Legal information

Important Information

OUR INFORMATION

HSBC Bank International Limited. Registered Office: HSBC House, Esplanade, St Helier, Jersey JE1 1HS. Registered Number: 2818.

HSBC Bank International Limited is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for Banking, General Insurance Mediation, Investment and Fund Services Businesses and licensed by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission for Banking, Collective Investment Schemes and Investment Business. Licensed by the Isle of Man Financial Supervision Commission. Latest audited accounts are available on request.

Channel Islands and Isle Of Man Deposit Protection Schemes

The following information on the Depositors Compensations Schemes for Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, is a brief summary of the scheme's but is not intended as a substitute for the actual wording. Full details of the Scheme's can be found on the Government websites below.

HSBC Bank International Limited is a participant in the Jersey Banking Depositor Compensation Scheme. The Scheme offers protection for eligible deposits of up to £50,000. The maximum total amount of compensation is capped at £100,000,000 in any 5 year period. Full details of the scheme and banking groups covered are available on the states of Jersey website or on request.

Website www.gov.je
Telephone: + 44 (0) 1534 445500

Deposits made with our offices in the Isle of Man are protected by the Isle of Man Compensation of Depositors Regulation 2008. Each depositor's net sterling deposits or the equivalent of foreign currency deposits are protected as to 100% of the eligible protected deposit subject to a maximum of £ 50,000 subject to those conditions set out in the Compensation of Depositors Regulations 2008. The Depositors Compensation Scheme is managed on behalf of the Isle of Man Government by the Financial Supervision Commission. Further information about the Scheme is available at:

Website: www.gov.im

Telephone: + 44 (0) 01624 689300

As a licensed Bank in Guernsey, HSBC Bank International Limited is a participant in the Guernsey Banking Deposit Compensation Scheme (the "Scheme") established by the Banking Deposit Compensation Scheme (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Ordinance, 2010(the "ordinance"). The following is a brief summary of the scheme but is not intended as a substitute for the actual wording of the Ordinance, a copy of which is available on request.

• The Scheme only applies to 'qualifying deposits' which broadly means deposits made by natural persons for their own benefit; with a few limited exceptions such as for example, deposits made by trustees of retirement annuity trust schemes, the Scheme does not apply to companies, trusts partnerships or charities.
• The Scheme will provide compensation in the event that a Licensed Bank is unable to repay its depositors. Under normal circumstances, payment will be made within 3 months of receipt of a valid claim form.
• Compensation is limited to a maximum of £50,000 per individual claimant: in the case of a joint account each depositor would be entitled.
• Total Scheme compensation in any five year period is limited to £100 million. If claims exceed this cap, compensation would be reduced pro rata. The cap also means that compensation in respect of any one bank cannot exceed £100 million.
• The amount payable may be reduced if the Bank has any contractual right of set-off against the account. The Scheme is entitled to recover compensation from any funds subsequently paid out by the Bank.

Further information and a leaflet about the Scheme is available at:

Website: www.dcs.gg
Telephone: + 44 (0) 1481 722756
Post: P.O. Box 380, St Peter Port, GYI 3FY

FOR CUSTOMERS RESIDENT IN THE UK

HSBC Bank International Limited is licensed by the United Kingdom Office of Fair Trading to carry on a consumer credit business in the UK, under licence number 570965.
Approved for issue in the UK by HSBC Bank plc, 8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ. HSBC Bank plc is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority and is registered in the Financial Services Authority Register with the registration number 114216.

UK Deposit Protection Scheme

Deposits and investments made with our offices in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not protected by the rules made under the UK's Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, including the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, and the UK's Financial Ombudsman Service.

WEBSITE TERMS

Please read the details set out below carefully before using this website (the "Site"). By accessing this Site, you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions and disclaimers (the "Terms").

References to 'you', 'your' and 'yours' are references to the person(s) accessing the Site.
References to 'we', 'us' and 'our' are references to HSBC Bank International Limited.
References to the 'HSBC Group' are references to HSBC Holdings plc, its subsidiaries, associated and affiliated companies.

