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Guarantee Arrangements, Pledged Assets and Repurchase Agreements
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Guarantee Arrangements, Pledged Assets and Repurchase Agreements Guarantee Arrangements, Pledged Assets and Repurchase Agreements
Guarantee Arrangements As part of our normal operations, we enter into credit derivatives and various off-balance sheet guarantee arrangements with affiliates and third parties. These arrangements arise principally in connection with our lending and client intermediation activities and include standby letters of credit and certain credit derivative transactions. The contractual amounts of these arrangements represent our maximum possible credit exposure in the event that we are required to fulfill the maximum obligation under the contractual terms of the guarantee.
The following table presents total carrying value and contractual amounts of our sell protection credit derivatives and major off-balance sheet guarantee arrangements at December 31, 2020 and 2019. Following the table is a description of the various arrangements.
 December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
  
Carrying
Value		Notional / Maximum
Exposure to Loss		Carrying
Value		Notional / Maximum
Exposure to Loss
 (in millions)
Credit derivatives(1)(2)
$144 $19,500 $(63)$38,739 
Financial standby letters of credit, net of participations(3)(4)
— 5,703 — 5,657 
Performance standby letters of credit, net of participations(3)(4)
— 2,842 — 3,779 
Total$144 $28,045 $(63)$48,175 
(1)Includes $13,550 million and $18,391 million of notional issued for the benefit of HSBC affiliates at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
(2)For credit derivatives, the maximum loss is represented by the notional amounts without consideration of mitigating effects from collateral or recourse arrangements.
(3)Includes $1,836 million and $1,623 million of both financial and performance standby letters of credit issued for the benefit of HSBC affiliates at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
(4)For standby letters of credit, maximum loss represents losses to be recognized assuming the letters of credit have been fully drawn and the obligors have defaulted with zero recovery.
Credit-Risk Related Guarantees
Credit derivatives  Credit derivatives are financial instruments that transfer the credit risk of a reference obligation from the credit protection buyer to the credit protection seller who is exposed to the credit risk without buying the reference obligation. We sell credit protection on underlying reference obligations (such as loans or securities) by entering into credit derivatives, primarily in the form of credit default swaps, with various institutions. We account for all credit derivatives at fair value. Where we sell credit protection to a counterparty that holds the reference obligation, the arrangement is effectively a financial guarantee on the reference obligation. Under a credit derivative contract, the credit protection seller will reimburse the credit protection buyer upon occurrence of a credit event (such as bankruptcy, insolvency, restructuring or failure to meet payment obligations when due) as defined in the derivative contract, in return for a periodic premium. Upon occurrence of a credit event, we will pay the counterparty the stated notional amount of the derivative contract and receive the underlying reference obligation. The recovery value of the reference obligation received could be significantly lower than its notional principal amount when a credit event occurs.
Certain derivative contracts are subject to master netting arrangements and related collateral agreements. A party to a derivative contract may demand that the counterparty post additional collateral in the event its net exposure exceeds certain predetermined limits and when the credit rating falls below a certain grade. We set the collateral requirements by counterparty such that the collateral covers various transactions and products, and is not allocated to specific individual contracts.
We manage our exposure to credit derivatives using a variety of risk mitigation strategies where we enter into offsetting hedge positions or transfer the economic risks, in part or in entirety, to investors through the issuance of structured credit products. We actively manage the credit and market risk exposure in the credit derivative portfolios on a net basis and, as such, retain no or a limited net position at any time. The following table summarizes our net credit derivative positions at December 31, 2020 and 2019:
 December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
  
Carrying / Fair
Value		NotionalCarrying / Fair
Value		Notional
 (in millions)
Sell-protection credit derivative positions$144 $19,500 $(63)$38,739 
Buy-protection credit derivative positions(74)33,111 77 51,310 
Net position(1)
$70 $13,611 $14 $12,571 
(1)Positions are presented net in the table above to provide a complete analysis of our risk exposure and depict the way we manage our credit derivative portfolio. The offset of the sell-protection credit derivatives against the buy-protection credit derivatives may not be legally binding in the absence of master netting agreements with the same counterparty. Furthermore, the credit loss triggering events for individual sell protection credit derivatives may not be the same or occur in the same period as those of the buy protection credit derivatives thereby not providing an exact offset.
