CBA owned mortgage broker Aussie Home Loans does not have the capability to detect fraud committed by its brokers and instead waits until the banks detect scams and alert them as it does not have the resources.
The admissions were made by Aussie Home Loans general manager of people and culture Lynda Harris in a second day of questioning at the banking royal commission from counsel assisting Rowena Orr, QC.
It was revealed the company had recently bolstered the risk and compliance function at the broker to a total of nine employees.
Ms Harris was being questioned about the process behind the termination of an Aussie Home Loans broker Emma Khalil. Ms Khalil submitted multiple loan applications that were based on fake supporting documents including many from the same employer and with the same details.
“We don’t have that, we are reliant on the lenders to provide that expertise because ultimately they are the organisation that is approving the loans,” Lynda Harris said.
The fraud was not picked up until the client applied for a credit card with Westpac using different income details.
After the extent of the fraud committed by Ms Khalil was revealed, multiple internal emails between Aussie management revealed the broker was waiting for confirmation from Westpac before acting.
“If Westpac find that there was fraudulent activity on her part and revoke her accreditation, then that will be in breach of her contract and ultimately result in her termination from Aussie,” one such email read.
Ms Orr asked why Aussie was waiting to hear back from Westpac before terminating the employment of Ms Khalil despite identifying a number of suspect loans supported by similar or identical fake letters of employment.
“So Westpac – and in fact all large banks, have credit specialists and fraud teams that have the expertise to be able to determine fraud. We don’t have that, we are reliant on the lenders to provide that expertise because ultimately they are the organisation that is approving the loans,” Ms Harris said.
“What I want to put to you, Ms Harris, is that it’s not good enough, it’s not good enough that Aussie Home Loans outsources to a third party investigations of a fraudulent conduct made against one of its own employees. What do you say to that?” Ms Orr asked.
Ms Harris replied by saying that Ms Harris was not an employee of Aussie Home Loans and was in fact an independent contractor. She also said that company was not able to justify the expense.
Following an incredulous look from Ms Orr, Commissioner Ken Hayne sought clarification of the point
“It is open to me to conclude from your evidence from the time of the Khalil events and earlier, Aussie was of the view it was the role of the lender to investigate and determine whether there was fraud associated with one or more transactions?”
“Is it open to conclude from what you have told me that it remains Aussie’s view that it is for the lender and not Aussie to investigate and determine whether there was fraud associated with one or more transactions?”
Ms Harris explained the mortgage broker continued to invest in its systems and processes and hoped to develop a fulsome and rigorous process for the detection of anomalies in the loans submitted by its brokers.
She said the mortgage broker was developing a dashboard that would give it better visibility over its network however it was still in pilot phase.
