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{{Distinguish2|[[CIT Group]], another large financial services company}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2011}}

<!-- {{update|date=July 2010}} Tag is eight months old; talk page concerns seem to have been addressed -->

{{Infobox company
| name = Citigroup Inc.
| logo = [[File:Citigroup.svg|200px]]
| type = Public company
| traded_as = {{NYSE|C}}<br>{{Tyo|8710}}
| foundation = New York City (1812)
| location = New York City, US
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = [[Richard D. Parsons]]<br><small>(Chairman)</small><br>[[Vikram Pandit]]<br><small>(CEO)</small>
| industry = Banking<br />[[Financial services]]
| services = [[Retail banking|Consumer banking]]<br />[[Commercial bank|Corporate banking]]<br />[[Investment banking]]<br />[[Private banking|Global wealth management]]<br />[[Financial analysis]]<br />[[Private equity]]
| revenue = {{nowrap|{{increase}} US$ 86.601&nbsp;billion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10k>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/831001/000120677411000316/citigroup_10k.htm|title=2010 Form 10-K, Citigroup Inc.|publisher=United States Securities and Exchange Commission}}</ref>}}
| operating_income = {{increase}} US$ 10.951&nbsp;billion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10k/>
| net_income = {{increase}} US$ 10.602&nbsp;billion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10k/>
| aum =
| assets = {{increase}} US$ 1.914&nbsp;trillion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10k/>
| equity = {{increase}} US$ 163.5&nbsp;billion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10k/>
| num_employees = 260,000 <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10k/>
| homepage = [http://www.citigroup.com/ Citigroup.com]
| intl = yes
}}

[[File:399park.jpg|thumb|right|Citigroup's world headquarters building, [[399 Park Avenue]], New York City.]]
[[File:CitigroupCenter2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Citigroup Center]], New York City.]]

'''Citigroup Inc.''' ([[trade name|branded]] '''Citi''') ({{NYSE|C}}, {{Tyo|8710}}) is an American multinational [[financial services]] company based in New York City. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant [[Citicorp]] and financial conglomerate [[Travelers Group]] on April 7, 1998.<ref name="IHT">{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Mitchell|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/07/news/07iht-citi.t.html|title=Citicorp and Travelers Plan to Merge in Record $70&nbsp;billion Deal |work=The New York Times|date=April 7, 1998|accessdate=February 15, 2011}}</ref>

Citigroup Inc. has the world's largest financial services network in the world, spanning 140 countries with approximately 16,000 offices worldwide. According to Forbes, Citigroup used to be the largest company and bank in the world by total assets until the [[global financial crisis of 2008]]. Today it is ranked 24th in size compared to [[HSBC]] which now ranks as the largest company and bank by assets in the world as of 2011.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/2787550/Citigroup-slumps-as-HSBC-becomes-worlds-largest-company.html</ref> The company employs approximately 260,000 staff around the world, and holds over 200 million customer accounts in more than 140 countries. It is a [[Primary dealers|primary dealer]] in [[United States Treasury|US Treasury]] securities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ny.frb.org/markets/pridealers_current.html|title=Primary Dealers List|publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of New York|accessdate=April 27, 2007}}</ref>