Standby letters of credit  A standby letter of credit is issued to a third party for the benefit of a client and is a guarantee that the client will perform or satisfy certain obligations under a contract. It irrevocably obligates us to pay a specified amount to the third party beneficiary if the client fails to perform the contractual obligation. We issue two types of standby letters of credit: performance and financial. A performance standby letter of credit is issued where the client is required to perform some non-financial contractual obligation, such as the performance of a specific act, whereas a financial standby letter of credit is issued where the client's contractual obligation is of a financial nature, such as the repayment of a loan or debt instrument.
The issuance of a standby letter of credit is subject to our credit approval process and collateral requirements. We charge fees for issuing letters of credit commensurate with the client's credit evaluation and the nature of any collateral. Included in other liabilities are deferred fees on standby letters of credit amounting to $44 million and $52 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Also included in other liabilities is an allowance for credit losses on unfunded standby letters of credit of $32 million and $26 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
The following table summarizes the credit ratings related to guarantees including the ratings of counterparties against which we sold credit protection and financial standby letters of credit at December 31, 2020 as an indicative proxy of payment risk:
 Average
Life
(in years)		Credit Ratings of the Obligors
Notional/Contractual AmountsInvestment
Grade		Non-Investment
Grade		Total
 (dollars are in millions)
Sell-protection Credit Derivatives(1)
Single name credit default swaps ("CDS")2.8$10,466 $4,257 $14,723 
Index credit derivatives3.71,206 3,332 4,538 
Total return swaps5.854 185 239 
Subtotal11,726 7,774 19,500 
Standby Letters of Credit(2)
1.06,362 2,183 8,545 
Total$18,088 $9,957 $28,045 
(1)The credit ratings in the table represent external credit ratings for classification as investment grade and non-investment grade.
(2)External ratings for most of the obligors are not available. Presented above are the internal credit ratings which are developed using similar methodologies and rating scale equivalent to external credit ratings for purposes of classification as investment grade and non-investment grade.
Our internal credit ratings are determined based on HSBC's risk rating systems and processes which assign a credit grade based on a scale which ranks the risk of default of a client. The credit grades are assigned and used for managing risk and determining level of credit exposure appetite based on the client's operating performance, liquidity, capital structure and debt service ability. In addition, we also incorporate subjective judgments into the risk rating process concerning such things as industry trends, comparison of performance to industry peers and perceived quality of management. We compare our internal risk ratings to outside external rating agency benchmarks, where possible, at the time of formal review and regularly monitor whether our risk ratings are comparable to the external ratings benchmark data.
A non-investment grade rating of a referenced obligor has a negative impact to the fair value of the credit derivative and increases the likelihood that we will be required to perform under the credit derivative contract. We employ market-based
parameters and, where possible, use the observable credit spreads of the referenced obligors as measurement inputs in determining the fair value of the credit derivatives. We believe that such market parameters are more indicative of the current status of payment/performance risk than external ratings by the rating agencies which may not be forward-looking in nature and, as a result, lag behind those market-based indicators.
Non Credit-Risk Related Guarantees and Other Arrangements
Visa covered litigation  In 2008, we received Class B Shares as part of Visa's initial public offering ("IPO"). Pursuant to the IPO, we, along with all the other Class B shareholders, agreed to indemnify Visa for the claims and obligations arising from certain specific covered litigation. The Class B Shares are not eligible to be converted into publicly traded Class A Shares until settlement of the covered litigation described in Note 29, "Litigation and Regulatory Matters." Accordingly, the Class B Shares are considered restricted and are only transferable under limited circumstances, which include transfers to other Class B shareholders.
