HSBC Bank Board Appointment

HSBC Holdings PLC
12 August 2004


                       HSBC BANK PLC - BOARD APPOINTMENT

John Trueman (61) has been appointed an independent non-executive Director of
HSBC Bank plc, with effect from 29 September 2004.

Mr Trueman has occupied a number of senior positions within the Warburg Group
from which he retired in 1997. He was Chairman of RBS Trust Bank from 1997 to
1999 (see biography below for further information).

Notes to editors:

The HSBC Group
HSBC Bank plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc, and a member of
the HSBC Group. Serving over 110 million customers worldwide, the HSBC Group has
approximately 10,000 offices in 76 countries and territories in Europe, the
Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of
US$1,154 billion at 30 June 2004, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and
financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as 'the world's
local bank'.

                                  John Trueman
                     Non-Executive Director, HSBC Bank plc

John Trueman has been appointed a non-executive Director of HSBC Bank plc with
effect from 29 September 2004.

Mr Trueman is a British citizen, born in England in 1943. He attended the London
School of Economics and received both a bachelor of science and a master's
degree in economics.

After an early career spent in investment management and working in Hong Kong,
to secure finance for the then prospective mass transit system, he joined the
Warburg Group in 1977.

From 1977 to 1997 he occupied a number of senior positions within the Warburg
Group, mainly in the merchant bank, S.G. Warburg and Co. Ltd, of which he was
Deputy Chairman from 1995.

From 1997 to 1999 he was part-time Chairman of RBS Trust Bank, a specialist
custody bank, prior to its purchase by Bank of New York.

His other roles have included: Adviser (2002 to date) Royal London Private
Equity; non-executive Director of Schroder & Co. Limited (2001 to 2004);
Chairman (from 2004) Axiom Holdings; Chairman (1998-2001) and subsequently
member Advisory Board to School of Management, University of Southampton;
Chairman of Financial Markets Group Research Centre, London School of Economics
(2000 to 2003); and member of advisory panel on introduction of corporate
capital to the Lloyd's market and member of its prudential committee (1995 to
1998).



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