Stephen Green, group chief executive of Britain?s HSBC Plc, says his bank will continue to bring more services to individual and corporate clients on the Island.

Mr. Green, who is based in London, spoke about HSBC?s plans to expand its offerings in the Bermuda market as he made his sixth visit in the less than two years since acquiring the Bank of Bermuda.

?We saw opportunities to bring services to the customer base on Bermuda, or those that have business connections with Bermuda,? he said.

Mr. Green, 56, who was named to the Bank of Bermuda board at the time of the sale in February 2004, has committed to come to the Island twice each year.

Bank of Bermuda chief executive Philip Butterfield, who reports to Mr. Green, said the visits allow him to take part in board meetings and to make him available to meet with clients.

While the bank said its initial attraction, and willingness to pay $1.3 billion for the bank, was to the Bank of Bermuda?s successful fund administration and trust business, it has also seen opportunities in selling loans and other credit services to individuals.

?It has proven fruitful,? he said of business in the Bermuda market. It is difficult to know just how fruitful, with the bank?s results now included in the HSBC group financials, comprising operations across 80 countries.

Two months after moving into the Bermuda market HSBC adopted an aggressive stance in going after home mortgage business, pushing down interest in a bid to get home buyers? business.

The stance is in keeping with HSBC?s overall approach, with Mr. Green recently indicating plans to expand HSBC?s consumer-finance business, particularly in emerging markets, including China and Brazil.

Personal loans account for more than half the group?s loan portfolio across 80 countries, compared to less than 40 percent five years ago.

?We did bring an initiative to bring down the price of mortgages, and also introduced a broader range of investment products for the consumer,? he said, of the early approach to target Bermuda consumers.

While Bermuda?s consumer base is one of the smallest HSBC caters to, Mr. Green said its retail, or individual, banking services and products were turning a profit.

And he said HSBC?s refurbishment of several bank branches and plans to build a new banking hall and multi-storey office tower in central Hamilton on the site of the former Trimingham Brothers Ltd. department store, were proof of its commitment to making the Bank of Bermuda?s retail and commercial business a success.

?These are the kinds of things that show that we are investing in this market as a retail and commercial banking business,? he said.

Of its commercial offerings, Mr. Green said HSBC was pleased with the business it was getting from businesses either based here or doing business in the Bermuda market, particularly on the trust side.

?I do see Bermuda, in many ways, as the centre of our international trust business.

?It is a natural environment for this business,? Mr. Green said yesterday.

In the last fortnight the bank filed a legal notice to incorporate two new companies related to its trust offerings. The applications are for local limited liability companies to be called HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Bermuda) Ltd. and HSBC Nominees Services (Bermuda) Ltd., respectively.

Earlier in October it incorporated another Bermuda entity, HSBC International Trustee Ltd.

This was the second Bermuda subsidiary HSBC added since its 2004 takeover with an earlier incorporation of its captive business, after it redomiciled the unit to Bermuda from Guernsey.

Mr. Green, who has been on the Island since Tuesday meeting with clients and attending a bank board meeting, returns to London tonight.