HSBC says in a statement that information stolen by a former IT employee affects 15,000 existing Swiss client accounts. According to the statement:
It is now clear that the theft, which was perpetrated by a former IT employee about three years ago, involves approximately 15,000 existing clients who had accounts with the bank in Switzerland before October 2006. The stolen client information is limited to accounts in Switzerland, excluding ex-HSBC Guyerzeller accounts. There is no data compromised for any branches of the bank outside Switzerland, which operate on separate systems and security, or other entities within the HSBC Group,
Alexandre Zeller, CEO of HSBC Private Bank SA said "We deeply regret this situation and unreservedly apologise to our clients for this threat to their privacy. We are determined to protect our clients’ interests and are taking every necessary measure to do so, actively contacting all our clients with Swiss-based accounts."
The bank said that it has spent more than $93 million in system upgrades and security improvements.
The bank is cooperating with the Swiss authorities and continues its own investigations, and a criminal investigation led by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor is underway. The Swiss authorities confirmed to us that they will not support the use of the stolen data to answer requests from foreign authorities. The French authorities have informed the Swiss authorities that the data they hold will not be used inappropriately.
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