(BFW) HSBC May Have Overstated Assets by $92.3b, Forensic Asia Says

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HSBC May Have Overstated Assets by $92.3b, Forensic Asia Says 2014-01-16 15:14:58.97 GMT

By Howard Mustoe Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- HSBC may have overstated assets by $63.6b to $92.3b, according to a research note by analysts at Forensic Asia with a sell rating on the bank. * HSBC may need to raise between $58b and $111b of capital * “Questionable” balance sheet items include loan loss reserves, deferred tax assets, defined benefit pensions, level 3 assets: Forensic Asia * Dividend cut or suspension “quite plausible”: note * HSBC may face $10b of additional legal and regulatory penalties: Forensic Asia * A spokeswoman for HSBC in London declined to comment * The Telegraph reported the story earlier today

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To contact the reporter on this story: Jon Menon in London at +44-20-3525-3602 or jmenon1@bloomberg.net