Citigroup suffered huge losses during the [[global financial crisis of 2008]] and was rescued in November 2008 in a massive stimulus package by the U.S. government.<ref name="nyt-dash24nov" />
Its largest shareholders include funds from the Middle East and [[Singapore]].<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=anjGWhqi0PSE&refer=home</ref> According to the NYTimes, on February 23, 2009, Citigroup announced that the United States government would take a 36% [[Stock|equity]] stake in the company by converting $25&nbsp;billion in emergency aid into [[common shares]] with a [[United States Treasury|US Treasury]] credit line of $45&nbsp;billion to prevent the bankruptcy of the largest bank in the world at the time. The government would also guarantee losses on more than $300&nbsp;billion troubled assets and inject $20&nbsp;billion immediately into the company. In exchange, the salary of the CEO is $1 per year and the highest salary of employees is restricted to $500,000 in cash and any amount above $500,000 must be paid with restricted stock that cannot be sold until the emergency government aid is repaid in full. The US government also gains control of half the seats in the Board of Directors, and the senior management is subjected to removal by the US government if there is poor performance. By December 2009, the US government stake was reduced to 27% majority stake from a 36% majority stake after Citigroup sold $21&nbsp;billion of common shares and equity in the largest single share sale in US history, surpassing Bank of America's $19&nbsp;billion share sale one month prior. Eventually by December 2010, Citigroup repaid the emergency aid in full and the US government received an additional $12&nbsp;billion profit in selling its shares.<ref>http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/news_content.aspx?newscatid=3&newsid=19994</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/07/citigroup-stake-sale-twelve-billion-profit</ref><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/business/04pay.html</ref><ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123375514020647787.html</ref><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/business/worldbusiness/24iht-24citibank.18083367.html?pagewanted=1</ref> US Government restrictions on pay and oversight of the senior management are removed after the US government sold its remaining 27% stake as of December 2010. According to the WSJ, the government aid was provided to prevent a world-wide chaos and panic by the potential collapse of its Global Transactions Services division, which transports more than $3&nbsp;trillion around the world each day for most of the Fortune 500 companies and numerous governments around the world.<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/11/gts-massive-citigroup-uni_n_418941.html</ref><ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126317001431624045.html</ref><ref>http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2010/11/29/the-overlooked-gem-inside-citigroup/</ref>

Citigroup is one of the ''[[Big four banks|Big Four banks]]'' in the United States, along with [[Bank of America]], [[JP Morgan Chase]] and [[Wells Fargo]].<ref name="reutersb4">{{cite news|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/rolfe-winkler/2009/09/15/break-up-the-big-banks/|title=Break Up the Big Banks|last=Winkler|first=Rolfe|date=September 15, 2009|agency=Reuters |accessdate=December 17, 2009}}</ref><ref name="CNNmoneyb4">{{cite news|url=http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/27/news/economy/tully_banks.fortune/index.htm?source=yahoo_quote|title=Will the banks survive?|last=Tully|first=Shawn|date=February 27, 2009|publisher=Fortune Magazine/CNN Money|accessdate=December 17, 2009}}</ref><ref name="USATodayb4">{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2008-10-16-citigroup_N.htm|title=Citigroup posts 4th straight loss; Merrill loss widens|date=October 16, 2008|publisher=The Associated Press|accessdate=December 17, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Forbesb4">{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2009/08/21/afx6803343.html|title=Big banks still hold regulators hostage|last=Winkler|first=Rolfe|date=August 21, 2009|publisher=Reuters, via Forbes.com|accessdate=December 17, 2009}}</ref><ref name="SFCb4">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/17/BURD146AIA.DTL|title=Bay Area job losses likely in Citigroup layoffs |last=Temple|first=James|coauthors=The Associated Press|date=November 18, 2008|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=December 17, 2009}}</ref><ref name="NYTimesb4">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/business/23discount.html|title=4 Major Banks Tap Fed for Financing|last=Dash|first=Eric|date=August 23, 2007|work=The New York Times|accessdate=December 17, 2009}}</ref><ref name="SanFranb4">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/24/BUST14B71M.DTL|title=Citigroup gets a monetary lifeline from feds|last=Pender|first=Kathleen|date=November 25, 2008|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=December 17, 2009}}</ref>

{{TOCLimit|3}}

==History==
Citigroup was formed on October 9, 1998, following the $140&nbsp;billion merger of Citicorp and [[Travelers Group]] to create the world's largest financial services organization.<ref name="IHT" /> The history of the company is, thus, divided into the workings of several firms that over time amalgamated into Citicorp, a multinational banking corporation operating in more than 100 countries; or Travelers Group, whose businesses covered credit services, consumer finance, brokerage, and insurance. As such, the company history dates back to the founding of: the City Bank of New York (later [[Citibank]]) in 1812; Bank Handlowy in 1870; [[Smith Barney]] in 1873, [[Banamex]] in 1884; [[Salomon Brothers]] in 1910.<ref name="citihistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/history/index.htm|title=About Citi|publisher=Citigroup|accessdate=April 4, 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070309173314/http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/history/index.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = March 9, 2007}}</ref>

