HSBC comp Bk of Bermuda acq

HSBC Holdings PLC
18 February 2004


                 HSBC COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF BANK OF BERMUDA

Further to the announcement on 16 February that the shareholders of Bank of
Bermuda had approved the transaction, the amalgamation by which Bank of Bermuda
became a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC has today become effective.

Notes to editors:

1. HSBC Holdings plc
With over 9,500 offices in 79 countries and territories, and assets of US$983
billion at 30 June 2003, the HSBC Group is one of the world's largest banking
and financial services organisations.

2. Bank of Bermuda
Founded in 1889, Bank of Bermuda is a leading provider of fund administration,
trust, custody, asset management and banking services. It is a global
organisation, with headquarters in Bermuda and a network spanning 16 other key
financial and offshore centres, including Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Dublin,
Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, New York, New
Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Tokyo and Bahrain. Bank of Bermuda has total
assets of US$12.8 billion (as at 31 December 2003) and over US$130 billion in
assets under administration.



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