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Annual Financial Report - 6 of 54

RNS Announcement

RNS Number : 0672I

HSBC Holdings PLC

20 March 2015

Consolidated income statement

Five-year summary consolidated income statement

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m	2011 US$m	2010 US$m

Net interest income	34,705	35,539	37,672	40,662	39,441
Net fee income	15,957	16,434	16,430	17,160	17,355
Net trading income	6,760	8,690	7,091	6,506	7,210
Net income/(expense) from financial instruments designated at fair value	2,473	768	(2,226)	3,439	1,220
Gains less losses from financial investments	1,335	2,012	1,189	907	968
Dividend income	311	322	221	149	112
Net insurance premium income	11,921	11,940	13,044	12,872	11,146
Gains on disposal of US branch network, US cards business and Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd	-	-	7,024	-	-
Other operating income	1,131	2,632	2,100	1,766	2,562

Total operating income	74,593	78,337	82,545	83,461	80,014

Net insurance claims and benefits paid and movement in liabilities to policyholders	(13,345)	(13,692)	(14,215)	(11,181)	(11,767)

Net operating income before loan impairment charges and other credit risk provisions	61,248	64,645	68,330	72,280	68,247

Loan impairment charges and other credit risk provisions	(3,851)	(5,849)	(8,311)	(12,127)	(14,039)

Net operating income	57,397	58,796	60,019	60,153	54,208

Total operating expenses	(41,249)	(38,556)	(42,927)	(41,545)	(37,688)

Operating profit	16,148	20,240	17,092	18,608	16,520

Share of profit in associates and joint ventures	2,532	2,325	3,557	3,264	2,517

Profit before tax	18,680	22,565	20,649	21,872	19,037

Tax expense	(3,975)	(4,765)	(5,315)	(3,928)	(4,846)

Profit for the year	14,705	17,800	15,334	17,944	14,191

Profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company	13,688	16,204	14,027	16,797	13,159
Profit attributable to non-controlling interests	1,017	1,596	1,307	1,147	1,032

Five-year financial information

	2014 US$	2013 US$	2012 US$	2011 US$	2010 US$

Basic earnings per share	0.69	0.84	0.74	0.92	0.73
Diluted earnings per share	0.69	0.84	0.74	0.91	0.72
Dividends per ordinary share⁹	0.49	0.48	0.41	0.39	0.34

	%	%	%	%	%

Dividend payout ratio¹⁰	71.0	57.1	55.4	42.4	46.6
Post-tax return on average total assets	0.5	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6
Return on average ordinary shareholders' equity	7.3	9.2	8.4	10.9	9.5

Average foreign exchange translation rates to US$:
US$1: £	0.607	0.639	0.631	0.624	0.648
US$1: €	0.754	0.753	0.778	0.719	0.755

For footnotes, see page 109.

Unless stated otherwise, all tables in the Annual Report and Accounts 2014 are presented on a reported basis.

For a summary of our financial performance in 2014, see page 28.

Group performance by income and expense item

Net interest income

	2014	2013	2012
	US$m	US$m	US$m

Interest income	50,955	51,192	56,702
Interest expense	(16,250)	(15,653)	(19,030)

Net interest income¹¹	34,705	35,539	37,672

Average interest-earning assets	1,786,536	1,669,368	1,625,068

Gross interest yield¹²	2.85%	3.07%	3.49%
Less: cost of funds	(1.05%)	(1.10%)	(1.36%)

Net interest spread¹³	1.80%	1.97%	2.13%

Net interest margin¹⁴	1.94%	2.13%	2.32%

For footnotes, see page 109.

Summary of interest income by type of asset

	2014			2013			2012
	Average balance	Interest income	Yield	Average balance	Interest income	Yield	Average balance	Interest income	Yield
	US$m	US$m	%	US$m	US$m	%	US$m	US$m	%
Short-term funds and loans and advances to banks²⁷	237,148	3,068	1.29	236,377	2,851	1.21	235,831	3,505	1.49
Loans and advances to customers²⁷	931,311	37,429	4.02	897,322	38,529	4.29	891,699	40,870	4.58
Reverse repurchase agreements - non-trading^26,27	198,273	1,800	0.91	114,324	995	0.87	83,105	975	1.17
Financial investments	399,816	8,323	2.08	393,309	8,002	2.03	387,329	9,078	2.34
Other interest-earning assets	19,988	335	1.68	28,036	815	2.91	27,104	2,274	8.39

Total interest-earning assets	1,786,536	50,955	2.85	1,669,368	51,192	3.07	1,625,068	56,702	3.49
Trading assets and financial assets designated at fair value^15,16,26	238,958	5,596	2.34	354,817	5,763	1.62	368,406	6,931	1.88
Impairment provisions	(14,015)			(15,954)			(17,421)
Non-interest-earning assets	668,564			683,785			730,901

Year ended 31 December	2,680,043	56,551	2.11	2,692,016	56,955	2.12	2,706,954	63,633	2.35

For footnotes, see page 109.

