Litigation and Regulatory Matters (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended			36 Months Ended			6 Months Ended				1 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012 Madoff Litigation [Member]	May 31, 2011 Knox Family Trust Litigation [Member] Proceedings	Jun. 30, 2012 Knox Family Trust Litigation [Member] Matters Proceedings	Feb. 09, 2012 Foreclosure Practices [Member] Servicers States	Jun. 30, 2012 Foreclosure Practices [Member] Minimum [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Foreclosure Practices [Member] Maximum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Foreclosure Practices [Member] HSBC North America Inc. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2007 Mortgage Securitization Activity Related Litigation [Member] HSBC Securities [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Mortgage Securitization Activity Related Litigation [Member] HSBC Securities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Mortgage Securitization Activity Related Litigation [Member] HSBC Securities [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 AML / BSA Related Litigation [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Related Litigation [Member] Officers Institutions	Jan. 31, 2012 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Related Litigation [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Related Litigation [Member] HSBC Securities [Member]	Jan. 31, 2012 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Related Litigation [Member] Sealink [Member] Defendants	Feb. 21, 2012 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Related Litigation [Member] Sealink [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Related Litigation [Member] HSH Nordbank AG [Member]
Litigation and Regulatory Matters (Textual) [Abstract]
Damages and additional recoveries sought			$ 9,000,000,000
Total damages					26,000,000
Amount of final judgments				25,000,000
Time Period to Serve Defendants																		120 days
Number of proceedings entered by court				2
Loss contingency claims settled and dismissed number other				2
Number of proceedings agreed by HSBC Bank USA				3
Proceedings agreed by HSBC Bank USA on appeal				1
Accrual portion of HSBC North									38,000,000
Loans sold to HIS										24,000,000,000
Number of states under different departments						49
Outstanding principal balance on loan											7,800,000,000	8,500,000,000
Unpaid principal balance of securities																1,800,000,000
Amount of Allegation against company																	948,800,000		41,300,000
Number of financial institutions														17
Loan modification or a lump sum payment							500	125,000
Number of proceedings awarded for plaintiffs					7
Loss Contingency, Number of Defendants																	49
Amount of allegation against bank															122,400,000
Number of former and current officers and directors														5
Number of defendants discontinued																	43
Number of U.S. mortgage servicers with which settlement is announced						5
Number of matters remitted to the Surrogate court by Appellate Division					3
Number of days within which to seek permission to appeal					30 days
Expense accrual related to certain regulatory matters	$ 700,000,000	$ 700,000,000											$ 700,000,000