Jon N. Couture

The Group's principal activities are to provide commercial and retail banking, consumer finance, asset management, mortgage financing and payment processing services. The asset management includes both institutional asset and personal wealth management. The Group also provides home equity line of credit which consists of revolving lines of credit secured by residential real estate. Other consumer loans include installment loans for automobiles, boats and recreational vehicles, student loans. The Group provides credit card services and insurance services also. As on 31-Dec-2007, the Group operates through 1,400 branch banking offices and 4100 retail and wholesale mortgage offices located throughout the United States. On 05-Jan-2007, the Group acquired Fidelity Bankshares, Inc.

HSBC Bank USA NA engages in the provision of banking services. Its lines of business are Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Private Bank. The company is headquartered in McLean, VA.

HSBC North America Holdings Inc. operates as a bank holding company. It serves customers in areas including personal financial services, credit cards, specialty insurance products, commercial banking, private banking, asset management, global banking and markets. Te company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in New York NY.

HSBC USA, Inc. provides commercial banking services. Its customers include individuals, including high net worth individuals, small businesses, corporations, institutions and governments. The company operates through the following segments: Retail Banking and Wealth Management (RBWM), Commercial Banking (CB), Global Banking and Markets (GB&M), Private Banking (PB), and Corporate Center (CC). The RBWM segment provides banking and wealth products and services, including personal loans, MasterCard and Visa credit card loans, deposits, branch services and financial planning products and services such as mutual funds, investments and insurance. The CB segment offers domestic and international services and banking, insurance and investment products to companies, government entities and non-profit organizations. The GB&M segment provides tailored financial solutions to major government, corporate and institutional clients as well as private investors worldwide. The PB segment provides private banking and trustee services to individuals and families with local and international needs which include specialist advisory services, including banking, liquidity management, investment services, custody services, tailored lending, wealth planning, trust and fiduciary services, insurance, family wealth and philanthropy advisory services. The CC segment includes BSM and legacy structured credit products, as well as a portfolio of residential mortgage loans, including certain loan servicing activities performed on behalf of HSBC Finance. HSBC USA was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in New York, NY.