HSBC HOLDINGS PLC Shareholder Information Enforceability of judgements / Exchange controls / Dividends / Nature of trading market Page the US or to enforce judgements obtained in US Information about the enforceability of courts against them or HSBC Holdings based on judgements made in the US ........................ 448 civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the Exchange controls and other limitations US. There is doubt as to whether English courts affecting equity security holders ................ 448 would enforce: Fourth interim dividend for 2008 ................... 448 • certain civil liabilities under US securities laws Interim dividends for 2009 ............................. 449 in original actions; or Dividends on the ordinary shares of HSBC Holdings ..................................................... 449 • judgements of US courts based upon these civil Nature of trading market ................................ 449 liability provisions. Shareholder profile ........................................ 451 In addition, awards of punitive damages in Memorandum and Articles of Association .... 451 actions brought in the US or elsewhere may be Annual General Meeting ................................ 452 unenforceable in the UK. The enforceability of any Interim Management Statements and judgement in the UK will depend on the particular Interim results ............................................. 452 facts of the case as well as the laws and treaties in Actuaries ........................................................ 452 effect at the time. Shareholder enquiries and communications ... 453 Investor relations ............................................ 454 Exchange controls and other Where more information about HSBC is limitations affecting equity security available ..................................................... 454 holders Taxation of shares and dividends ................... 455 There are currently no UK laws, decrees or History and development of HSBC ............... 457 regulations which would prevent the import or Organisational structure ................................. 459 export of capital or remittance of distributable profits by way of dividends and other payments to holders Information about the enforceability of HSBC Holdings’ equity securities who are not of judgements made in the US residents of the UK. There are also no restrictions under the laws of the UK or the terms of the HSBC Holdings is a public limited company Memorandum and Articles of Association of HSBC incorporated in England and Wales. Most of HSBC Holdings concerning the right of non-resident or Holdings’ Directors and executive officers live foreign owners to hold HSBC Holdings’ equity outside the US. As a result, it may not be possible to securities or, when entitled to vote, to do so. serve process on such persons or HSBC Holdings in Fourth interim dividend for 2008 The Directors have declared a fourth interim dividend for 2008 of US$0.10 per ordinary share. Information on the scrip dividend scheme and currencies in which shareholders may elect to have the cash dividend paid will be sent to shareholders on or about 31 March 2009. The timetable for the dividend is: 2009 Shares quoted ex-dividend in London, Hong Kong, Paris and Bermuda .............................................................................. 18 March ADSs quoted ex-dividend in New York ................................................................................................................................ 18 March Record date for dividend and closure of Hong Kong Overseas Branch Register of shareholders for one day ................... 20 March Mailing of Annual Report and Accounts 2008 and/or Annual Review 2008, Notice of Annual General Meeting and dividend documentation .................................................................................................................................................... 31 March Final date for receipt by registrars of forms of election, Investor Centre electronic instructions and revocations of standing instructions for scrip dividends .......................................................................................................................... 23 April Exchange rate determined for payment of dividends in sterling and Hong Kong dollars .................................................... 27 April Payment date: dividend warrants, new share certificates or transaction advices and notional tax vouchers mailed and shares credited to stock accounts in CREST ..................................................................................................................... 6 May 448 Interim dividends for 2009 The Board has adopted a policy of paying quarterly interim dividends on the ordinary shares. Under this policy it is intended to have a pattern of three equal interim dividends with a variable fourth interim dividend. It is envisaged that the first interim dividend in respect of 2009 will be US$0.08 per ordinary share. The proposed timetables for the dividends in respect of 2009 are: Interim dividends for 2009 First Second Third Fourth Announcement .......................................................... 5 May 2009 3 August 2009 2 November 2009 1 March 2010 ADSs quoted ex-dividend in New York .................. 20 May 2009 19 August 2009 18 November 2009 17 March 2010 Shares quoted ex-dividend in London, Hong Kong, Paris and Bermuda .......................... 20 May 2009 19 August 2009 18 November 2009 17 March 2010 Record date in Hong Kong ....................................... 22 May 2009 21 August 2009 19 November 2009 18 March 2010 Record date in London, Paris and Bermuda ............. 22 May 2009 21 August 2009 20 November 20091 19 March 20101 Closure of the Overseas Branch Register of shareholders in Hong Kong for one day .............. 22 May 2009 21 August 2009 Payment date ............................................................. 8 July 2009 7 October 2009 13 January 2010 5 May 2010 1 Removals to and from the Overseas Branch Register of shareholders in Hong Kong will not be permitted on these dates. Dividends on the ordinary shares of HSBC Holdings HSBC Holdings has paid dividends on its ordinary shares every year without interruption since it became the HSBC Group holding company by a scheme of arrangement in 1991. The dividends declared, per ordinary share, for each of the last five years were: First Second Third Fourth interim interim interim interim1 Total2 2008 US$ ....................................... 0.180 0.180 0.180 0.100 0.640 £ ............................................ 0.090 0.100 0.124 0.069 0.383 HK$ ...................................... 1.403 1.398 1.395 0.775 4.971 2007 US$ ....................................... 0.170 0.170 0.170 0.390 0.900 £ ............................................ 0.085 0.084 0.086 0.194 0.449 HK$ ....................................... 1.328 1.322 1.325 3.041 7.016 2006 US$ ....................................... 0.150 0.150 0.150 0.360 0.810 £ ............................................ 0.082 0.079 0.078 0.183 0.422 HK$ ....................................... 1.164 1.167 1.168 2.799 6.298 2005 US$ ....................................... 0.140 0.140 0.140 0.310 0.730 £ ............................................ 0.077 0.079 0.079 0.169 0.404 HK$ ....................................... 1.088 1.086 1.085 2.403 5.662 2004 US$ ....................................... 0.130 0.130 0.130 0.270 0.660 £ ............................................ 0.071 0.072 0.069 0.141 0.353 HK$ ....................................... 1.013 1.014 1.013 2.104 5.144 1 The fourth interim dividend for 2008 of US$0.10 per share has been translated into pounds sterling and Hong Kong dollars at the closing rate on 31 December 2008. The dividend will be paid on 6 May 2009. 2 The above dividends declared are accounted for as disclosed in Note 12 on the Financial Statements. Dividends are declared in US dollars and, at the election of the shareholder, paid in cash in one of, or in a combination of, US dollars, sterling and Hong Kong dollars, or, subject to the Board’s determination that a scrip dividend is to be offered in respect of that dividend, may be satisfied in whole or in part by the issue of new shares in lieu of a cash dividend. Nature of trading market HSBC Holdings ordinary shares are listed or admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (‘HKSE’), Euronext Paris, the New York Stock Exchange (‘NYSE’) and the Bermuda Stock Exchange. HSBC Holdings maintains its principal share register in England and overseas branch share registers in Hong Kong and Bermuda (collectively, the ‘share register’). As at 31 December 2008, there were a total of 217,633 holders of record of HSBC Holdings ordinary shares. 449 HSBC HOLDINGS PLC Shareholder Information (continued) Nature of trading market / Shareholder profile / Memorandum and Articles As at 31 December 2008, a total of 14,601,549 of the HSBC Holdings ordinary shares were registered in the HSBC Holdings’ share register in the name of 13,196 holders of record with addresses in the US. These shares represented 0.12 per cent of the total HSBC Holdings ordinary shares in issue. As at 31 December 2008, there were 10,041 holders of record of ADSs holding approximately 114 million ADSs, representing approximately 569 million HSBC Holdings ordinary shares. 9,845 of these holders had addresses in the US, holding approximately 113.7 million ADSs, representing 568.6 million HSBC