Summary of interest expense by type of liability and equity

	2014			2013			2012
	Average balance	Interest expense	Cost	Average balance	Interest expense	Cost	Average balance	Interest expense	Cost
	US$m	US$m	%	US$m	US$m	%	US$m	US$m	%

Deposits by banks^17,27	61,217	481	0.79	61,616	555	0.90	78,023	1,001	1.28
Financial liabilities designated at fair value - own debt issued¹⁸	66,374	837	1.26	72,333	967	1.34	75,016	1,325	1.77
Customer accounts^19,27	1,088,493	9,131	0.84	1,035,500	8,794	0.85	1,012,056	10,650	1.05
Repurchase agreements - non-trading^26,27	190,705	652	0.34	94,410	405	0.43	55,536	387	0.70
Debt securities in issue	129,724	4,554	3.51	150,976	4,182	2.77	161,348	4,755	2.95
Other interest-bearing liabilities	10,120	595	5.88	11,345	750	6.61	19,275	912	4.73

Total interest-bearing liabilities	1,546,633	16,250	1.05	1,426,180	15,653	1.10	1,401,254	19,030	1.36
Trading liabilities and financial liabilities designated at fair value (excluding own debt issued)²⁶	178,518	2,856	1.60	301,353	3,027	1.00	318,883	3,445	1.08
Non-interest bearing current accounts	185,990			184,370			177,085
Total equity and other non-interest bearing liabilities	768,902			780,113			809,732

Year ended 31 December	2,680,043	19,106	0.71	2,692,016	18,680	0.69	2,706,954	22,475	0.83

For footnotes, see page 109.

Reported net interest income of US$35bn decreased by US$834m or 2% compared with 2013. This included the significant items and currency translation summarised in the table below.

Significant items and currency translation

	2014	2013
	US$m	US$m
Significant items
Provisions arising from the ongoing review of compliance with the Consumer Credit Act in the UK	(632)	-
Acquisitions, disposals and dilutions	38	386

	(594)	386
Currency translation	-	518

Year ended 31 December	(594)	904

On a reported basis, net interest spread and margin both fell, reflecting lower yields on customer lending in North America and Europe. In North America, this was due to changes in the composition of the lending portfolios towards lower yielding secured assets and to the run-off of the CML portfolio. In Europe, it was principally due to a significant item, namely provisions arising from the ongoing review of compliance with the Consumer Credit Act ('CCA') in the UK. These factors were partially offset by a lower cost of funds.

Excluding the significant items and currency translation tabulated above, net interest income rose by US$664m or 2% from 2013, driven by increases in Asia, partly reflecting growth in customer lending volumes.

Interest income

Reported interest income was broadly unchanged, as decreases in interest income from customer lending (which included the effect of the CCA provisions) were offset by increases in income from short-term funds, as well as a rise due to the change in the management of reverse repo transactions (see page 48).

Interest income on loans and advances to customers decreased, principally in North America and Latin America, partially offset by increases in Asia. In North America, this was a consequence of the disposal of the higher yielding non-real estate loan portfolio and the reduction in the CML portfolio from run-off and sales. In addition, new lending to customers in RBWM and CMB was at lower yields, reflecting a shift in the portfolio towards higher levels of lower yielding first lien real estate secured loans. In Latin America, interest income on customer lending also decreased, reflecting a fall in yields in both Brazil and Mexico, despite the rise in average balances in term lending in both countries. In Brazil, the falling yield reflected the shift in product and client mix to more secured, relationship-led lending while, in Mexico, it was driven by reductions in Central Bank interest rates. The region was also affected by the disposal of non-strategic businesses.

By contrast, we recorded increased interest income on customer lending in Asia, driven by growth in term lending volumes and, to a lesser extent, residential
mortgages during the year. This increase in balances was partially offset by compressed yields. In Europe, excluding the effect of the CCA provisions noted above, interest income on customer lending rose due to increases in mortgage and term lending balances.

