The British banking giant HSBC has agreed to pay 1.9 billion dollars to settle a money-laundering case with U.S. authorities. The probe on the case focused on the transfer of billions of dollars through the U.S. financial system on behalf of Mexican drug traffickers and rogue states such as Iran. HSBC Group Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver today said the company accepts responsibility for its mistakes and it has taken concrete steps to fix them.The bank settled the case through a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department, which means it will not face further prosecution if it meets certain conditions. In a statement today, HSBC said under the deal, it will cooperate with regulators and law enforcement and further strengthen its compliance policies. An independent monitor will also evaluate the bank's progress during the course of the five-year agreement. The statement listed measures it has already implemented to address the issues, including increasing funding and staffing for anti-money laundering efforts.