What Britain Voted For On 23rd June

I think I know a lot more about HSBC than either of you do.

It's only been a "British Bank" since it bought the Midland Bank, which it did in order to be able to show that it was not regulated by the People's Republic of China, after the return of Hong Kong in 1997.

It has been restive and has indicated in the past that it may re-locate. It actually reviews its choice of domicile regularly, under its Statutes.

HSBC really has almost nothing to do with Russian and Chinese flight capital. It can put its operating divisions where it likes, and has the IT and more importantly the governance structures to do so, because it operated for its first eighty years in Hong Kong and Shanghai and has operated for the past twenty years in Hong Kong and London.

Start here:

http://gwulo.com/node/6173

Yes, they were. Along with many other big banks. As I said, their main concern is the choice of regulator, because they have to look credible, but passporting is going to be a big issue for them.

Best mortgage deal I ever had was with HSBC

I suspect that the fact that HSBC has been fined by the US (and UK?) regulators is having a profound effect on certain of its subsidiaries, the Philippine one in particular. It has decided to send out 20 page forms accompanied by hostile letters which threaten to summarily terminate accounts and file cases for perjury if their forms aren't completed and all the minutiae backed-up by original documentation. Although the accompanying letter claims they need the information to protect their customers, it's probably truer that they want to protect themselves against any further money-laundering cases. HSBC Malta isn't undergoing a similar exercise or so I'm informed.