged over allegations of a long-running $400,000 fraud in which money was paid into fictitious accounts.

A lawyer taking action against the big banks over penalty fees says he will now try to stretch the claims back decades rather than work with the six-year statutory limit.

When it releases its monetary policy statement on Thursday the Reserve Bank is expected to turn up the volume on its warning that it is preparing to remove the support of ultra-low interest rates in place since the recession.

The boss of ANZ - the country's largest bank - received a pay rise of almost 14 per cent for the 2013 financial year, pushing his remuneration package over $4 million.

Government-owned Kiwibank is next in the gun for the group targeting banks in a lawsuit alleging they're charging unfair fees.

New Zealand's big four banks collectively made more than $3.5 billion in the last year in another record year for the sector.

The big four Australian banks made more than A$27 billion (NZT $31b) in profits in the past year, making Australasia's banking sector one of the world's most successful.

A court ruling means thousands more people could sign up to a lawsuit against the ANZ bank over fees.

One of the country's leading banks is about to start charging interest on each transaction if customers default on their payments.

In Shanghai's leafy Xintiandi there's a sight most Antipodean visitors would find very familiar.

ANZ Bank has defended its penalty fees as fair, saying they reflect extra services provided to customers whose accounts require attention over and above their banking contract.

ANZ is weighing up whether to launch action in Korea to try to get $8 million from property investor Danny Chung and his wife.

ANZ's Truckometer indicator is pointing to an economy with a lot of momentum.

Low-deposit mortgages will not only be harder to get from the end of this month, but they will be a lot more expensive.

I am unhappy with the fees I am being charged by my bank. Every month I am charged at least $100.