Interest income on short-term funds and financial investments increased both in Latin America and Asia, as interest rates rose in certain countries in these regions (notably in Brazil, Argentina and mainland China) and average balances grew. However, in Europe, interest income on short-term funds and financial investments fell as maturing positions were replaced by longer-term but lower-yielding bonds.

Interest expense

Reported interest expense increased in the year. We recorded increased interest expense on customer accounts in Asia and Latin America, partly offset by a reduction in North America. In Asia, the growth was principally from an increase in the average balances of customer accounts. In Latin America, interest expense on customer accounts rose as reductions in average balances were more than offset by the increase in the cost of funds due to interest rate rises, notably in Brazil. However, the effects of this were partly offset by a fall in the cost of funds in Mexico as Central Bank rates fell, and the disposal of non-strategic businesses. Conversely, in North America, interest expense on customer deposits declined as a result of a strategic decision to re-price deposits downwards. In addition, other interest expense decreased due to a release of accrued interest associated with an uncertain tax position.

Interest expense on debt issued rose. We recorded an increase in the cost of funds which was partly offset by decreased overall balances. Interest expense rose in Latin America, notably in Brazil, in line with interest rate rises and increased medium-term loan note balances. By contrast, in North America the business disposals led to a decline in our funding requirements. The cost of funds also fell as higher coupon debt matured and was repaid. In Europe, interest expense on debt also decreased, as average outstanding balances fell as a result of net redemptions and the cost of funds reduced.

Repos and reverse repos

During the final quarter of 2013, GB&M changed the way it managed reverse repurchase ('reverse repo') and repurchase ('repo') activities. This had the effect of reducing the net interest margin as average interest earning assets and interest bearing liabilities increased significantly. These reverse repo and repo agreements have a lower gross yield and cost of funds, respectively, than the remainder of our portfolio.

'Net interest income' includes the expense of internally funded trading assets, while related revenue is reported in 'Net trading income'. The internal cost of funding these assets decreased, as average trading asset balances fell to a greater extent than trading liabilities. In reporting our global business results, this cost is included within 'Net trading income'.

Net fee income

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m

Account services	3,407	3,581	3,563
Funds under management	2,658	2,673	2,561
Cards	2,460	2,455	3,030
Credit facilities	1,890	1,907	1,761
Broking income	1,371	1,388	1,350
Imports/exports	1,115	1,157	1,196
Unit trusts	1,005	891	739
Underwriting	872	866	739
Remittances	833	849	819
Global custody	726	698	737
Insurance	516	551	696
Other	2,692	2,957	2,958

Fee income	19,545	19,973	20,149

Less: fee expense	(3,588)	(3,539)	(3,719)

Year ended 31 December	15,957	16,434	16,430

Reported net fee income fell by US$477m, primarily in Latin America and North America. In Latin America, the decrease included the effect of currency translation and the continued repositioning and disposal of businesses, notably the sale of our Panama operations in 2013. In North America, net fee income was lower following the expiry of the Transition Servicing Agreements we entered into with the buyer of the Card and Retail Services ('CRS') business, and adverse adjustments to mortgage servicing rights valuations.

Account services fee income decreased, notably in Latin America and Europe. In Latin America, the fall was due to a reduction in customer numbers in Mexico, as we continued to reposition the business, and in Brazil, due to strong market competition. In Europe, account services fees were lower, primarily in Switzerland due to the repositioning of our GPB business, and in the UK, in part reflecting the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review in 2013.

By contrast, unit trust fees rose, primarily in Asia, due to increased sales of equity funds in Hong Kong.

Other fee income declined in North America due to the expiry of the Transition Servicing Agreements and in Latin America following the sale of our operations in Panama in 2013 and the continued repositioning of the business in Mexico.

In addition, fee expenses were higher due to adverse adjustments to mortgage servicing rights valuations in North America, reflecting mortgage interest rate decreases in 2014 which compared with increases in 2013.

Net trading income

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m

Trading activities²⁰	5,419	6,921	5,249
Ping An contingent forward sale contract	-	(682)	(553)
Net interest income on trading activities	1,907	2,047	2,683
Gain/(loss) on termination of hedges	1	(194)	-
Other trading income - hedge ineffectiveness:
- on cash flow hedges	34	22	35
- on fair value hedges	19	65	(27)
Fair value movement on non-qualifying hedges²¹	(620)	511	(296)

Year ended 31 December	6,760	8,690	7,091

For footnotes, see page 109.

