Item 1. Business.
Not Applicable.
Item 1A.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Not Applicable.
Item 1B.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2.
Item 2. Properties.
Not Applicable.
Item 3.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
Since June 2005, HSBC Finance Corporation, HSBC North America Holdings Inc., and HSBC Holdings plc, as well as other banks and Visa Inc. and MasterCard, were named as defendants in four class actions filed in Connecticut and the Eastern District of New York; Photos Etc. Corp. et al. v. Visa U.S.A., Inc., et al. (D. Conn. No. 3:05-CV-01007 (WWE)): National Association of Convenience Stores, et al. v. Visa U.S.A., Inc., et al. (E.D.N.Y. No. 05-CV 4520 (JG)); Jethro Holdings, Inc., et al. v. Visa U.S.A., Inc. et al. (E.D.N.Y. No. 05-CV-4521 (JG)); and American Booksellers Ass’n v. Visa U.S.A., Inc. et al. (E.D.N.Y. No. 05-CV-5391 (JG)). Numerous other complaints containing similar allegations (in which no HSBC entity is named) were filed across the country against Visa Inc., MasterCard and other banks. These actions principally allege that the imposition of a no-surcharge rule by the associations and/or the establishment of the interchange fee charged for credit card transactions causes the merchant discount fee paid by retailers to be set at supracompetitive levels in violation of the Federal antitrust laws. These suits have been consolidated and transferred to the Eastern District of New York. The consolidated case is: In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, MDL 1720, E.D.N.Y. A consolidated, amended complaint was filed by the plaintiffs on April 24, 2006 and a second consolidated amended complaint was filed on January 29, 2009. The parties are engaged in discovery and motion practice.
Item 4.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
No vote or consent of the holders of the Securities (the "Securityholders") was solicited for any purpose during the year ended December 31, 2008.
PART II
Item 5.
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
As of December 31, 2008, there were no outstanding publicly offered Securities of the Issuer.
Item 6.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data.
Not Applicable.
Item 7.
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Not Applicable.
Item 7A.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Not Applicable.
Item 8.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Not Applicable.
Item 9.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
Item 9A.