HSBC Private Bank Appoints Mark Pittsey Regional Manager for the Bay Area and Northwest Region

HSBC Private Bank today announced the appointment of Mark Pittsey as a Managing Director and Regional Manager for the Bay Area and Northwest Region of the United States. Reporting to Patrick Campion, CEO US Private Bank, he will head the HSBC Private Bank office in San Francisco. His responsibilities will include serving the needs of the bank’s private banking clients by assembling internal teams of experts to implement solutions and provide clients access to the bank’s full spectrum of products and services, including liquidity management, fiduciary services (trust and estate administration, and custody), as well as a broad array of banking, family wealth and philanthropic advisory services.

"Mark brings to HSBC more than 18 years of wealth management experience serving the complex and diverse needs of high net worth individuals during various market cycles,” said Patrick Campion, CEO of HSBC’s U.S. Private Bank. "California and the Northwest are strategic growth markets for HSBC and we are pleased to add Mark to our experienced team of bankers.”

Most recently, Pittsey was Managing Director and Office Director for Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management in San Francisco. He spent 14 years at Wells Fargo Private Wealth Management in San Francisco where he was a Senior Vice President and Regional Manager. Pittsey holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University in Long Beach, CA.

HSBC Private Bank provides wealth management and advisory services to high net worth individuals and families with local and international needs through 96 locations in some 42 countries and territories around the world. Our services include banking, liquidity management, investment services, custody, tailored lending, wealth planning, trust and fiduciary services, insurance, family wealth advisory and philanthropic advisory.

Notes to editors:

HSBC Private Bank

HSBC Private Bank is the marketing name for the principal private banking business of the HSBC Group worldwide. HSBC Private Banking services are provided to high net worth individuals and their families through 91 locations in some 39 countries and territories in Europe, the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa.

In the United States, HSBC Private Bank offers banking services through HSBC Bank USA, N.A. and HSBC Private Bank International, and provides securities and brokerage services through HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. - Member FDIC.

At 31st December 2009, profits before tax were US$1,108 million for the financial year ending December 09 and reported total client assets under management were US$460 billion.

HSBC Private Bank draws on the capability and expertise of the HSBC Group, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services to more than 100 million customers.

For more information, visit www.hsbcprivatebank.com

HSBC in California

Through its network of 35 branches located across the Greater Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego Metropolitan areas, HSBC Bank USA, N.A. offers a full range of banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, corporations and institutions. It leverages HSBC Group's international network to provide market leading product and services to meet its clients growing international needs.

HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 8,000 offices in 88 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,364 billion at 31 December 2009, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as ‘the world’s local bank’.