In 2017, we sold substantially all of our remaining Visa Class B Shares to a third party. Under the terms of the sale agreements, we entered into swap agreements with the purchaser to retain the litigation risk associated with the Class B Shares sold until the related litigation is settled and the Class B Shares can be converted into Class A Shares. These swaps had a carrying value of $67 million and $85 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The swap agreements we entered into with the purchaser requires us to (a) make periodic payments, calculated by reference to the market price of Class A Shares and (b) make or receive payments based on subsequent changes in the conversion rate of Class B Shares into Class A Shares. We have entered into a total return swap position to economically hedge the periodic payments made under these swap agreements. The payments under the derivative will continue until the Class B Shares are able to be converted into Class A Shares. The fair value of the swap agreements is estimated using a discounted cash flow methodology and is dependent upon the final resolution of the related litigation. Changes in fair value between periods are recognized in other income. In 2020, we recorded a loss of $9 million primarily related to extending the maturity of the total return swap position used to economically hedge the periodic payments made under the swap agreements. In 2019, we recorded a loss of $52 million related to an increase in the expected timing of the final resolution of the related litigation and, to a lesser extent, changes in the Visa Class B Share conversion rate. In 2018, we recorded a loss of $7 million related to changes in the Visa Class B Share conversion rate. See Note 15, "Derivative Financial Instruments," for further information.
Clearing houses and exchanges  We are a member of various exchanges and clearing houses that trade and clear securities and/or derivatives contracts. Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, members of a clearing house may be required to contribute to a guaranty fund to backstop members' obligations to the clearing house. As a member, we may be required to pay a proportionate share of the financial obligations of another member who defaults on its obligations to the exchange or the clearing house. Our guarantee obligations would arise only if the exchange or clearing house had exhausted its resources. Any potential contingent liability under these membership agreements cannot be estimated.
Lease Obligations We are obligated under a number of noncancellable operating leases for premises and equipment. See Note 11, "Leases," for information regarding our leases, including a maturity analysis of our operating lease liabilities.
Mortgage Loan Repurchase Obligations  We originate and sell mortgage loans to third parties and provide various representations and warranties related to, among other things, the ownership of the loans, the validity of the liens, the loan selection and origination process, and the compliance to the origination criteria established by the government agencies. In the event of a breach of our representations and warranties, we may be obligated to repurchase the loans with identified defects or to indemnify the buyers. Our contractual obligation arises only when the breach of representations and warranties are discovered and repurchase is demanded.
In estimating our repurchase liability arising from breaches of representations and warranties, we consider historical losses on residual risks not covered by settlement agreements adjusted for any risk factors not captured in the historical losses as well as the level of outstanding repurchase demands received. Outstanding repurchase demands received were immaterial at December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Our estimated repurchase liability for obligations arising from the breach of representations and warranties associated with mortgage loans sold was $3 million and $4 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Our repurchase liability represents our best estimate of the loss that has been incurred, including interest, arising from breaches of representations and warranties associated with mortgage loans sold. Because the level of mortgage loan repurchase losses is dependent upon economic factors, investor demand strategies and other external risk factors such as housing market trends that may change, the level of the liability for mortgage loan repurchase losses requires significant judgment. We continue to evaluate our methods of determining the best estimate of loss based on recent trends. As these estimates are influenced by factors outside our control, there is uncertainty inherent in these estimates making it reasonably possible that they could change. The range of reasonably possible losses in excess of our recorded repurchase liability is between zero and $25 million at December 31, 2020. This estimated range of reasonably possible losses was determined based upon modifying the assumptions utilized in our best estimate of probable losses to reflect what we believe to be reasonably possible adverse assumptions.
Securitization Activity  In addition to the repurchase risk described above, we have also been involved as a sponsor/seller of loans used to facilitate whole loan securitizations underwritten by our affiliate, HSI. In this regard, we began acquiring residential mortgage loans in 2005 which were warehoused on our balance sheet with the intent of selling them to HSI to facilitate HSI's whole loan securitization program which was discontinued in 2007. During 2005-2007, we purchased and sold $24 billion of such loans to HSI which were subsequently securitized and sold by HSI to third parties. See "Mortgage Securitization Matters" in Note 29, "Litigation and Regulatory Matters," for additional discussion of related exposure.
