HSBC (Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corp), the massive financial conglomerate and drug money launderer from recently and way way back (think China and opium), looks to have dodged a rather big bullet ... of course depending upon how you look at it. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/...
The original NYT headline was : Bank Said to Avoid Charges Over Laundering
Then it became: HSBC to Pay $1.92 Billion to Settle Charges of Money Laundering
Notice the subtle but important difference between the 2 headlines (from avoiding criminal charges to paying a fine - the second being more administration friendly)... and in that difference you have much of the story.