TERMS

All our products and services and those of other members of the HSBC Group are subject to the Terms and Conditions and disclaimers of the applicable agreement governing their use. These Terms are to be read by you together with any terms, conditions and disclaimers provided in the pages of the Site. In the event of any conflict, the terms, conditions and disclaimers provided in the pages of the Site shall prevail over these Terms. The information, material and content provided in the pages of the Site may be changed at any time without notice. Changes may be made to the Terms at any time without notice by updating this posting. You agree to review the Terms regularly and your continued access to or use of the Site will mean that you agree to any changes.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Issued by HSBC Bank International Limited, trading as HSBC Expat. We are a member of the HSBC Group, one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. Services are provided by around 7,500 offices in 87 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. Our principal place of business is Jersey. The ultimate parent company of HSBC Bank International Limited is HSBC Holdings plc which is incorporated in England and regulated by the UK Financial Services Authority.

HSBC Bank International Limited places funds with other parts of its group and thus its financial standing is linked to that of the group. Depositors may wish to form their own view on the financial standing of HSBC Bank International Limited and the group based on publicly available information. The latest report and accounts are available at www.expat.hsbc.com

Under the current Jersey, Guernsey, and Isle of Man legislation, interest from accounts held with our branches in these jurisdictions are paid on a gross basis. Except for Jersey residents who will have Jersey tax deducted from dividends paid by the HSBC International Sterling Income Fund and the HSBC Global Investment Fund. Customers who reside in EU countries may be subject to the European Savings Tax Directive. You may be liable to tax in your country of residence or domicile, or if it is transferred to another country. Individuals who are resident but not domiciled in the UK should note that use of their HSBC Bank Debit Card or their American Express International Currency Charge Card in the UK could be viewed by the HM Revenue and Customs as a transfer of income into the UK and hence trigger a UK income tax liability on that income. Your tax position will depend on your personal circumstances and you may wish to seek guidance from your tax adviser.

The information in this Site is based on HSBC Bank International Limited understanding of the current law and practice at the time of going to press. Future changes in legislation, tax levels and practice could affect the information in this Site.

To help us to continually improve our service and in the interest of security, we may monitor and/or record your telephone calls with us.

YOUR CANCELLATION RIGHTS

Bank Accounts

If you change your mind and close the account within 14 days of opening it, we will not charge a fee.

Fixed Term Deposit Accounts

Once money is deposited for a fixed period, there is no cancellation period and it is not possible to make partial withdrawals.

Life Insurance and Pension Contracts

With your contract note, we will send you a notice of your right to cancel. If you wish to cancel, you may do so by returning the completed notice within 30 days of receiving it.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COMPLAINT

General Banking

We welcome your feedback so that we can continuously improve our products and services. If you need to complain, please contact us in one of the following ways:

Already a customer?

Please have your 10 digit PBN and six digit PIN to hand before you call.

HSBC Premier customers call: +44 1534 616 313

HSBC Advance customers call: +44 1534 616 212

All other customers call: +44 1534 616 000

Not yet a customer?

If there's something you're not happy with, then please call us on +44 1534 616 111.

Investments

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, please contact our Customer Liaison team on +44(0)1534 606389 in the first instance.

If you cannot settle your complaint, you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Services Commissions in Jersey or Guernsey or the Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme for the Isle of Man.

MORTGAGES AND CREDIT

The range of credit cards and mortgages detailed in this site are provided by HSBC Bank plc. Credit facilities are subject to status and mortgages are subject to security. For mortgages or other secured loans, a charge will be taken over the property. Written details of credit facilities are available on request, from HSBC Bank International Limited, HSBC House, Esplanade, St. Helier, Jersey JE1 1HS, Channel Islands.

Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage.

Changes in the exchange rate may increase the sterling equivalent of your debt.

In the UK, HSBC Bank International Limited is licensed by the United Kingdom Office of Fair Trading to carry on a consumer credit business in the UK, under licence number 570965.

INVESTMENTS

The value of investments relating to stocks and shares and any income from them can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount you invested. This may also happen as a result of changes in the rate of exchange where overseas securities are held. Past performance cannot be taken as an indication of future performance. Due to the difference between the buying and selling prices of shares, which will particularly impact on the value of your investment in the short term, you should regard investment companies as medium to long-term investments. Nationals of certain countries or territories may be subject to exchange controls and should seek independent advice before investing offshore.

Investments

We are required to advise you that if you undertake Investment Business with any non UK members of the HSBC Group you will be excluded from the benefit of the rules and regulations made under the UK's Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, including the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Isle of Man investors will not be protected by statutory compensation arrangements if they invest.

