HSBC and Rebuilding Together Announce New $725,000 Partnership to Rehab and Repair Homes

Last Days of Summer Anything But Lazy for HSBC Employees

Dayton OH, August 29, 2007 – While many Americans are squeezing in a summer vacation, employees of HSBC-North America will be volunteering to fix up and repair the homes of 110 needy families and community centers nationally—two of those houses are in Dayton.

The company’s volunteer efforts, which began on August 22 and will be completed August 31, is the first initiative of a new $725,000 partnership the financial services company has launched throughout the U.S. with Rebuilding Together, the nation’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of homes for low-income families and others in need.

“In addition to Rebuilding Together’s core home repair work, the non-profit has initiatives for safe and healthy homes, community centers, energy efficiency, veteran housing and disaster relief and recovery,” said T.W. Jolly, HSBC District Sales Manager, Buckeye Division. “The scope of its efforts and the passion of its affiliates give our employees extraordinary opportunities to make a tangible impact in the places where they live and work.”

The end-of-the-summer program is part of HSBC-North America’s “Power of 8500” volunteer effort among its HFC and Beneficial branches. Throughout the last 10 days in August, about 8,500 branch employees throughout the U.S. from this business group will support their local communities through service projects.

“HSBC supports the communities in which it operates through its employees and financial contributions in support of their efforts,” said Kathryn Madison, managing director of HFC and Beneficial’s Branch Retail Operations. “Rebuilding Together is a perfect partner for HSBC, as we are devoted to promoting strong neighborhoods and preserving homeownership in America, and so is Rebuilding Together.”

“Rebuilding Together rallies our community, mobilizes volunteers and delivers home rehabilitation and repairs services to low-income homeowners and their neighborhoods,” said Amy Radachi, Executive Director, Rebuilding Together Dayton.

Over the course of ten days, HSBC employees will contribute more than 68,000 hours to community volunteer activities.

Through 232 local affiliates, Rebuilding Together provides home repairs free of charge to homeowners in need. With the support of local and national businesses, more than a quarter of a million Rebuilding Together volunteers rehab 10,000 homes every year. The market value of the organization’s work exceeds $100 million annually.

“Through our new partnership, HSBC, Rebuilding Together will help preserve homeownership, make neighborhoods stronger and creates opportunities for more Americans to pursue their dreams.” said Gary Officer, president and CEO of Washington D.C. based Rebuilding Together.

About HSBC - North America
HSBC – North America comprises all of HSBC's U.S. and Canadian businesses, including the former Household International businesses. The company’s businesses serve nearly 60 million customers in five key areas: personal financial services, consumer finance, commercial banking, private banking and corporate investment banking and markets. Financial products and services are offered under the HSBC, HFC and Beneficial brands. For more information, visit www.hsbcusa.com.