HSBC 2004 Annual Report Download - page 2

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC
Table of Contents
Page
Certain Defined Terms....................................below
Financial Highlights ............................................... 1
Five-Year Comparison ........................................... 3
Cautionary Statement regarding
Forward-Looking Statements............................ 5
Information about the Enforceability of
Judgements made in the United States ............. 7
Exchange Controls and Other Limitations
affecting Equity Security Holders ..................... 7
Description of Business .......................................... 8
Governance, Regulation and Supervision........... 20
Description of Property........................................ 25
Legal Proceedings ................................................. 25
Financial Review................................................... 26
Other Information .............................................. 179
Page
Board of Directors and Senior Management ... 186
Report of the Directors ...................................... 191
Directors’ Remuneration Report ...................... 216
Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities in
relation to Financial Statements.................... 234
Independent Auditors’ Report .......................... 235
Financial Statements .......................................... 237
Notes on the Financial Statements .................... 243
Taxation of Shares and Dividends .................... 357
Shareholder Information ................................... 360
Organisational Structure ................................... 365
Glossary............................................................... 366
Index .................................................................... 370
Certain Defined Terms
Unless the context requires otherwise, ‘HSBC
Holdings’ means HSBC Holdings plc and ‘HSBC’
or the ‘Group’ means HSBC Holdings together with
its subsidiary undertakings. Within this document
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the
People’ s Republic of China is referred to as ‘Hong
Kong’ .
This document comprises the Annual Report and Accounts 2004 for HSBC Holdings plc and its subsidiary and associated undertakings. It
contains the Directors’ Report and Financial Statements, together with the Auditors’ Report thereon, as required by the UK Companies
Act 1985. The Annual Review 2004 of HSBC Holdings plc is published as a separate document.