Yes we sent it from HSBC Singapore. We do not have an account in New York.
My understanding is that intermediary banks are used when the recipient bank is a small bank that does not have a contract with the remitting bank. That should not be the case here.
We’ll look to see if there was anything unusual or incorrect in the wire transfer form and we’ll also ask HSBC Singapore for an explanation. We make thousands of wire transfers each year, but this issue of intermediary banks only occurs a few times each year, and usually it only occurs with a small local bank.