Reported net trading income of US$6.8bn was US$1.9bn lower, predominantly in Europe. The reduction in net trading income was partly driven by the significant items summarised in the table below.

Significant items and currency translation

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m
Significant items
Included within trading activities:	(332)	548
- Debit valuation adjustment on derivative contracts	(332)	106
- FX gains relating to sterling debt issued by HSBC Holdings	−	442

Included in other net trading income:	(539)	(346)
- Ping An contingent forward sale contract²²	−	(682)
- Loss on early termination of cash flow hedges in the US run-off portfolio	−	(199)
- Fair value movement on non-qualifying hedges	(541)	511
- Acquisitions, disposals and dilutions	2	24

	(871)	202
Currency translation	-	(11)

Year ended 31 December	(871)	191

For footnote, see page 109.

Excluding the significant items and currency translation tabulated above, net trading income from trading activities decreased by US$0.6bn, notably in Markets within GB&M. This was predominantly driven by our Foreign Exchange business, which was affected by lower volatility and reduced client flows. In Equities, revenue decreased, as 2013 benefited from higher revaluation gains which more than offset a rise in 2014 in revenue from increased client flows and higher derivatives income.

In 2014, we revised our estimation methodology for valuing uncollateralised derivative portfolios by introducing the funding fair value adjustment ('FFVA'), resulting in a reduction in net trading income of US$263m, primarily in Rates (US$164m) and Credit (US$97m). Excluding the FFVA, Credit was also affected by adverse movements on credit spreads and a reduction in revenue in Legacy Credit. By contrast, Rates was affected by favourable market movements, notably in Asia, along with minimal fair value movements on our own credit spread on structured liabilities compared with adverse movements in 2013. These factors were partly offset by a fall in Rates in Europe.

Included within net trading income from trading activities, there were favourable foreign exchange movements on assets held as economic hedges of foreign currency debt designated at fair value, compared with adverse movements in 2013. These movements offset fair value movements on the foreign currency debt which are reported in 'Net income/(expense) from financial instruments designated at fair value'.

In addition, net interest income from trading activities fell due to lower average balances, notably relating to reverse repo and repo agreements, in line with the change in the way GB&M manages these agreements. The net interest income from these activities is now recorded in 'Net interest income'.

Net income/(expense) from financial instruments designated at fair value

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m
Net income/(expense) arising from:
- financial assets held to meet liabilities under insurance and investment contracts	2,300	3,170	2,980
- liabilities to customers under investment contracts	(435)	(1,237)	(996)
- HSBC's long-term debt issued and related derivatives	508	(1,228)	(4,327)
- change in own credit spread on long-term debt (significant item)	417	(1,246)	(5,215)
- other changes in fair value²²	91	18	888

- other instruments designated at fair value and related derivatives	100	63	117

Year ended 31 December	2,473	768	(2,226)

For footnote, see page 109.

Assets and liabilities from which net income/(expense) from financial instruments designated at fair value arose

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m

Financial assets designated at fair value at 31 December	29,037	38,430	33,582
Financial liabilities designated at fair value at 31 December	76,153	89,084	87,720

Including:
Financial assets held to meet liabilities under:
- insurance contracts and investment contracts with DPF	10,650	10,717	8,376
- unit-linked insurance and other insurance and investment contracts	16,333	25,423	23,655
Long-term debt issues designated at fair value	69,681	75,278	74,768

The accounting policies for the designation of financial instruments at fair value and the treatment of the associated income and expenses are described in Note 2 on the Financial Statements.

The majority of the financial liabilities designated at fair value are fixed-rate long-term debt issues, the interest rate profile of which has been changed to floating through swaps as part of a documented interest rate management strategy. The movement in fair value of these long-term debt issues and the related hedges includes the effect of our credit spread changes and any ineffectiveness in the economic relationship between the related swaps and own debt. The size and direction of the changes in the credit spread on our debt and ineffectiveness, which are recognised in the income statement, can be volatile from year to year, but do not alter the cash flows expected as part of the documented interest rate management strategy. As a consequence, fair value movements arising from changes in our own credit spread on long-term debt and other fair value movements on the debt and related derivatives are not regarded internally as part of managed performance and are therefore not allocated to global businesses, but are reported in 'Other'. Credit spread movements on own debt designated at fair value are excluded from adjusted results, and related fair value movements are not included in the calculation of regulatory capital.