===Citicorp===
The history begins with the [[City Bank of New York]], which was chartered by [[New York State]] on June 16, 1812, with $2&nbsp;million of capital. Serving a group of New York [[merchant]]s, the bank opened for business on September 14 of that year, and Samuel Osgood was elected as the first President of the company.<ref name="Citibank">{{cite web|url=http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/history/citibank.htm|title=About Citi – Citibank, N.A.|publisher=Citigroup|accessdate=May 12, 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070416132329/http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/history/citibank.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = April 16, 2007}}</ref> The company's name was changed to The National City Bank of New York in 1865 after it joined the new U.S. national banking system, and it became the largest American bank by 1895.<ref name="Citibank" /> It became the first contributor to the [[Federal Reserve Bank of New York]] in 1913, and the following year it inaugurated the first overseas branch of a U.S. bank in [[Buenos Aires]], although the bank had, since the mid-nineteenth century, been active in plantation economies, such as the Cuban sugar industry. The 1918 purchase of U.S. overseas bank [[International Banking Corporation]] helped it become the first American bank to surpass $1&nbsp;billion in assets, and it became the largest commercial bank in the world in 1929.<ref name="Citibank" /> As it grew, the bank became a leading innovator in financial services, becoming the first major U.S. bank to offer [[compound interest]] on [[saving]]s (1921); [[Unsecured loan|unsecured personal loans]] (1928); customer [[Cheque|checking accounts]] (1936) and the negotiable [[certificate of deposit]] (1961).<ref name="Citibank" />

The bank changed its name to The First National City Bank of New York in 1955, which was shortened in 1962 to First National City Bank on the 150th anniversary of the company's foundation.<ref name="Citibank" /> The company organically entered the leasing and credit card sectors, and its introduction of US$ [[certificates of deposit]] in London marked the first new negotiable instrument in market since 1888. Later to become [[MasterCard]], the bank introduced its ''First National City Charge Service'' [[credit card]] – popularly known as the "[[Everything card]]" – in 1967.<ref name="Citibank" />

In 1976, under the leadership of CEO [[Walter B. Wriston]], First National City Bank (and its holding company First National City Corporation) was renamed as Citibank, N.A. (and Citicorp, respectively). Shortly afterward, the bank launched the Citicard, which pioneered the use of 24-hour [[Automated teller machine|ATM]]s.<ref name="Citibank" /> As the bank's expansion continued, the Narre Warren-Caroline Springs credit card company was purchased in 1981. [[John S. Reed]] was elected CEO in 1984, and Citi became a founding member of the [[CHAPS]] clearing house in London. Under his leadership, the next 14 years would see Citibank become the largest bank in the United States, the largest issuer of credit cards and charge cards in the world, and expand its global reach to over 90 countries.<ref name=Citibank />

===Travelers Group===
Travelers Group, at the time of merger, was a diverse group of financial concerns that had been brought together under CEO [[Sandy Weill]]. Its roots came from [[Commercial Credit]], a subsidiary of [[Control Data Corporation]] that was taken private by Weill in November 1986 after taking charge of the company earlier that year.<ref name="IHT" /><ref name="Primerica">{{cite web|url=http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/history/primerica.htm |title=About Citi – Primerica Financial Services|publisher=Citigroup|accessdate=April 4, 2008 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080327182116/http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/history/primerica.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = March 27, 2008}}</ref> Two years later, Weill mastered the buyout of [[Primerica Financial Services|Primerica]] – a conglomerate that had already bought [[life insurance|life insurer]] A L Williams as well as [[stock broker]] [[Smith Barney]]. The new company took the Primerica name, and employed a "[[cross-selling]]" strategy such that each of the entities within the parent company aimed to sell each other's services. Its non-financial businesses were [[Spin out|spun-off]].<ref name="Primerica" />

