A money-laundering investigation as big as the bank itself ended with a deferred prosecution agreement that allowed HSBC to escape criminal charges and suffer only a fine. This while the US Department of Justice was jailing non-bankers by the dozen for laundering drug money, including cash from the Sinaloa cartel, which had been a prime HSBC co-conspirator. HSBC got a pass on helping the Sinaloa bunch acquire an airplane that was used to smuggle drugs by the ton. (See also: HSBC has form: remember Mexico and laundered drug money)