Scaling back global ambitions, HSBC may dump US consumer banking business

After a decade of futile corporate makeovers, HSBC Holdings Plc is on the verge of giving up on its ambition of being a full-service bank in the world’s biggest economy.

HSBC, Europe’s largest bank by market value, is looking at offloading its U.S. consumer franchise as Chairman Mark Tucker accelerates a move to sharpen the lender’s focus on its core Asian business.

The U.S. retreat would follow a sweeping restructuring earlier this year that called for 35,000 cuts -- at least the fourth strategic reboot since the financial crisis spawned in 2008. A complete exit from the U.S. is unlikely,