Bank customers are being asked for more forms of identification as part of a global crackdown on money laundering and terrorism.

Three years after Ireland's €67.5 billion financial rescue by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, signs are the Emerald Isle is on the improve.

The Reserve Bank has given strong signals that it intends to restrict mortgage lending at high loan-to-value ratios, to rein in credit growth and house price inflation.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand says it intervened in foreign exchange markets in an attempt to drive the kiwi lower. It gave no details of the size of the intervention.

The Reserve Bank would impose limits on riskier mortgage lending with smaller deposits if it judged those loans to be a "significant risk" to financial stability.

A comparison of some recent economic data shows New Zealand outperforming Australia.

Two Romanian men who plotted to skim money from bank cards in a Kapiti mall will be deported this week.

KiwiSaver funds with higher exposures to growth assets such as shares and property have performed the strongest in the past year, according to figures from Morningstar.

Renters moving into popular central Auckland suburbs have had some relief, with rental costs levelling off or falling slightly.

Businesses remain in a buoyant mood, ANZ's monthly business outlook survey found.

A decline in revenue at the ANZ - the country's largest bank - could signal a down-turn in earnings across the industry, says an expert.

The dollar rose as much as 0.7 per cent against the greenback after Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler backed off from talking down the currency at today's monetary policy review.

As Rio Tinto and Meridian Energy haggle over the price of power for the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter, optimism about the metal's future has faded.

An Auckland banker faces a jail term after stealing nearly $1 million from his clients.