My friend in Malaysia needed to send me money to pay me back for postage for some college recommendation letters I sent overseas for him. We both decided to use HSBC for him to pay me back. His branch in Malaysia told him all the overseas charges would be paid for by the sender (him). In reality, HSBC Bank, USA charged me $15 for an incoming wire free.
HSBC is an international bank group. Their ability to understand the charges branch to branch , and thus their customer service, needs improvement. Their slogan, "The world's local bank" was not lived up to for this situation, in my opinion.
If you are going to use HSBC for a wire transfer, make sure to contact the individual HSBC bank branches beforehand AT BOTH ENDS to fully understand the charges for the entire transaction.
I am still giving HSBC a three-star "A-OK" rating because they were willing and open to communicate with me an my Malaysian friend on this issue. They offer low fees for wire transfers, and their interest rates are competitive. read more