Fair Value Option

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

We report our results to HSBC in accordance with HSBC Group accounting and reporting policies ("Group Reporting Basis"), which apply International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). We typically have elected to apply fair value option ("FVO") accounting to selected financial instruments to align the measurement attributes of those instruments under U.S. GAAP and the Group Reporting Basis and to simplify the accounting model applied to those financial instruments. We elected to apply FVO reporting to commercial loans held for sale, certain fixed rate long-term debt issuances and hybrid instruments which include all structured notes and structured deposits. Changes in fair value for these assets and liabilities are reported as gain (loss) on instruments designated at fair value and related derivatives in the consolidated statement of income (loss).

Loans We elected to apply FVO accounting to certain commercial syndicated loans which are originated with the intent to sell and, beginning in 2014, certain commercial leveraged loans that we purchased from the secondary market and hold as hedges against our exposure to certain total return swaps and include these loans as loans held for sale in the consolidated balance sheet. The election allows us to account for these loans at fair value which is consistent with the manner in which the instruments are managed. Interest from these loans is recorded as interest income in the consolidated statement of income. Because a substantial majority of the loans elected for the fair value option are floating rate assets, changes in their fair value are primarily attributable to changes in loan-specific credit risk factors. The components of gain (loss) related to loans designated at fair value are summarized in the table below. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, no loans for which the fair value option has been elected are 90 days or more past due or on nonaccrual status.

Long-Term Debt (Own Debt Issuances) We elected to apply FVO accounting for certain fixed-rate long-term debt for which we had applied or otherwise would elect to apply fair value hedge accounting. The election allows us to achieve a similar accounting effect without having to meet the hedge accounting requirements. The own debt issuances elected under FVO are traded in secondary markets and, as such, the fair value is determined based on observed prices for the specific instruments. The observed market price of these instruments reflects the effect of changes to our own credit spreads and interest rates. Interest on the fixed-rate debt accounted for under FVO is recorded as interest expense in the consolidated statement of income. The components of gain (loss) related to long-term debt designated at fair value are summarized in the table below.

Hybrid Instruments We elected to apply FVO accounting to all of our hybrid instruments issued, inclusive of structured notes and structured deposits. The valuation of the hybrid instruments is predominantly driven by the derivative features embedded within the instruments. Cash flows of the hybrid instruments are discounted at an appropriate rate for the applicable duration of the instrument adjusted for our own credit spreads. The credit spreads applied to structured notes are determined with reference to our own debt issuance rates observed in the primary and secondary markets, internal funding rates, and structured note rates in recent executions while the credit spreads applied to structured deposits are determined using market rates currently offered on comparable deposits with similar characteristics and maturities. Interest on this debt is recorded as interest expense in the consolidated statement of income. The components of gain (loss) related to hybrid instruments designated at fair value which reflect the instruments described above are summarized in the table below.

The following table summarizes the fair value and unpaid principal balance for items we account for under FVO:



	Fair Value		Unpaid Principal Balance
	(in millions)
At December 31, 2014
Commercial syndicated / leveraged loans	$	152	$	152
Fixed rate long-term debt	2,179		1,750
Hybrid instruments:
Structured deposits	7,346		7,176
Structured notes	6,612		6,275
At December 31, 2013
Commercial syndicated loans	$	58	$	59
Fixed rate long-term debt	1,893		1,750
Hybrid instruments:
Structured deposits	7,740		7,539
Structured notes	5,693		5,377

Components of Gain (Loss) on Instruments at Fair Value and Related Derivatives Gain (loss) on instruments designated at fair value and related derivatives includes the changes in fair value related to interest, credit and other risks as well as the mark-to-market adjustment on derivatives related to the financial instrument designated at fair value and net realized gains or losses on these derivatives. The following table summarizes the components of gain (loss) on instruments designated at fair value and related derivatives related to the changes in fair value of the financial instrument accounted for under FVO:



	Loans			Long-Term Debt			Hybrid Instruments			Total
	(in millions)
Year Ended December 31, 2014
Interest rate and other components⁽¹⁾	$	—		$	(292	)	$	(628	)	$	(920	)
Credit risk component⁽²⁾⁽³⁾	—			6			76			82
Total mark-to-market on financial instruments designated at fair value	—			(286		)	(552		)	(838		)
Net realized loss on financial instruments	—			—			—			—
Mark-to-market on the related derivatives	—			239			606			845
Net realized gain on the related long-term debt derivatives	—			68			—			68
Gain (loss) on instruments designated at fair value and related derivatives	$	—		$	21		$	54		$	75

