HSBC Card Services plans to close a collections call center in Chesapeake, Va., resulting in the loss of 164 jobs, according to the Virginia Workforce Network.
HSBC slowly has been scaling back operations in Chesapeake. The company employed 1,200 people at its peak in 2007 but that number had dropped to 1,000 by 2011. The center handles both collections and calls from customer credit card holders.
Notice of the closure was posted this week on the website of the Virginia Workforce Network, which helps companies and workers dealing with layoffs and plant closings.
In 2011, HSBC sold its nationwide credit card operations to Capital One, which retained those Chesapeake employees. HSBC continued to lease space at the same facility and maintained a workforce there to handle collections of delinquent loans and mortgages.
The company has declined to comment on its plans, as did a spokesperson for Chesapeake's Economic Development Department.
