Love them or hate them you really have to hate the banks. Right? Well - maybe not so fast. After all Aussie investors love them, and why not? They've been a trusty source of dividends for years. And, last year, the banks endeared them to the broader public when they allowed people to pause loans and mortgage repayments, thus providing a life raft during peak COVID. 

Now, having recovered by an average of nearly 71% from their COVID-lows, the Big Four are flying higher on our cashed-up country's improving economic outlook. In fact, KPMG found that the Big Four have recently reported a combined cash profit after tax of $13.8 billion, up 62.3% compared to the same time last year. 

The Big Four banks continued to strengthen their balance sheets during the half-year, lifting their CET1 ratios by 105 bps to 12.4% - the strongest capitalisation the banks have boasted in decades, KPMG reported. 

So, in this episode of Buy Hold Sell, Livewire Markets' James Marlay sits down with Wilson Asset Management's Matthew Haupt and Firetrail Investments' Scott Olsson to put the banks head to head. Plus, they each share one financial sector stock that has caught their attention.