'We were blind': Storm boss

DANIEL HURST Failed advisory firm Storm Financial was "blind" to the true state of its clients' investments late last year because a major bank was providing faulty data, the company's co-founder has claimed.

It's not the end of the world: Storm boss

DANIEL HURST Cane farmer left with $300,000 debt was told he had 'nothing to worry about'.

'I don't know, I can't remember'

DANIEL HURST The founder of collapsed advisory firm Storm financial has few answers for Federal Court inquiry in Brisbane

Storm boss blames banks for margin calls

DANIEL HURST Storm Financial's founder has denied the failed advisory firm justified its large upfront fees by promising clients ongoing monitoring of their investments.

Storm clients angry at Macquarie

STUART WASHINGTON A SURVEY of former Storm Financial clients who obtained Macquarie Bank margin loans has exposed serious deficiencies in Macquarie's submission to a parliamentary inquiry.

Time for Macquarie to imbue its explanation on Storm margins with a little compassion

STUART WASHINGHTON Macquarie Bank's managing director, Richard Sheppard, must have had a lot on his mind when he signed the covering letter to Macquarie Group's submission to the parliamentary inquiry investigating Storm Financial.

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Macquarie deal with Storm allegations

STUART WASHINGTON MACQUARIE GROUP'S failure to disclose a special deal it is supposed to have made with Storm Financial has been attacked by the head of a parliamentary inquiry investigating Storm's collapse.

Macquarie says no to Storm victims

STUART WASHINGTON MACQUARIE GROUP has no public plans to compensate an estimated 600 Storm Financial clients, despite evidence of failed systems in margin loans it made to retirees and pensioners.

Macquarie offers fee comfort to MAp holders

STUART WASHINGTON MACQUARIE GROUP significantly sweetened the buy-out of its management rights over Macquarie Airports yesterday, agreeing to write its $345 million fee down to zero if MAp incurred significant costs in renegotiating its debts.

The questions Macquarie won't answer

List of questions BusinessDay sent Macquarie on its margin loans to Storm clients.

How CBA deal fuelled Storm's grand delusion

STUART WASHINGTON Bank staff detail a litany of failings in practices with the financial planner.

CommBank to help 3000 Storm investors

STUART WASHINGTON ABOUT 3000 Storm Financial customers are likely to receive substantial compensation for their market losses after damning evidence about how Commonwealth Bank's processes failed last year.

Storm made secret CBA deal

STUART WASHINGTON A secret deal between the Commonwealth Bank and Storm Financial has been revealed as a factor behind $3 billion in investor losses.

Pensioner with brain injury lost $120,000

STUART WASHINGTON On Wednesday afternoon Lorna Abdy stood up in a room full of about 100 people in Townsville and told her story.

Some fall a long way after collapse

STUART WASHINGTON SYDNEYSIDERS caught up in the collapse of Storm Financial have found themselves alone, vulnerable and nearly penniless in battles with banks that are admitting no wrong.

BoQ to review its practices

RUTH WILLIAMS AND ERIC JOHNSTON THE BANK OF QUEENSLAND says it will reform some of its practices in light of the Storm Financial collapse, including abandoning ''low-doc'' loans for retirees. But the bank, which has been accused of granting excessive loans to out-of-pocket Storm investors, has denied it took part in any dishonest or illegal activity linked to the failed financial planning company.

Legal tussle over Storm documents

STUART WASHINGTON PEOPLE involved in Storm Financial's collapse, including the founder, Emmanuel Cassimatis, may face further action over the collapse of the financial planning group, legal manoeuvring at a parliamentary committee hearing suggested last week.

Storm forced to face music in inquiry

STUART WASHINGTON ON WEDNESDAY afternoon Lorna Abdy stood up in a room full of about 100 people in Townsville and told her story.

CBA panic led to Storm collapse: Cassimatis

STUART WASHINGTON IN BRISBANE In a rare public appearance today, Storm Financial founder Emmanuel Cassimatis blamed the Commonwealth Bank for the events that led to Storm's collapse.

Big bad bank ploy can't convince

STUART WASHINGTON IN BRISBANE Storm Financial founder Emmanuel Cassimatis is trying to blame CBA for his firm's collapse, but the edifice he built was far from robust and was at the leading edge of debt-induced collapses.

Storm founder defiant on loans

STUART WASHINGTON STORM FINANCIAL'S one-size-fits-all approach to financial planning was like McDonald's selling a Big Mac, Emmanuel Cassimatis told a federal parliamentary inquiry yesterday.

Storm probe nears an answer

STUART WASHINGTON Inquiries into Storm Financial are close to answering a central query - whether investors' pain was caused by a foul-up, a conspiracy or greed.

Margin loans to blame: Storm adviser

STUART WASHINGTON IN CAIRNS THE central role of Storm Financial's headquarters in the financial planner's collapse emerged yesterday as a former senior staffer in Cairns said he had no knowledge of what was happening to his clients' money in last year's market crash.

Storm inquiry eyes CBA chief

STUART WASHINGTON IN CAIRNS Commonwealth Bank chief executive Ralph Norris is facing the threat of being compelled to appear before a parliamentary committee's inquiry into Storm Financial.

I'm a big loser too: Storm boss

STUART WASHINGTON IN CAIRNS The Cairns office of Storm Financial had no idea what was happening to its clients' money as the market plunged late last year.

Spotlight on Storm debacle

STUART WASHINGTON IN CAIRNS Hearings into the Storm Financial collapse could reveal the unauthorised version of just why it failed so spectacularly.

Macquarie ducks for cover on margin loans

ERIC JOHNSTON Macquarie Group has revealed Storm Financial was once its fourth-biggest customer for margin lending when the bank also provided a loan to the financial planner, which collapsed at the start of the year.

A $1.48 margin loan on a salary of $45,000

TRACEY RICHARDS went to see her Storm Financial planner in February last year. Instead of withdrawing money to buy a motor home, the Brisbane receptionist was persuaded to borrow another $200,000 and invest more deeply in the sharemarket.

First suit for BoQ over Storm losses

STUART WASHINGTON A TOWNSVILLE woman is suing Bank of Queensland for $400,000 in losses and damages in the first legal action to be launched following the collapse of Storm Financial.

Are banks to blame for the Storm pain?

STUART WASHINGTON Tracey Richards trusted Storm Financial with her life savings. Now she lives in a caravan. Are big banks to blame for the Storm pain?