North America Appointments

HSBC Holdings PLC
21 February 2008


                      INTERNATIONAL HSBC BANKERS TAKE HELM
             AT HSBC NORTH AMERICA AND IN CONSUMER FINANCE DIVISION

Brendan McDonagh has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of HSBC North
America Holdings Inc., leading HSBC's banking and consumer finance businesses in
the USA and Canada. Niall Booker succeeds Brendan as Chief Executive Officer of
HSBC Finance Corporation, and as Chief Operating Officer of HSBC North America.

Brendan, age 49, a Group General Manager with 28 years' international banking
experience at HSBC, across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America, also
becomes a Group Managing Director of HSBC Holdings plc and joins the Group
Management Board.

He became Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Finance Corporation in February 2007,
directing the Group's consumer finance businesses in the United States and
working closely with Group Chief Executive, Michael Geoghegan, on the work out
of the mortgage portfolio following the credit deterioration led by weakness in
the US housing market. From 2004-2006, Brendan was Chief Operating Officer of
HSBC Bank USA, NA, overseeing the significant expansion of the bank's brand, the
US retail and commercial network, and the launch of the bank's online savings
product, a model now successfully used by HSBC in Taiwan, Korea and Canada.

Niall Booker becomes Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Finance Corporation. He
will also succeed Brendan as Chief Operating Officer of HSBC North America. Over
a 27-year international career at HSBC, Niall, a Group General Manager, has
served three terms in the US. He returned there in March 2007 as Chief Operating
Officer of the consumer finance business to direct key business lines, as well
as corporate operational and risk management functions.
                                                                            
Niall, age 49, was previously Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
HSBC Middle East in 2006, and Chief Executive Officer, India in 2002. He joined
HSBC in 1981, and has extensive international experience, including retail
banking in Brunei and the UK, specialised finance in Hong Kong and banking
operations in Abu Dhabi and Trade Finance and corporate banking in Japan.

Commenting on the appointments, Michael Geoghegan, HSBC Group Chief Executive,
said: "It's testament to the bench strength at HSBC that last year we were able
to send such internationally experienced bankers into our US consumer finance
business. In common with most of the industry we face big challenges in North
America and Brendan and Niall are leading our work out with the thoroughness and
technical expertise you would expect of HSBC."

Completing the North American leadership team are current senior executives:
Paul Lawrence, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bank USA, NA and Head of Global
Banking and Markets, North America; and Lindsay Gordon, Chief Executive Officer
of HSBC Bank Canada.

Brendan McDonagh, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC North America Holdings Inc.,
added: "It is a privilege to be asked to run HSBC's North American region. I
look forward to working alongside my colleagues in the US and Canada to further
progress and properly position HSBC North America as a strong contributor to the
HSBC Group."

Notes to editors

1. HSBC - North America
HSBC - North America comprises all of HSBC's U.S. and Canadian businesses. The
businesses serve nearly 60 million customers in five key areas: personal
financial services, consumer finance, commercial banking, private banking and
corporate investment banking and markets. Financial products and services are
offered under the HSBC, HFC and Beneficial brands. For more information, visit
www.hsbcusa.com.

2. HSBC Holdings plc
HSBC Holdings plc serves over 125 million customers worldwide through around
10,000 offices in 83 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific
region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of some US$2,150
billion at 30 June 2007, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and
financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as 'the world's
local bank'.

                            





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