Reported net income from financial instruments designated at fair value was US$2.5bn in 2014, compared with US$768m in 2013. The former included favourable movements in the fair value of our own long-term debt of US$417m due to changes in credit spread, compared with adverse movements of US$1.2bn in 2013. Excluding this significant item, net income from financial instruments designated at fair value increased by US$42m.

Net income arising from financial assets held to meet liabilities under insurance and investment contracts of US$2.3bn was US$870m lower than in 2013. This was driven by weaker equity market performance in the UK and France, partly offset by improved equity market performance in Hong Kong and higher net income on the bonds portfolio in Brazil.

Investment gains or losses arising from equity markets result in a corresponding movement in liabilities to customers, reflecting the extent to which unit-linked policyholders, in particular, participate in the investment performance of the associated asset portfolio. Where these relate to assets held to back investment contracts, the corresponding movement in liabilities to customers is also recorded under 'Net income/(expense) from financial instruments designated at fair value'. This is in contrast to gains or losses related to assets held to back insurance contracts or investment contracts with discretionary participation features ('DPF'), where the corresponding movement in liabilities to customers is recorded under 'Net insurance claims and benefits paid and movement in liabilities to policyholders'.

Other changes in fair value reflected a net favourable movement due to interest and exchange rate hedging ineffectiveness. This was partly offset by net adverse foreign exchange movements on foreign currency debt designated at fair value and issued as part of our overall funding strategy (offset from assets held as economic hedges in 'Net trading income').

Gains less losses from financial investments

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m
Net gains/(losses) from disposal of:
- debt securities	665	491	781
- equity securities	1,037	1,697	823
- other financial investments	6	(1)	5

	1,708	2,187	1,609
Impairment of available-for-sale equity securities	(373)	(175)	(420)

Year ended 31 December	1,335	2,012	1,189

Reported gains less losses from financial investments were US$1.3bn, a decrease of US$677m from 2013. The decrease primarily reflected the significant items summarised below.

Significant items and currency translation

	2014	2013
	US$m	US$m
Significant items
Gain on sale of shareholding in Bank of Shanghai	428	-
Impairment on our investment in Industrial Bank	(271)	-
Net gain on completion of Ping An disposal²²	−	1,235
Acquisitions, disposals and dilutions	−	5

	157	1,240
Currency translation	−	(10)

Year ended 31 December	157	1,230

For footnote, see page 109.

Excluding the significant items and currency translation noted above, gains less losses from financial investments increased by US$396m, primarily driven by higher net gains on the disposal of debt securities as we actively managed the Legacy Credit portfolio. In addition, we reported higher gains on sale of available-for-sale equity securities and lower impairments on available-for-sale equity securities from improved market conditions and business performance of the underlying portfolio.

Net insurance premium income

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m

Gross insurance premium income	12,370	12,398	13,602
Reinsurance premiums	(449)	(458)	(558)

Year ended 31 December	11,921	11,940	13,044

Reported net insurance premium income was broadly unchanged, with reductions in Europe and Latin America largely offset by higher premium income in Asia.

In Asia, premium income rose, primarily in Hong Kong, due to increased new business from deferred annuity, universal life and endowment contracts. This was partly offset by lower new business from unit-linked contracts.

In Europe, premium income decreased, mainly in the UK, reflecting lower sales following the withdrawal of
external independent financial adviser distribution channels for certain linked insurance contracts in the second half of 2013. This was partly offset by increases in France, mainly reflecting higher sales of investment contracts with DPF.

Net insurance premium income also fell in Latin America, primarily in Brazil, reflecting lower sales, in part due to changes in our distribution channel.

Other operating income

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m

Rent received	162	155	210
Gains/(losses) recognised on assets held for sale	220	(729)	485
Gains on investment properties	120	113	72
Gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and non-financial investments	32	178	187
Gains/(losses) arising from dilution of interest in Industrial Bank and other associates and joint ventures	(32)	1,051	-
Gain on disposal of HSBC Bank (Panama) S.A.	-	1,107	-
Change in present value of in-force long-term insurance business	261	525	737
Other	368	232	409

Year ended 31 December	1,131	2,632	2,100

Change in present value of in-force long-term insurance business

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m

Value of new business	870	924	1,027
Expected return	(545)	(505)	(420)
Assumption changes and experience variances	(116)	88	69
Other adjustments	52	18	61

Year ended 31 December	261	525	737

Reported other operating income of US$1.1bn decreased by US$1.5bn from 2013. This was largely due to the significant items summarised in the table below.

