Business BankingBusiness Direct

In this section:

"you" and "your" in standard text means our customer;

"you" and "your" in bold text has the following meanings

• for sole traders and partnerships – the individuals who own the business;
• for personal representatives and trustees - the personal representatives and trustees (collectively and individually) and the deceased or trust (as appropriate); and
• for companies, limited liability partnerships, other incorporated bodies, clubs, societies, associations, charities and other unincorporated bodies - both our customer and (where applicable), the directors, officers, members, shareholders and other parties responsible for the operation of the business, charity or body.

This section explains how we will use information about you once you have applied for an account. Please refer to the Business Banking Terms and Conditions (PDF) for further details.

Sole Traders, Partnerships, Personal Representatives and Trustees

We may share information with credit reference agencies to verify your identity and suitability for an account using information from the Electoral Register and other public sources If you apply for a current account or credit we may use details of your credit history (together with those of any financial associate with whom your financial records have been linked by the credit reference agencies) to assess your ability to meet your financial commitments.

If your application is for a current account or credit, the credit reference agencies will record details of your application which will form part of your credit history whether or not you proceed If you make several applications for credit within a short period of time, this may temporarily affect your ability to obtain credit.

Incorporated Bodies and Unincorporated Bodies (except Personal Representatives and Trustees)

We may share information with credit reference agencies about you in order to verify your identity using information from the Electoral Register and other public sources connected with your business, charity or body.

If you apply for a current account or credit, we may use details of your credit history to assess your suitability for an account and your ability to meet your financial commitments.

Crime Prevention and Debt Recovery

To prevent crime, verify your identity and to recover debt, we may exchange information (both within the UK and, where appropriate, overseas), with other members of the HSBC Group, and, where appropriate, with fraud prevention agencies, law enforcement agencies, debt recovery agencies and other organisations including other lenders.

If you give us false or inaccurate information and potential fraud is identified, details will be passed to fraud prevention agencies to prevent fraud and money laundering.

Data Sharing

The HSBC Group may use and share relevant information about you, your transactions and your relationships with the HSBC Group for credit assessment, customer service, market research, insurance, audit and administrative purposes.

This may include information provided by you, or someone acting on your behalf Where appropriate, (for example if you have relationships with other members of the HSBC Group in other countries) this information may be shared with members of the HSBC Group outside the UK In addition, we may share relevant information about you, your transactions and your relationship with the HSBC Group with our card processing supplier, HSBC Merchant Services LLP for credit assessment, fraud and risk exposure purposes and to facilitate the provision of banking and card processing services to you.

Data Processing

We may use other members of the HSBC Group and/or third parties to process information in accordance with our instructions to provide services on our behalf Whether it is processed in the UK or overseas, your information will be protected, in accordance with data protection legislation, by a strict code of secrecy and security which all members of the HSBC Group, their staff and any third parties are subject to.

Information may also be processed for the purpose of complying with applicable laws, including, without limitation, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws and regulations and fighting crime and terrorism This may require the disclosure of information to a UK or other governmental or regulatory authority or to any other person we reasonably think necessary for these purposes.

Miscellaneous

Further details about credit reference agencies and fraud prevention agencies and how they use information is set out in our leaflet entitled "Credit Scoring, Credit Reference and Fraud Prevention Agencies" which is available in the "Legal Information" section at the foot of this page or by contacting us (see the contents page of the Business Banking Terms and Conditions (PDF) ).

To ensure that we carry out your instructions accurately, to help us to improve our service and in the interests of security, we may monitor and/or record your telephone calls and other communications with us. Any recordings remain our sole property.

Information about Products and Services

If you agree:

• the HSBC Group may use and share relevant information about you, your transactions and your relationships with the HSBC Group to give you information about products, services (including mortgages) and promotions available from members of the HSBC Group and those of selected third parties which may interest you by telephone, post, electronic and other means; and
• we may also share relevant information with our card processing supplier, HSBC Merchant Services LLP to enable them to provide you with information about their card processing services.

If you do not want to be contacted about such products, services and promotions, please let us know.