HSBC France and KfW sign their first global loan agreement / EUR 400 million for private home buyers in France

Frankfurt (ots) - HSBC France and KfW Förderbank (KfW promotional
bank) today signed their first agreement for a global loan to finance
private homes in France. The loan amounts to EUR 400 million. It is
the biggest loan of this kind ever signed with a French commercial
bank. The global loan gives HSBC France access to funds which KfW
raises at favourable conditions. HSBC will pass these advantages on
to its clients. The global loan will be used to extend individual
loans to finance the purchase or construction of private homes,
notably by young first-time private real estate buyers.

This agreement offers HSBC France the opportunity to strengthen
its ambitious strategy of developing clients through lending.
Attractive financing conditions will be available to the clients and
they will obtain loans at fixed or variable terms depending on their
individual needs.

The global loan is one of the promotional products offered by KfW
which has increasingly aroused the interest of European banks. In
Western Europe it is available in three variants - for private
housing construction, for SMEs and for small infrastructure projects.
Global loans offer the banks flexible scope for lending and are easy
to handle.

The global loan concluded on 21 March 2007 is the first joint
transaction conducted by HSBC France and KfW in this area. This loan
adds a new dimension to the relationship between the two
institutions, which, although long-standing and close, has hitherto
mainly focused on joint capital market activities.

Press contact:

HSBC France: Coralie Houel, Tel.: +33(0)140 703533,
coralie.houel@hsbc.fr

KfW: Christine Volk, Tel.: +49 (0)69 7431-3867,
christine.volk@kfw.de

Note to editors:

HSBC Group:

HSBC Holdings plc serves over 125 million customers worldwide
through around 10,000 offices in 82 countries and territories in
Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and
Africa. With assets of some USD1,861 billion at 31 December 2006,
HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services
organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as 'the world's local
bank'.

KfW:

KfW is the promotional bank of the Federal Republic of Germany,
established in 1948 as a public law institution. With a balance sheet
total of EUR 360 billion at 31 December 2006 it is one of the ten
largest banks in Germany. Its owners are the Federal Republic of
Germany (80%) and the German federal states (Länder) (20%). KfW's
business areas include:

- domestic and European investment finance (small and medium-sized
enterprises, business
- start-ups, housing, education, infrastructure, environmental and
climate protection),
- export and project finance,
- financial assistance to developing and transition countries and
- advisory and other services.

Originaltext: KfW
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For further information:
Christine Volk,
Tel: 069 7431-3867, E-Mail: christine.volk@kfw.de

KfW, Palmengartenstraße 5-9, 60325 Frankfurt
Abteilung Konzernkommunikation (KOM)
Tel. 069 7431-4400, Fax: 069 7431-3266,
E-Mail: presse@kfw.de, Internet: www.kfw.de