Suncorp-Metway, the Australian financial services group, said it had received “several” approaches for its banking and wealth management operations with market rumours centring on Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and ANZ as interested parties.

The Brisbane-based group has appointed Lazard Carnegie Wylie and UBS as advisors in “relation to this matter”, although Suncorp cautioned the approaches were preliminary in nature and may not necessarily progress to formal proposals.