HSBC kicking out retail customers holding gold

According to the Wall Street Journal:

Fleets of armored trucks piled with gold bars and coins have been streaming out of midtown Manhattan in one unexpected consequence of the gold craze.

Amid gold's rise -- it has gained 32% this year and reached a record on Monday -- investors have been loading up on bullion and coins. One big problem now is where to store it. The solution from HSBC, owner of one of the biggest vaults in the U.S.: somewhere else.

HSBC has told retail clients to remove their small holdings from its fortress beneath its tower on New York City's Fifth Avenue.

HSBC and other banks don't earn fees from clients buying physical gold and silver. I guess that's why they kicked clients out of their safety deposit boxes.