There are 97 Greeks with combined deposits of more than 18 million pounds (22.5 million euros) on the list of almost 8,500 people who hold accounts at the HSBC branch on the tax haven of Jersey, according to reports.

More than 4,000 of the account holders on the list are British but the remainder come from a range of countries. There are, for instance, 134 Cypriots and 602 Israelis on the list.

British authorities confirmed last week they were looking into details of clients in the Channel island after being handed a list of names, addresses and account balances.

HSBC said it was investigating the alleged loss of client data, first reported in the Daily Telegraph, «as a matter of urgency».

The Telegraph said some of the clients were convicted criminals or facing criminal allegations.

"We have not been notified of any investigation in relation to this matter by HMRC or any other authority but, should we receive notification, we will cooperate fully with the authorities,» the bank said on Friday.

HSBC said it was «fully committed to adoption of the highest global standards including the procedures for the acceptance of clients».

There has been no indication so far if the UK intends to pass on the details of the list to other countries.