** German authorities have opened an investigation intowhether HSBC's Swiss unit helped clients evade tax,Swiss weekly SonntagsZeitung reported on Sunday
** Authorities in the German state of North Rhine-Westphaliacontacted at least eight HSBC employees in Zurich in recentweeks, the newspaper reported, citing sources close to the bank
** Lawyers for HSBC are negotiating with authorities for asettlement which should also include a solution for theemployees, the paper said
** A spokesman for HSBC in Geneva declined to comment on thereport
** Leaked files published last year sparked allegations thatHSBC's private bank may have enabled clients to conceal millionsof dollars of assets
For the original story click here: [http://www.sonntagszeitung.ch/read/sz_03_01_2016/wirtschaft/HSBC-im-Fokus-deutscher-Ermittler-52911]
Further company coverage: (Reporting by Zurich Newsroom)
HSBC Holdings (HSBA)