Pledged Assets
Pledged assets included in the consolidated balance sheet consisted of the following:
December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
 (in millions)
Interest bearing deposits with banks(1)
$2,158 $2,682 
Trading assets(2)
1,265 525 
Securities available-for-sale(3)
8,652 6,814 
Securities held-to-maturity(3)
1,076 1,688 
Loans(4)
18,146 14,342 
Other assets(5)
2,352 3,517 
Total$33,649 $29,568 
(1)Represents gross amount of cash on deposit with banks related to derivative collateral-support agreements, of which a majority has been netted against derivative liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.
(2)Trading assets are primarily pledged against liabilities associated with repurchase agreements.
(3)Securities are primarily pledged against derivatives, public fund deposits, trust deposits and various short-term and long term borrowings, as well as providing capacity for potential secured borrowings from the FHLB and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
(4)Loans are primarily residential mortgage loans pledged against current and potential borrowings from the FHLB and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
(5)Represents gross amount of cash on deposit with non-banks related to derivative collateral support agreements, of which a majority has been netted against derivative liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.
Debt securities pledged as collateral under repurchase agreements that can be sold or repledged by the secured party continue to be reported on the consolidated balance sheet. The fair value of securities available-for-sale that could be sold or repledged was $2,077 million and nil at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The fair value of trading assets that could be sold or repledged was $1,265 million and $336 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
The fair value of collateral we accepted under security resale agreements but was not reported on the consolidated balance sheet was $41,447 million and $19,174 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Of this collateral, $41,047 million and $18,199 million could be sold or repledged at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, of which $4,063 million and $2,062 million, respectively, had been sold or repledged as collateral under repurchase agreements or to cover short sales.
Repurchase Agreements
We enter into purchases of securities under agreements to resell (resale agreements) and sales of securities under agreements to repurchase (repurchase agreements) identical or substantially the same securities. Resale and repurchase agreements are accounted for as secured lending and secured borrowing transactions, respectively.
Repurchase agreements may require us to deposit cash or other collateral with the lender. In connection with resale agreements, it is our policy to obtain possession of collateral, which may include the securities purchased, with market value in excess of the principal amount loaned. The market value of the collateral subject to the resale and repurchase agreements is regularly monitored, and additional collateral is obtained or provided when appropriate, to ensure appropriate collateral coverage of these secured financing transactions.
The following table provides information about resale and repurchase agreements that are subject to offset at December 31, 2020 and 2019:
Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Balance Sheet
Gross Amounts Recognized
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet(1)
Net Amounts Presented in the Balance Sheet
Financial Instruments(2)
Cash Collateral Received / Pledged
Net Amount(3)
(in millions)
At December 31, 2020
Assets:
Securities purchased under resale agreements$41,382 $5,636 $35,746 $35,746 $— $— 
Liabilities:
Securities sold under repurchase agreements$7,401 $5,636 $1,765 $1,762 $— $3 
At December 31, 2019
Assets:
Securities purchased under resale agreements$19,167 $1,329 $17,838 $17,832 $— $6 
Liabilities:
Securities sold under repurchase agreements$2,401 $1,329 $1,072 $1,068 $— $4 
(1)Represents recognized amount of resale and repurchase agreements with counterparties subject to legally enforceable netting agreements that meet the applicable netting criteria as permitted by generally accepted accounting principles.
(2)Represents securities received or pledged to cover financing transaction exposures.
(3)Represents the amount of our exposure that is not collateralized / covered by pledged collateral.
The following table provides the class of collateral pledged and remaining contractual maturity of repurchase agreements accounted for as secured borrowings at December 31, 2020 and 2019:
Overnight and ContinuousUp to 30 Days31 to 90 Days91 Days to One YearGreater Than One YearTotal
(in millions)
At December 31, 2020
U.S. Treasury, U.S. Government sponsored and U.S. Government agency securities$4,091 $2,810 $500 $— $— $7,401 
At December 31, 2019
U.S. Treasury, U.S. Government sponsored and U.S. Government agency securities$2,401 $— $— $— $— $2,401