A large-scale malware hijacking threat has been discovered that's capable of taking over Android phones and gaining access to users' bank logins. Vulnerable banking apps include Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, St. George, National Australia Bank, Bankwest and ANZ. Here's what you need to know.

Making mobile banking apps actually useful is a difficult challenge for many banks. Westpac sub-brands St George, BankSA and Bank Of Melbourne have added two new options -- the ability to apply for credit cards via a mobile device and new property hunting features on its iOS app -- and I'm undecided how I feel about them.

A bunch of banks owned by Westpac (but not Westpac itself) are about to make sending money to someone else a little easier. St George, BankSA and the Bank of Melbourne are all going to add an option to their mobile banking apps allowing you to send payment to any other mobile phone user.

We've complained in the past about NAB, Commonwealth Bank and St George rolling out Android "banking apps" that are little more than glorified bookmarks to a mobile banking site. That's not because cross-platform mobile sites aren't awesome, but because an app should do more. We don't have a St George account to test the service directly, but its latest update to its Android mobile banking app appears to have slightly improved on its previous offering.