Business Spotlight: Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) at Home on Mercer Island

Having a bank account at , located at 2630 77th Ave SE on Mercer Island is like having an account with branches all over the world.

HSBC, founded in 1865 by Scotland native Sir Thomas Sutherland in Hong Kong and Shanghai has grown to 7,500 branches in 80 countries around the world.  It’s the biggest bank in Europe and the second-largest bank in the world (just behind J.P. Morgan).

It was because of that international focus — and a focus on a cosmopolitain clientele that reflect's the bank's Asian roots — that HSBC opened 4 branches in the Seattle area, in Redmond, Bellevue, Seattle and Mercer Island.

“We wanted to be in areas that has international connectivity and individuals who would benefit from having a local bank with extensive global reach,” said Stacey McKinnon, Mercer Island HSBC manager and vice president. “We also provide banking assistance in several languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, French and Vietnamese.”

HSBC Mercer Island opened their doors on a 2,900 square foot space in September 8, 2009, with a grand opening ceremony that included Mercer Island Mayor Jim Pearman and Terry Moreman, Executive Director of the .

“Terry Moreman has been a phenomenal help, because her goal is to make sure all the businesses on Mercer Island are successful,” said McKinnon. “She worked with HSBC to help us grow our business and give back to the community.”

McKinnon noted that HSBC started giving back by volunteering with People For Puget Sound and Duwamish Alive to clean out the swamp areas of the river and donate $7,500 to help with further clean up efforts. The bank has also donated $7,500 to the , and will be volunteering for their “Bridge the Gap” phone-a-thon on November 7.

What differentiates HSBC from other banks, said McKinnon, is their premier financial service, which offers international recognition, credit card rewards and protection around the world, plus financial planning with access to a premier relationship manager who helps clients meet their financial goals.

“We also have a unique online service called Global View that allows our customers to access and manage all of their international accounts in one place, so they can seamlessly bank anywhere in the world,” she said. “I’ve been in banking for 14 years, and I really enjoy working with HSBC because they are a global company that is internationally minded. We’re the world’s local bank.”