[[File:Travelers logo.png|thumb|The corporate logo of Travelers Inc. (1993–1998) prior to merger with Citicorp.]]
In September 1992, [[Travelers Insurance]], which had suffered from poor real estate investments<ref name="IHT" /> and sustained significant losses in the aftermath of [[Hurricane Andrew]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,158008,00.html|title=Survival Insurance|work=TIME|date=June 24, 2001|accessdate=September 17, 2007}}</ref> formed a strategic alliance with Primerica that would lead to its amalgamation into a single company in December 1993. With the acquisition, the group became Travelers Inc. Property & casualty and life & annuities [[underwriting]] capabilities were added to the business.<ref name="Primerica" /> Meanwhile, the distinctive Travelers red umbrella logo, which was also acquired in the deal, was applied to all the businesses within the newly named organization. During this period, Travelers acquired [[Shearson Lehman]] – a retail brokerage and asset management firm that was headed by Weill until 1985<ref name="IHT" /> – and merged it with Smith Barney.<ref name="Primerica" />

====Salomon Brothers====

Finally, in November 1997, Travelers Group (which had been renamed again in April 1995 when they merged with Aetna Property and Casualty, Inc.), made the $9&nbsp;billion deal to purchase [[Salomon Brothers]], a major [[Bond market|bond dealer]] and [[bulge bracket]] [[investment bank]].<ref name="Primerica" /> This deal complemented Travelers/[[Smith Barney]] well as Salomon was focused on fixed-income and institutional clients whereas Smith Barney was strong in equities and retail. Salomon Brothers absorbed Smith Barney into the new securities unit termed Salomon Smith Barney; a year later, the division incorporated Citicorp's former securities operations as well. The Salomon Smith Barney name was ultimately abandoned in October 2003 after [[Global settlement|a series of financial scandals]] that tarnished the bank's reputation.

===Citicorp and Travelers merger===
On April 6, 1998, the merger between Citicorp and Travelers Group was announced to the world, creating a $140&nbsp;billion firm with assets of almost $700&nbsp;billion.<ref name="IHT" /> The deal would enable Travelers to market mutual funds and insurance to Citicorp's retail customers while giving the banking divisions access to an expanded client base of investors and insurance buyers.

Although presented as a merger, the deal was actually more like a stock swap, with Travelers Group purchasing the entirety of Citicorp shares for $70&nbsp;billion, and issuing 2.5 new Citigroup shares for each Citicorp share. Through this mechanism, existing shareholders of each company owned about half of the new firm.<ref name="IHT" /> While the new company maintained Citicorp's "Citi" brand in its name, it adopted Travelers' distinctive "red umbrella" as the new corporate logo, which was used until 2007.

The chairmen of both parent companies, [[John S. Reed|John Reed]] and [[Sandy Weill]] respectively, were announced as co-chairmen and co-CEOs of the new company, Citigroup, Inc., although the vast difference in management styles between the two immediately presented question marks over the wisdom of such a setup.

The remaining provisions of the [[Glass–Steagall Act]] – enacted following the Great Depression – forbade banks to merge with insurance underwriters, and meant Citigroup had between two and five years to divest any prohibited assets. However, Weill stated at the time of the merger that they believed ''"that over that time the legislation will change...we have had enough discussions to believe this will not be a problem".''<ref name="IHT" /> Indeed, the passing of the [[Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act]] in November 1999 vindicated Reed and Weill's views, opening the door to financial services conglomerates offering a mix of commercial banking, investment banking, insurance underwriting and brokerage.<ref>{{cite web|last=Heakal|first=Reem|url=http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/071603.asp|title=What Was The Glass–Steagall Act?|publisher=Investopedia|date=July 16, 2003|accessdate=September 13, 2007}}</ref>

