June 19 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in

the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and

does not vouch for their accuracy.

Headlines

- Hargreaves Lansdown backs 5.4-billion-pound private equity

takeover

- Serco ( SECCF ) settles landmark shareholder lawsuit

- Shell beats Saudi Aramco to Temasek's LNG business

- Swiss regulator finds HSBC ( HSBC ) violated money laundering rules

Overview

- The board of Hargreaves Lansdown said it was

willing to "recommend unanimously" a takeover offer from private

equity firms that would value the UK's largest investment site

at 5.4 billion pounds ($6.86 billion).

- Serco ( SECCF ) has reached a settlement with institutional

investors who sued the UK-listed outsourcing company over an

overcharging scandal that led its share price to plummet.

- Shell has agreed to buy liquefied natural gas

trader Pavilion Energy from Singaporean investment fund Temasek,

seeing off competition from Saudi Aramco as it seeks to

strengthen its grip on the market.

- Switzerland's financial regulator has banned HSBC's ( HSBC )

Swiss private bank from taking on prominent public

figures as clients after finding the lender violated anti-money

laundering regulations.

($1 = 0.7871 pounds)

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)