Household HSBC Watch

According to Maryland newspapers, HSBC North America Holdings this month will close its White Marsh operation — HSBC Finance Corp. — and lay off 450 employees. With Boscov’s closing its Glen Burnie, Owings Mills and White Marsh stories, 400 people will lose jobs. Boscov’s signed a contract with HSBC and HSBC managed the Boscov’s […]

HSBC is in a push to grow its lending to middle-market businesses nationwide by targeting firms that need its international capabilities. Whether these firms (businesses) need HSBC services remains to be seen. We are certain HSBC will then push the businesses for HSBC credit card processing and HSBC merchant - private label - […]

Global Payments Inc., a provider of electronic transaction processing solutions, announced it has agreed to form a joint venture with HSBC Bank plc to provide payment processing services to merchants in the United Kingdom and Internet merchants globally. The new company will operate under the name HSBC Merchant Services. The big question is whether […]

Neiman Marcus has settled a lawsuit with HSBC Finance, the operational unit of HSBC formerly known as Household International. The lawsuit pertained to private label credit cards - the cards issued by HSBC Finance (HSBC NV) containing the Neiman Marcus name instead of HSBC’s name. Part of HSBC’s private label credit card agreements […]

After you take the self-serving fluff out the press release, there is some news as HSBC and Loyalty Lab form an alliance. Loyalty Lab formed an alliance with HSBC Finance Corporation’s card and retail services business to extend advanced loyalty and customer retention marketing (CRM) capabilities to retailers that offer private label and co-branded […]

Warren Buffett in his latest letter to shareholders says there are three kinds of acquisitions - The Great, The Good and The Gruesome. HSBC’s landmark purchase of the US sub-prime lender Household International in 2003 now looks firmly parked in the third category.

With laudable candor, HSBC has laid out just how badly that business, […]

Neiman Marcus is facing off with HSBC Finance - formerly known as predatory lender Household International. What do Neiman Marcus customers have in common with subprime, predatory lending, and late application of payments? Absolutely nothing, but Neiman Marcus selected HSBC Finance as their private label credit card processor. We questioned the move […]

Another HSBC merchant is going out of busiiness. CompUSA, the computer retailer that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim owned since 2000, will shut its doors after 23 years, succumbing to competition from Best Buy Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. On the CompUSA website it says “Same as Cash offer on approved purchases made on […]

Saks reported their quarterly results, and noted in their forward looking statements was this jewel: “…successful operation of the Company’s proprietary credit card strategic alliance with HSBC Bank Nevada, N.A”. The relationship with HSBC Bank Nevada, formerly Household International, was but one of many risks listed in Saks’ forward looking statements. […]

Look for signs of consolidation and streamlining as HSBC possibly looks to clean up their United States image by unloading predatory lender Household International, now called HSBC Finance Corporation. The North American division accounted for almost two-thirds of HSBC’s $10.6 billion in loan-loss provisions for 2006. HSBC earned $4.7 billion before tax in North America […]