LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Britain's financial watchdog saidit was working closely with HSBC and other agencies tomake sure the bank was meeting proper conduct standardsfollowing allegations the bank's Swiss unit helped hundreds ofpeople to dodge tax.
In its first statement on the matter, the Financial ConductAuthority (FCA) said on Monday the allegations had served toreinforce the importance of firms operating with the rightculture across all of their operations.
"The FCA is working closely with the firm and other agencieswhich have an interest in this matter to ensure that anyquestions this may raise in relation to any current practicesand culture of HSBC are addressed," the FCA said.
Europe's biggest bank apologised to customers and investorson Sunday for past practices at its Swiss private bank.
(Reporting by Huw Jones. Editing by Jane Merriman)
HSBC Holdings (HSBA)