HSBC third-quarter profit slides 14 percent on legal charges but lifts income outlook

HSBC (0005) reported a 14 percent decline in third-quarter pretax profit on Tuesday, hurt by a US$1.1 billion (HK$8.58 billion) charge after losing part of an appeal in a long-running lawsuit tied to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, history's biggest-ever such fraud.

Shares of HSBC rose 1.2 percent to HK$103.2 apiece in Hong Kong in the morning session.

The British bank maintained the interim dividend at 10 US cents for the third consecutive quarter, in line with expectations

But the bank also upgraded its income forecast for the year, reflecting optimism about policy rates in key markets such as Hong Kong and Britain, saying it now expects to make US$43 billion in net interest income in 2025, up from a forecast of around US$42 billion as of June.

"The intent with which we are executing our strategy is reflected in our performance this quarter, despite taking legal provisions related to historical matters," chief executive Georges Elhedery said in a statement.

HSBC posted a pretax profit of US$7.3 billion for the third quarter. Before the surprise news of the provision on Monday, expectations were for a pretax profit of US$7.66 billion, according to a consensus estimate from analysts compiled by the bank.

In addition to the Madoff provision, the bank also logged an additional US$300 million in legal charges relating to certain historical trading activities in HSBC Bank plc.

REUTERS AND STAFF REPORTER