The Daily Telegraph quietly removed a news report from its website alleging HSBC has a £70 billion hole in its finances, even though the claim came from independent analysts and was widely reported on many other major financial news websites.

The article, which was published in January 2014, reports criticism of the bank's financial model. But it has since vanished from the newspaper's website with no reason given for its deletion. Rival sites such as Bloomberg News and CNBC have stuck by the story, which reports claims that the banking giant may require a major injection of new funds over the coming years.

The newspaper's former chief political commentator Peter Oborne alluded to the deletion of this article – written by former banking editor Harry Wilson – in his incendiary resignation letter. Oborne alleged that HSBC holds excessive sway over the paper's financial coverage due its status as a major advertiser. The Telegraph denied his claims and said its editorial operations remain independent.

Wilson's tweet linking his HSBC piece remains live, although the actual article is no longer available online. It is not clear why the article is no longer on the newspaper's website.