Significant items and currency translation

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m
Significant items
Included within gains/(losses) recognised on assets held for sale:	168	(772)
- write-off of allocated goodwill relating to the GPB Monaco business	-	(279)
- loss on sale of the non-real estate portfolio in the US	-	(271)
- gain/(loss) on sale of several tranches of real estate secured accounts in the US	168	(123)
- Household Insurance Group Holding company's disposal of its insurance manufacturing business²	-	(99)

Included within the remaining line items:	(41)	2,193
- reclassification gain in respect of our holding in Industrial Bank Co., Limited following the issue of additional share capital to third parties²	-	1,089
- HSBC Latin America Holdings UK Limited's disposal of HSBC Bank (Panama) S.A.³	-	1,107
- HSBC Insurance (Asia-Pacific) Holdings Limited's disposal of its shareholding in Bao Viet Holdings²	-	104
- loss on sale of an HFC Bank UK secured loan portfolio	-	(146)
- acquisitions, disposals and dilutions	(41)	39

Currency translation	-	(18)

Year ended 31 December	127	1,403

Excluding the significant items and currency translation tabulated above, other operating income decreased by US$0.2bn compared with 2013. This was primarily from lower favourable movements in 2014 in present value of in-force ('PVIF') long-term insurance business, and lower disposal and revaluation gains on investment properties, mainly in Hong Kong. The decrease was partly offset by gains reported in Legacy Credit in GB&M in the UK as we actively managed the portfolio.

Lower favourable movements in the PVIF long-term insurance business asset in 2014 were mainly due to the following factors:

· a reduction in the value of new business, mainly in Brazil, due to higher interest rates and lower volumes; and

· adverse assumption changes and experience variances in 2014 compared with favourable movements in 2013. This was mainly driven by falling interest rates in France and adverse actuarial assumption updates in Hong Kong, partly offset by the favourable effects of interest rate fluctuations, mainly in Asia and Brazil.

Net insurance claims and benefits paid and movement in liabilities to policyholders

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m
Net insurance claims and benefits paid and movement in liabilities to policyholders:
- gross	13,723	13,948	14,529
- less reinsurers' share	(378)	(256)	(314)

Year ended 31 December²⁴	13,345	13,692	14,215

For footnote, see page 109.

Reported net insurance claims and benefits paid and movement in liabilities to policyholders were US$347m lower than in 2013.

Movements in claims resulting from investment returns on the assets held to support policyholder contracts, where the policyholder bears investment risk, decreased. This reflected weaker equity market performance in the UK and France, partly offset by improved equity market performance in Hong Kong and higher net income on the bonds portfolio in Brazil. The gains or losses recognised on the financial assets designated at fair value held to support these insurance and investment contract liabilities are reported in 'Net income from financial instruments designated at fair value'.

Reductions in claims resulting from a decrease in new business written in Europe and Latin America were mostly offset by increases in Hong Kong as explained under 'Net earned insurance premiums'.

Loan impairment charges and other credit risk provisions

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m
Loan impairment charges:
- new allowances net of allowance releases	5,010	7,344	9,306
- recoveries of amounts previously written off	(955)	(1,296)	(1,146)

	4,055	6,048	8,160

Individually assessed allowances	1,780	2,320	2,139
Collectively assessed allowances	2,275	3,728	6,021

Impairment/(releases of impairment) on available-for-sale debt securities	(319)	(211)	99
Other credit risk provisions	115	12	52

Year ended 31 December	3,851	5,849	8,311

Impairment charges on loans and advances to customers as a percentage of average gross loans and advances to customers²⁷	0.4%	0.7%	0.9%

For footnote, see page 109.

Reported loan impairment charges and other credit risk provisions ('LICs') of US$3.9bn were US$2.0bn lower than in 2013, primarily in North America, Europe and Latin America. The percentage of impairment charges to average gross loans and advances fell to 0.4% at 31 December 2014 from 0.7% at 31 December 2013.

Individually assessed charges decreased by US$540m, primarily in Europe, partly offset by an increase in Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. In Europe, they were lower, mainly in CMB in the UK, reflecting improved quality in the portfolio and the economic environment, as well as in GB&M. In Asia, the increase was on a small number of exposures in Hong Kong and in mainland China, primarily in CMB and GB&M, while in the Middle East and North Africa we recorded net charges compared with net releases in 2013, mainly due to lower releases on a particular UAE-related exposure in GB&M.

