HSBC Seeks to Settle Money-Laundering Charges

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By Trey Thoelcke Published

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Bloomberg reports that HSBC (NYSE: HBC) has gone into talks with federal officials to settle charges that it helped launder money for interests in Sudan and Iran. Other banks may be caught in related investigations. Standard Chartered already has agreed to penalties from the banking superintendent of New York State. Standard Chartered does not, however, have a deal with the U.S. government. These banks, and others charged with similar infractions, have no leverage with federal officials.

Public opinion against rich institutions that may have aided governments or people in Iran is bound to be entirely negative. Banks could be forced to relinquish rights to do business in America. This makes quick, and probably very expensive, settlements likely. But analysts have not questioned whether the fines will be large enough to hurt the banks badly on the balance sheet. The payments are just a sort of way to doing business.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.

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