Year Ended December 31, 2013
Interest rate and other components⁽¹⁾	$	—		$	289		$	(697	)	$	(408	)
Credit risk component⁽²⁾⁽³⁾	21			(165		)	125			(19		)
Total mark-to-market on financial instruments designated at fair value	21			124			(572		)	(427		)
Net realized loss on financial instruments	(8		)	—			—			(8		)
Mark-to-market on the related derivatives	—			(294		)	631			337
Net realized gain on the related long-term debt derivatives	—			66			—			66
Gain (loss) on instruments designated at fair value and related derivatives	$	13		$	(104	)	$	59		$	(32	)

Year Ended December 31, 2012
Interest rate and other components⁽¹⁾	$	3		$	13		$	(791	)	$	(775	)
Credit risk component⁽²⁾⁽³⁾	49			(361		)	(75		)	(387		)
Total mark-to-market on financial instruments designated at fair value	52			(348		)	(866		)	(1,162		)
Net realized loss on financial instruments	(1		)	—			—			(1		)
Mark-to-market on the related derivatives	—			(38		)	796			758
Net realized gain on the related long-term debt derivatives	—			63			—			63
Gain (loss) on instruments designated at fair value and related derivatives	$	51		$	(323	)	$	(70	)	$	(342	)


⁽¹⁾	As it relates to hybrid instruments, interest rate and other components includes interest rate, foreign exchange and equity contract risks.


⁽²⁾	For 2014, the gain in the credit risk component for long-term debt is attributable to the widening of our own credit spreads while the losses in 2013 and 2012, were attributable to the tightening of our own credit spreads.


⁽³⁾	For 2014 and 2013, the gains in the credit risk component for hybrid instruments are attributable primarily to the widening of credit spreads on structured notes. For 2012, the loss in the credit risk component for hybrid instruments was attributable primarily to the tightening of our own credit spreads related to structured deposits and structured notes.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for a company's election to apply the fair value option for measurement and reporting of eligible financial assets and liabilities (as defined), as well as certain other eligible items (as defined) included in the statement of financial position, whether such option is elected for a single eligible item or a group of similar eligible items and is in addition to other disclosures concerning fair value which the company may be required to provide. Such disclosure might be expected to include: (1) for items included in the statement of financial position: (a) the reasons for electing a fair value option for each eligible item or group of similar eligible items; (b) if the fair value option is elected for some but not all eligible items within a group of similar eligible items: (i) a description of those similar items and the reasons for partial election and (ii) information of how the group of similar items relates to individual balance sheet line items; (c) for each line item in the statement of financial position that includes an item or items for which the fair value option has been elected: (i) information of how each line item in the statement of financial position relates to major categories of assets and liabilities presented in accordance with other fair value disclosures and (ii) the aggregate carrying amount of ineligible items included in each line item in the balance sheet, if any; (d) the difference between the aggregate fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance (assuming contractual principal amounts and fair value option elected) of: (i) loans and long-term receivables (other than securities otherwise reported at fair value) and (ii) long-term debt instruments; (e) for loans held as assets for which the fair value option has been elected: (i) the aggregate fair value of loans that are 90 days or more past due, (ii) if the policy is to recognize interest income separately from other changes in fair value, the aggregate fair value of loans in nonaccrual status, and (iii) the difference between the aggregate fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance for loans that are 90 days or more past due, in nonaccrual status, or both; (f) for investments that would have been accounted for under the equity method if the entity had not chosen to apply the fair value option, the information required for such investments, if material either individually or in the aggregate; (2) for items included in the income statement: (a) the amounts of gains and losses from fair value changes included in earnings and in which line in the income statement those gains and losses are reported whether or not combined with gains and losses from items required to be accounted for at fair value; (b) a description of how interest and dividends are measured and where they are reported in the income statement; (c) for loans and other receivables held as assets: (i) the estimated amount of gains or losses included in earnings attributable to changes in instrument-specific credit risk and (ii) how the gains or losses attributable to changes in instrument-specific credit risk were determined; (d) for liabilities with fair values that have been significantly affected during the reporting period by changes in the instrument-specific credit risk: (i) the estimated amount of gains and losses from fair value changes included in earnings that are attributable to changes in the instrument-specific credit risk, (ii) qualitative information about the reasons for those changes, and (iii) how the gains and losses attributable to changes in instrument-specific credit risk were determined; and (3) certain other disclosures as required or determined to be provided.

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