Collectively assessed charges declined by US$1.5bn, primarily due to decreases in North America and Latin America. In North America, the reduction was mainly in RBWM, reflecting reduced levels of delinquency and new impaired loans in the CML portfolio. A decrease in lending balances from continued portfolio run-off and loan sales was partly offset by an increase relating to less favourable market value adjustments of underlying properties as improvements in housing market conditions were less pronounced in 2014 than in 2013. In Latin America, the reduction in collectively assessed charges was driven by the adverse effect of changes to the impairment model and assumption revisions for restructured loan portfolios in Brazil which occurred in 2013, both in RBWM and CMB. Charges were also lower due to reduced Business Banking provisions reflecting improved delinquency rates and the effect of the disposal of non-strategic businesses.

Net releases of credit risk provisions of US$204m were broadly unchanged, as higher releases on available-for-sale ABSs in GB&M in Europe were offset by provisions in Latin America and North America. In Latin America, a provision was made in Brazil against a guarantee in GB&M. In North America we recorded provisions in Canada, compared with releases in 2013, and in the US reflecting a deterioration in the underlying asset values of a specific GB&M exposure.

Operating expenses

	2014	2013	2012
	US$m	US$m	US$m
By expense category
Employee compensation and benefits	20,366	19,196	20,491
Premises and equipment (excluding depreciation and impairment)	4,204	4,183	4,326
General and administrative expenses	14,361	12,882	15,657

Administrative expenses	38,931	36,261	40,474
Depreciation and impairment of property, plant and equipment	1,382	1,364	1,484
Amortisation and impairment of intangible assets	936	931	969

Year ended 31 December	41,249	38,556	42,927

Staff numbers (full-time equivalents)

	2014	2013	2012
Geographical regions
Europe	69,363	68,334	70,061
Asia⁸	118,322	113,701	112,766
Middle East and North Africa	8,305	8,618	8,765
North America	20,412	20,871	22,443
Latin America	41,201	42,542	46,556

At 31 December	257,603	254,066	260,591

For footnote, see page 109.

Reported operating expenses of US$41bn were US$2.7bn or 7% higher than in 2013. The increase in operating expenses was partly driven by the significant items noted in the table below, including settlements
and provisions in connection with foreign exchange investigations, of which US$809m was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2014 (see Note 40 on the Financial Statements for further details).

Significant items and currency translation

	2014	2013
	US$m	US$m
Significant items
Accounting gain arising from change in basis of delivering ill-health benefits in the UK	-	(430)
Charge in relation to settlement agreement with Federal Housing Finance Authority	550	-
Madoff-related litigation costs	-	298
Settlements and provisions in connection with foreign exchange investigations	1,187	-
Regulatory provisions in GPB	65	352
UK customer redress programmes	1,275	1,235
US customer remediation provision relating to CRS	-	100
Restructuring and other related costs	278	483
Acquisitions, disposals and dilutions	40	488

	3,395	2,526
Currency translation	-	348

Year ended 31 December	3,395	2,874

Excluding significant items and currency translation, operating expenses were US$2.2bn or 6% higher than in 2013.

Regulatory Programmes and Compliance costs increased as a result of the continued focus on Global Standards and the broader regulatory reform programme being implemented by the industry to build the necessary infrastructure to meet today's enhanced compliance standards, along with implementation costs to meet obligations such as stress tests in different jurisdictions and structural reform.

During 2014, we accelerated the deployment of Global Standards throughout the Group. Our global businesses and Compliance function have developed operating procedures to meet our new global AML and sanctions policies and these are now being implemented in every
country, encompassing local requirements as necessary. During 2014, we invested in developing our financial crime compliance expertise and building strategic infrastructure solutions for customer due diligence, transaction monitoring and sanctions screening.

We continued to invest in strategic initiatives in support of organically growing our business, primarily in CMB in both Asia, in Business Banking and Global Trade and Receivables Finance and, to a lesser extent, in Europe. We also increased expenditure on marketing and advertising to support revenue generating initiatives, primarily in RBWM's core propositions of Premier and Advance and personal lending products.

