News
August 16, 2004
SYRACUSE, NY, August 17, 2004 – Alliance Bank, N.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of
Alliance Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ALNC) headquartered in Syracuse, NY, will acquire
a portion of the personal trust business of HSBC Bank USA, N.A., based in Delaware. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition, which is pending regulatory approval as well as approval by the New
York State Supreme Court, is expected to close in December, 2004. Alliance Financial
Corporation anticipates that the acquisition will be immediately accretive to earnings upon
closing.
Alliance Financial Corporation Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and
bank President and CEO Jack H. Webb said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to
acquire a business firmly rooted in upstate New York, where we have been growing our
presence.”
Webb said Alliance Bank will open an office in Buffalo where HSBC’s Trust
Administration Center currently services the accounts being acquired. He also stated that
Alliance Bank intends to retain the HSBC TAC employees who administer the bulk of these
accounts.
“This acquisition is a significant step forward in our diversification of revenue and the
development of other income sources for our bank,” said Webb.
For HSBC, the sale reflects a repositioning of its trust business to target other segments
of the market.
“Alliance’s interest in expanding its trust business coincided with our desire to redefine
our strategy to focus on our larger trust accounts,” said Gerard Joyce, Senior Vice President for
Personal Trust for HSBC. “We know that our clients will continue to be well-served by Alliance
and, since they will be opening an office in Buffalo, our trust administration employees will be
able to continue to do the work they enjoy in the community they love.”
Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P. represented Alliance Bank and Berkshire Capital
Corporation represented HSBC in the transaction.
Alliance Bank, N.A. is a nearly $860 million community bank with 20 branches in the
Cortland, Madison, Oneida and Onondaga county markets. Its headquarters is in Syracuse, NY.
HSBC Bank USA, N.A., with its main office in Delaware, has nearly 400 branches in
New York State, as well as 11 branches in Florida, six in California, and one branch each in
Pennsylvania, Washington, Oregon and Panama.
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