Tax

Your tax situation will depend on your personal circumstances and we recommend you obtain independent tax advice. Any tax information in this website is based on our understanding of current and proposed legislation and practice. The legislation and practice may be subject to change.

ONLINE SHARE DEALING

HSBC InvestDirect International share dealing services are provided by HSBC Bank plc.

COUNTRY GUIDELINES

Not all the products and services that you may be able to view via this site are available in certain countries.

This Site does not constitute an invitation to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell investments in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.

For guidance on specific countries please see below:-

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF AUSTRALIA
The information contained in this Site does not constitute an invitation or solicitation of an offer to invest in the managed funds referred to herein to Australian residents and does not constitute a solicitation of deposits with Australian individuals unless such deposits are in amounts in excess of AUD 250,000. Deposits made with HSBC Bank International Limited which is incorporated with limited liability in Jersey do not have the benefit of depositor protection provisions of the Australian Banking Act 1959.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF BRAZIL
The information contained in this Site is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or solicitation of an offer to invest in the managed funds referred to herein to residents in Brazil. The investment funds contained in this Site have not been or may not have been registered under CVM (Brazilian Securities Commission) and BACEN (Central Bank of Brazil). Deposits made with HSBC Bank International Limited are not FGC (Brazilian Depositor's Protection Fund) insured. The residents of Brazil must be aware of Brazilian tax and foreign exchange rules restrictions. Any contracts shall be submitted to English Law, therefore clients should seek independent advice before investing offshore. Further information should be obtained directly from HSBC Bank International Limited.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF CANADA
The information contained in this Site does not constitute an invitation or solicitation of an offer to invest in any securities products referred to herein to residents in Canada.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON REGULATIONS IN DUBAI
HSBC Bank International Limited is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for Banking, General Insurance Mediation, Collective Investment Schemes and Investment Business. HSBC Bank International Limited, Representative Office Dubai.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF FRANCE
The information contained in this Site does not constitute an invitation or a solicitation of an offer to make deposits or sell investments in any securities or products to residents in France.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF GERMANY
The information contained in this Site is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or solicitation of an offer to invest in the managed funds referred to herein to residents in Germany. The investment funds contained in this Site have not been or may not have been registered under the German Foreign Investment Funds Act for solicitation and distribution in Germany and any acquisition of such non-registered investment funds by residents in Germany may result in serious tax detriments. Deposits made with HSBC Bank International Limited do not have the benefit of the German Depositors' Protection Fund or the German statutory depositors' protection.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE HONG KONG SAR
HSBC Bank International Limited is an Authorised Institution within the meaning of the Banking Ordinance and is therefore subject to the supervision of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. The investment and insurance products contained in this site may or may not have been authorised for sale in Hong Kong. This site does not constitute an offer of products or services to, or a solicitation from, residents of Hong Kong except insofar as they may lawfully be offered to residents of Hong Kong.

Regulatory Information for Hong Kong SAR
HSBC Bank International Limited is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for Banking, General Insurance Mediation, Collective Investment Schemes and Investment Business. HSBC Bank International Limited, Hong Kong Branch is licensed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority as an Authorised Institution in Hong Kong and licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission to conduct dealing in securities (Type 1) and advising on securities (Type 4) regulated activities under the Securities and Future Ordinance (Central entity number assigned by the Securities and Futures Commission: AGH398).

Deposit Protection Scheme for Hong Kong SAR
Deposits made with our offices in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are neither protected by the Hong Kong Deposit Protection Scheme.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS ITALY
The information contained in this Site does not constitute an invitation or solicitation of an offer to make deposits or sell investments in any securities or products to residents in Italy.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF JAPAN
The information contained in this Site does not constitute an invitation or solicitation of an offer to invest in any securities products referred to herein to residents in Japan.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF NEW ZEALAND
The information contained in this Site does not constitute an invitation or solicitation of an offer to invest in any securities products referred to herein to residents in New Zealand.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF PHILIPPINES
This Site is intended for the reference of existing HSBC Bank International Limited and HSBC Fund Administration (Jersey) Limited clients only and is not for public use. This site is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer of services to, or a solicitation from, residents of the Philippines.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
The information contained on this site is for information purposes only and is not intended to constitute a solicitation or offer, to acquire or dispose of any investment , nor is it intended to form the basis of an investment decision and should not be treated as if it were, or relied on in any way. Nothing on this website shall constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell investments by HSBC Bank International Limited. The investment funds contained in this site have not been or may not have been registered in terms of the laws of South Africa. The residents of South Africa must be aware of South African tax and foreign exchange rules restrictions.

