Region. BankWest 'committed' to expansion

The Perth-based, BankWest, which has business branches in Western Sydney, is committed to its expansion on the eastern seaboard, following the disappointing take-up of the rights issue by parent, the British bank, HBOS. A HBOS spokesperson said: “We’re in the middle of rolling out a major retail branch expansion on the east coast of Australia and that’s the chief focus of our management team there.” He would not comment on whether a sale was being considered. Both the NAB and the Commonwealth Bank have been named as possible buyers of BankWest, The Australian Financial Review said.