Posted inRegulation

SFC bans HSBC’s Chow for life

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission has banned Andrew Chow Ho-cheung from re-entering the industry for life after he was convicted for fraud and theft.

Chow was also sentenced to two years in jail by the District Court in May last year. The SFC said Chow is not a fit and proper person to be licensed after his convictions.

He was found to have forged 60 signatures of customers when he was HSBC business relationship assistant vice president, according to the reasons for sentence by the District Court. HSBC incurred a potential loss of HK$7.9m ($1m).

Chow forged signatures of six customers on investment product application documents during February and August 2013, with investments involving about HK$700m ($90.2m), although the customers all agreed to invest in those products before or after the signatures were forged.

He also forged another nine deals without authorisation from the customers.

The Court also found Chow changed the subscription fee rates on subscription forms without the knowledge and agreement of a client, involving an extra HK$27,550.

He made six unauthorized payments and withdrawals to and from a number of customers’ accounts in order to cover the losses of some of the unauthorised investments.

HSBC has made compensation totaling HK$2.7m to two of Chow’s clients.

Part of the Mark Allen Group.