Regulatory Information for South Africa
HSBC Bank International Limited is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for Banking, General Insurance Mediation, Collective Investment Schemes and Investment Business. HSBC Bank International Limited, Representative Office South Africa, which is an Authorised Financial Services Provider.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
Investments with HSBC Bank International Limited and HSBC Fund Administration (Jersey) Limited have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933. Except for transactions which do not contravene this act, HSBC investments (including pensions) may not be offered or indirectly sold in the United States of America or any of its territories or possessions, or areas subject to its jurisdiction or for the benefit of any United States person. Deposits made with HSBC Bank International Limited are not FDIC insured.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - OTHER COUNTRIES
If you are a resident of Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Sierra Leone or Zimbabwe, please contact us on +44 1534 616111 to discuss your requirements further before proceeding with your application.

To help us to continually improve our service and in the interest of security, we may monitor and / or record your communications with us.

NO OFFER
Nothing on this Site constitutes a solicitation or offer, to acquire or dispose of any investment, nor is it intended to form the basis of an investment decision and it should not be treated as if it were, or relied on in any way. Nothing on the website shall constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell investments by HSBC Bank International Limited.

USERS This Site can be accessed from all over the world. Because of this we cannot guarantee that the Site or the information thereon complies with or is appropriate for use in all places. You are wholly responsible for use of the Site by any person using your computer and you must ensure that any such person complies with these Terms.

NO WARRANTIES
The following clauses exclude or limit our legal liability for the Site. You should read them carefully. They all apply only as far as the law permits. No representation or warranty is made, or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on the Site or on which the Site, or any information on it, is based. We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure the information on the Site is accurate and up to date but we give no warranties express or implied with regard to currency or accuracy of such information. The information on the Site does not take into account users' individual circumstances. Users should seek professional advice about the appropriateness of entering into any of the investments referred to on the Site. Such advice should include advice on their tax positions. Past performance is not a guide to future performance and no representation or warranty is made as to future performance of any of the investments mentioned on the Site. Nothing on the Site shall be relied on as a promise or a forecast.

THIRD PARTY SITES AND ENDORSEMENTS
Where we provide hypertext links to other locations on the Internet, we do so for information purposes only. We are not responsible for the content of any other websites or pages linked to or linking to this Site. We have not verified the content of any such websites. Following links to any other websites or pages shall be at your own risk and we shall not be responsible or liable for any damages or in any other way in connection with linking. Links to downloadable software sites are for convenience only and we are not responsible or liable for any difficulties or consequences associated with downloading the software. Use of any downloaded software is governed by the terms of the licence agreement, if any, which accompanies or is provided with the software. No endorsement or approval of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressed or implied by any information on our Site.

INTERNET E-MAIL
Messages sent over the Internet cannot be guaranteed to be completely secure as they are subject to possible interception or loss or possible alteration. We are not responsible for them and will not be liable to you or anyone else for any damages or otherwise in connection with any message sent by you to the Bank or any message sent by the Bank to you over the Internet.

TRADE MARKS AND COPYRIGHT
Copyright in the page screens, information and material in their arrangement included in this Site is owned by or licensed to HSBC Bank International Limited unless otherwise noted. You may imprint, copy, download or temporarily store extracts from our Site for your personal information or when you use our products and services. You must not alter anything. Any other use is prohibited unless you first get our written permission. In particular no one may use a part of our Site on any other website, or link any other website to our Site, without our prior written permission.

DATA PROTECTION
We may, as a result of your input to any associated page(s) on this Site, put that information onto our database. We and other members of the HSBC Group may use, analyse and assess information about you to give you information about products and services from members of the HSBC Group and those of selected third parties which we think may interest you by phone, post, e-mail or other means. Provision of the Site may require us to transfer your personal data outside Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man and also to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Other countries may not provide the same level of protection for data as the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man and countries within the EEA. However, all data held by the HSBC Group or by its sub-contractors or agents will be afforded a high level of protection against any unauthorised or accidental disclosure, access or deletion. By agreeing to these terms you agree to your data being used as described and that it may be transferred as stated above.

