Household HSBC Watch

AK in Oregon sent this op-ed piece. We are publishing it here instead of in our complaints blog:
“HSBC- predatory lenders who slam insurance, offer over market rates and fees, and treat employees with disrespect.

When I started working at HFC I was just out of college. I was excited to have a job […]

An HSBC Finance employee advised us of this frightening move by HSBC, saying “As a current employee I am appauled to see Beneficial and HFC’s latest trick which seems to be avoiding federal caps on interest rates. As of May 5th they rolled out their new pricing sheets with rates set above the […]

Analysts say that HSBC Holdings PLC (HBC) will again show large losses in the U.S., although these should be absorbed by stellar performance in Asia. Stellar, absolutely stellar. Except in the United States. As gasoline prices set an all-time record high many customers of HSBC Finance are finding it difficult to […]

UBS tried to explain subprime losses in a 50 page report. One glaring fact that stands out is a huge risk for HSBC, since HSBC did little or nothing to change HSBC Finance. UBS Said in part: “… its compensation structure for employees provided “insufficient incentives to protect the UBS franchise long-term.”” […]

With regard to homeowners in trouble I can see congress saying “no bailout” to everyone, or having a very narrow definition of who gets any help, such as those who were victims of fraud. Unless the buyer can show fraud on the part of the financial institution, the courts have no authority to change […]

HSBC Chairman Stephen Green said in an interview published Friday that banks should “stare down” hedge fund investors who’ve been seeking a more active role in company strategy. It’s not enough to have 1 percent equity and feel you have the right to condition the choices of a big financial institution,” Green said. […]

HSBC Finance is a “pay for performance” company, which means they look out for their best interests, not yours. It also means that mortgage loans in the U.S. followed the same “pay for performance” guidelines. That is part of why we have a subprime crisis today. Here is the report from the […]

H&R Block Inc on Wednesday said its Block Financial LLC unit obtained a $3 billion credit line from HSBC Finance Corp, which will be used to fund loans for some taxpayers who expect refunds. Just last week we reported that the IRS says such loans can perpetuate fraud. For two companies that […]

On one hand HSBC spokesman Michael Trevino said tax refund loans “represents a very small portion’’ of HSBC’s revenue. On the other hand such loans represent bad publicity for HSBC, with interest rates sometimes over 100 percent. Lawsuits such as Carnegie vs Household, paid by HSBC in 2007, cast HSBC in a bad […]

According to one article from the UK banks are putting pressure on customers to solve their “debt problems” but the solution may be worse than the problem. HSBC learned from the US subprime problem, as loan officers told customers they could refinance into a better loan in six months or a year. Look […]