The impairment charges for HSBC were USD 1.1 billion, a sharp turnaround from a USD 700 million positive reversal a year ago. Standard Chartered's total credit impairment charges for the period came to UDS 267 million, nearly all of which came from the Chinese commercial real estate sector. Dah Sing Banking Group, a midsize Hong Kong lender, said on Wednesday that its credit impairment losses for the first six months increased 160 per cent to 305 million Hong Kong dollars. "A relatively large part" of that was related to mainland Chinese real estate, according to Nicholas Mayhew, the bank's deputy chief executive. He stressed that total exposure to the sector is relatively small — at "a low single-digit percentage of our total loan book" — but added that the bank will remain vigilant. "The sector still looks uncertain, and therefore, we would need to be prepared for further impairment charges," he said.