The increase in costs also reflected:

· inflationary pressures, including wage inflation, primarily in Asia and Latin America;

· the UK bank levy charge, which increased to US$1.1bn in 2014 from US$904m in 2013, mainly due to an increase in the rate of the levy. Both years also included adjustments relating to the previous year's bank levy charge (2014: US$45m favourable adjustment; 2013: US$12m adverse adjustment); and

· the Financial Services Compensation Scheme levy in the UK, as a result of the timing of the recognition.

During 2014, we generated further sustainable savings of US$1.3bn, primarily driven by re-engineering our back office processes, which in part offset the investments and inflation noted above.

The average number of FTEs was broadly unchanged as reductions through sustainable savings programmes were broadly offset by the initiatives related to Regulatory Programmes and Compliance and business growth.

Reported cost efficiency ratios²⁵

	2014 %	2013 %	2012 %

HSBC	67.3	59.6	62.8

Geographical regions
Europe	93.7	84.0	108.4
Asia⁸	44.0	40.7	39.4
Middle East and North Africa	47.7	51.5	48.0
North America	78.9	72.9	60.8
Latin America	71.7	56.1	58.7

Global businesses
Retail Banking and Wealth Management	71.2	64.5	58.4
Commercial Banking	45.9	43.1	45.9
Global Banking and Markets	67.7	51.9	54.2
Global Private Banking	74.8	91.4	67.6

For footnotes, see page 109.

Share of profit in associates and joint ventures

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m
Associates
Bank of Communications Co., Limited	1,974	1,878	1,670
Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd	-	-	763
Industrial Bank Co., Limited	-	-	670
The Saudi British Bank	455	403	346
Other	64	5	72

Share of profit in associates	2,493	2,286	3,521
Share of profit in joint ventures	39	39	36

Year ended 31 December	2,532	2,325	3,557

HSBC's reported share of profit in associates and joint ventures was US$2.5bn, an increase of US$207m or 9%, in part due to the non-recurrence of an impairment charge of US$106m on our banking associate in Vietnam in 2013. Excluding this, our share of profit in associates and joint ventures increased, driven by higher contributions from BoCom and The Saudi British Bank.

Our share of profit from BoCom rose as a result of balance sheet growth and increased trading income, partly offset by higher operating expenses and a rise in loan impairment charges.

At 31 December 2014, we performed an impairment review of our investment in BoCom and concluded that it was not impaired, based on our value in use calculation
(see Note 20 on the Financial Statements for further details).

In future periods, the value in use may increase or decrease depending on the effect of changes to model inputs. It is expected that the carrying amount will increase in 2015 due to retained profits earned by BoCom. At the point where the carrying amount exceeds the value in use, HSBC would continue to recognise its share of BoCom's profit or loss, but the carrying amount would be reduced to equal the value in use, with a corresponding reduction in income, unless the market value has increased to a level above the carrying amount.

Profits from The Saudi British Bank rose, reflecting strong balance sheet growth.

Tax expense

	2014 US$m	2013 US$m	2012 US$m

Profit before tax	18,680	22,565	20,649
Tax expense	(3,975)	(4,765)	(5,315)

Profit after tax for the year ended 31 December	14,705	17,800	15,334

Effective tax rate	21.3%	21.1%	25.7%

The effective tax rate for 2014 of 21.3% was lower than the blended UK corporation tax rate for the year of 21.5%.

The effective tax rate in the year reflected the following recurring benefits: tax exempt income from government bonds and equities held by a number of Group entities and recognition of the Group's share of post-tax profits of associates and joint ventures within our pre-tax income. In addition, the effective tax rate reflected a current tax credit for prior periods. This was partly offset by non-tax deductible settlements and provisions in connection with foreign exchange investigations.

The tax expense decreased by US$0.8bn to US$4.0bn for 2014, primarily due to a reduction in accounting profits and the benefit of the current tax credit for previous years.

In 2014, the tax borne and paid by the Group to the relevant tax authorities, including tax on profits, bank levy and employer-related taxes, was US$7.9bn (2013: US$8.6bn). The amount differs from the tax charge reported in the income statement due to indirect taxes such as VAT and the bank levy which are included in pre‑tax profit, and the timing of payments.

We also play a major role as tax collector for governments in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Such taxes include employee-related taxes and taxes withheld from payments to deposit holders. In 2014, we collected US$9.1bn (2013: US$8.8bn).

This information is provided by RNS

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END

ACSJMMJTMBJTBFA

RNS metadata

Title: Annual Financial Report - 6 of 54
Time: 16:20:03
Date: 20 Mar 2015
Category: Results
ID: 0672I