Bank of Queensland’s battle with Melbourne franchisee takes twist as Mick Gatto buys in

UNDERWORLD figure Mick Gatto has found a unique way to try to force a major bank to negotiate with him — buying shares in a company that runs one of its Victorian branches.

But the Bank of Queensland says the move won’t work.

Mr Gatto and associates of his debt collecting agency, Gatto Corporate Solutions, claim they have bought shares in the company that runs the Beaconsfield BoQ branch after the bank’s senior staff barred them from settlement talks with the branch owner.

The Herald Sun revealed this month how Sean Van Cuylenberg had hired Mr Gatto after he claimed the bank had muscled him out of his other successful branch in Mt Waverley, offering him far less than its value.

Mr Van Cuylenberg says he sought Mr Gatto’s help because the bank used bullying tactics to compulsorily acquire the Mt Waverley branch — and was now trying to do the same at Beaconsfield.

After at least one meeting with Mr Gatto and his associates, John Khoury and ­Anthony Swords, the bank said it would no longer deal with them, claiming their presence was intimidating.

Resource:http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/bank-of-queenslands-battle-with-melbourne-franchisee-takes-twist-as-mick-gatto-buys-in/news-story/50ea123ef9aef627e3d533ecb4cd26e8