Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard spooked financial markets slightly into thinking he may raise interest rates sooner than they had anticipated although, as expected, he's left rates unchanged for now.

With the outlook for both global and domestic growth deteriorating, economists expect Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard will leave interest rates unchanged on Thursday and financial markets have even priced in the outside chance of a cut.

Former boss of failed car finance company National Finance 2000 Trevor Allan Ludlow has been jailed for six years for false accounting and theft.

Mortgage broking aggregator Allied Kiwi has bought insurance broking company Metro Broker Link for an undisclosed sum.

ANZ National Bank is raising the interest rate it charges on its FlexiPlus revolving credit accounts despite most economists expecting the Reserve Bank will hold off raising its official cash rate (OCR) until well into next year.

Investors in the NZDX-listed Macquarie New Zealand Fortress notes will be repaid 45.02 cents in the dollar on November 7.

One of the three major international ratings agencies, Fitch has place Rabobank on negative credit watch.

Heartland New Zealand will repay the $92.3 million owing on PGG Wrightson Finance's (PWF) unsecured bonds on October 10 from cash reserves.

The former Hanover debenture holders who converted their investment into Allied Farmers' shares in December 2009 are facing their ownership of the company being slashed from 93.6% to possibly less than about 33% by mid-November.

Treasury should have acted to limit the amount of deposits flowing into finance companies after the government's retail deposit guarantee scheme was introduced in October 2008, auditor general Lyn Provost says.

Allied Farmers says it hopes to finalise a matter soon which is expected to have a significant positive impact on its fortunes and for that reason has delayed issuing its annual report.

Blue Star Group is calling for non-binding preliminary expressions of interest from bondholders in investing in the A$11.7 million (NZ$14.9 million) of shareholders' notes issued in the company's recent restructuring.

ANZ and ASB banks lost significant amounts of mortgage market share through the global financial crisis while the government's Kiwibank was the major gainer, the latest banking industry figures show.

Telecom's retail bondholders have overwhelmingly voted in favour of it spinning off its Chorus network business into a separate company.

The downgrades to New Zealand's credit rating by two of three major international ratings agencies could mean the Reserve Bank holds its official cash rate at current levels for longer but they could also affect banks' cost of borrowing.

The Reserve Bank's current 2.50% Official Cash Rate (OCR) may be close to the neutral rate at which it neither encourages nor hinders the economy from growing, says economist Rodney Dickens.