GOVERNING LAW
Your contract with HSBC Bank International Limited is governed by the laws of Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, as are our dealings with you up until the contract is concluded. We are required to tell you that the terms and conditions of the contract are in English and we will communicate with you in English.

We know that you are concerned with how your personal and financial information is dealt with. This privacy statement sets out our current policies and demonstrates our commitment to your financial privacy.

We may change the content or services found on our Site at any time without notice, and consequently our privacy policy may change at any time in the future.
You agree to revisit this page regularly and your continued access to or use of the Site will mean that you agree to the changes.

To preserve the confidentiality of all information you provide to us, we have adopted the following privacy principles:

1. We only collect information that we believe to be relevant and required to understand your financial needs and to conduct our business.

2. We use your information to provide you with better customer services and products.

3. We may pass your information to other HSBC Group companies or agents, as permitted by law.

4. We will not disclose your information to any external organisation unless we have your consent or are required by law or have previously informed you.

5. We may be required from time to time to disclose your information to Governmental or judicial bodies or agencies or our regulators, but we will only do so under proper authority.

6. We aim to keep your information up-to-date.

7. We maintain strict security systems designed to prevent unauthorised access to your information by anyone, including our staff.

8. All Group companies, all our staff and all third parties with permitted access to your information are specifically required to observe our confidentiality obligations.

9. When using the public portion of the Site you are not required to provide us with any personal information if you do not wish to do so and we do not monitor or collect any personally identifiable information from you on your use of the public portions of the site. We may track the number of users who visit areas of the Site, but this tracking will not identify you. We may also record the location of your computer on the Internet for systems administration and trouble shooting purposes and to report aggregate information.

10. If you register to use the password protected portions of the Site, we will ask you to provide us with certain data about yourself which we will handle in accordance with the Offshore Islands Data Protection legislation. We maintain strict security standards and procedures with a view to preventing unauthorised access to your data. We use leading technologies such as (but not limited to) data encryption, fire walls and server authentication to protect the security of your data. Whenever we hire other organisations to provide support services, we will require them to conform to our privacy standards and to allow us to audit them for compliance.

11. Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to your computer's hard disc for record keeping purposes. Cookies can make the web more useful by storing information about your preferences on particular sites, thus enabling website owners to provide more useful features for their users. They contain no name or address information or any information that will enable anyone to contact you via telephone, e-mail or any other means. Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. If you would prefer, you can set your browser to refuse cookies. However, given that we may sometimes use cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of our website if you do so.

12. In order to develop our website in line with customer needs HSBC Bank International Limited is working with Webtrends to track usage on our website. Webtrends provide HSBC Bank International Limited with statistics to show us which pages on our website are visited most frequently and how long visitors spend on our website. We use this information to help us plan how we should improve the website.

Webtrends uses a cookie to track the number of unique users of the site. It basically tells us whether we have a small number of regular visitors to the website or a large number of infrequent visitors. None of the information can be traced to an individual - we do not know who you are as a unique user, merely that there are a certain number of people using the website. The cookie only relates to what goes on in the HSBC Bank International Limited website and the information cannot be used for marketing on an individual basis. For more information about how Webtrends collects data, please read their privacy policy.

13. HSBC Bank International Limited web pages may contain electronic images, known as web beacons or spotlight tags. These enable HSBC Bank International Limited to count users who have visited certain pages on our website. Web beacons and spotlight tags are not used by us to access your personal information, they are simply a tool we use to analyse which web pages customers view, in an aggregated manner.

14. If you have any questions regarding privacy issues, then call our Direct Banking Centre for more information.

Already a customer?

Please have your 10 digit PBN and six digit PIN to hand before you call.

HSBC Premier customers call: +44 1534 616 313

HSBC Advance customers call: +44 1534 616 212

All other customers call: +44 1534 616 000

Not yet a customer?

If there's something you're not happy with, then please call us on +44 1534 616 111

To help us to continually improve our service and in the interests of security we may monitor and/or record your telephone calls with us.

By maintaining our commitment to these principles, we at HSBC Bank International Limited will ensure that we respect the inherent trust that you place in us.