[[Joe Plumeri]] headed the integration of the consumer businesses of Travelers Group and Citicorp after the merger, and was appointed CEO of Citibank North America by Weill and Reed.<ref name="highbeam1">{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-65799679.html |title=Plumeri next Willis CEO; Former Citigroup executive to succeed Reeve|publisher=Business Insurance |date=October 2, 2000 |accessdate=July 15, 2010}}</ref><ref name="highbeam3">{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-66458878.html |title=Willis Names Plumeri New Chairman/CEO |publisher=National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management |date=October 9, 2000 |accessdate=July 15, 2010}}</ref> He oversaw its network of 450 [[retail banking|retail]] branches.<ref name="highbeam3"/><ref name="forbes1">{{cite news|url=http://people.forbes.com/profile/joseph-j-plumeri/86637 |title=Joseph J. Plumeri Profile |work=Forbes|accessdate=July 15, 2010}}</ref><ref name="highbeam4">{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-65508232.html |title=Citi Veteran to Lead U.K. Insurance Broker.(Joseph J. Plumeri moves to Willis Group)|publisher=[[American Banker]] |date=September 27, 2000 |accessdate=July 15, 2010}}</ref> J. Paul Newsome, an analyst with [[CIBC Oppenheimer]], said: "He's not the spit-and-polish executive many people expected. He's rough on the edges. But Citibank knows the bank as an institution is in trouble-it can't get away anymore with passive selling-and Plumeri has all the passion to throw a glass of cold water on the bank."<ref name="investmentnews1">{{cite news|last=Nash |first=Jeff |url=http://www.investmentnews.com/article/19990419/SUB/904190722 |title=The Chief Preacher: Joe Plumeri – Citibank Finds Sales Religion |publisher=Investment News |date=April 19, 1999 |accessdate=July 16, 2010}}</ref> It was conjectured that he might become a leading contender to run all of Citigroup when Weill and Reed stepped down, if he were to effect a big, noticeable victory at Citibank.<ref name="investmentnews1"/> In that position, Plumeri boosted the unit's earnings from $108&nbsp;million to $415&nbsp;million in one year, an increase of nearly 400%.<ref name="bizjournals2003">{{cite news|url=http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2003/11/17/daily17.html?jst=b_ln_hl |title=Commerce adds Plumeri to Board of Directors |publisher=[[Philadelphia Business Journal]] |date=November 19, 2003 |accessdate=July 16, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irmi.com/conferences/crc/speakers/plumeri.aspx |title=Joe Plumeri |publisher=International Risk Management Institute |accessdate=July 16, 2010}}</ref><ref name="willis2004">[http://www.willis.com/Documents/Media_Room/Press_Releases/2004/4-1-04%20Risk%20Transfer.pdf "Breaking with Tradition: Willis Re-energized"], ''Risk Transfer Magazine'', April 1, 2004</ref> He unexpectedly retired from Citibank, however, in January 2000.<ref name="ecnext1">{{cite news|url=http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-4230519/Joe-Plumeri-playing-in-traffic.html|title=Joe Plumeri, Playing in Traffic: with his quest for adventure and 'just go for it' philosophy, the CEO of insurance broker Willis Group Holdings has got the competitive spirit kicking in again at this 175-year-old company |publisher=Directors & Boards |date= June 22, 2004|accessdate=July 15, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-58043412.html|author=B. Moyer |title=After Turnover At Citi, More Deals Expected|publisher=[[American Banker]] |date=December 6, 1999 |accessdate=July 16, 2010}}</ref>

In 2000, Citigroup acquired Associates First Capital Corporation, which, until 1989, had been owned by [[Gulf+Western]] (now part of [[National Amusements]]). The Associates was widely criticized for predatory lending practices and Citi eventually settled with the Federal Trade Commission by agreeing to pay $240&nbsp;million to customers who had been victims of a variety of predatory practices, including "flipping" mortgages, "packing" mortgages with optional credit insurance, and deceptive marketing practices.<ref>Citigroup Settles FTC Charges Against the Associates Record-Setting $215&nbsp;million for Subprime Lending Victims http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/09/associates.shtm</ref>

=== Travelers spin off ===
[[File:The Travelers Companies.svg|thumb|The current logo for Travelers Companies]]
The company spun off its Travelers Property and Casualty insurance underwriting business in 2002. The spin off was prompted by the insurance unit's drag on Citigroup stock price because Traveler's earnings were more seasonal and vulnerable to large disasters, particularly the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in downtown New York City. It was also difficult to sell this kind of insurance directly to customers since most industrial customers are accustomed to purchasing insurance through a broker.

The Travelers Property Casualty Corporation merged with The St. Paul Companies Inc. in 2004 forming The St. Paul Travelers Companies. Citigroup retained the life insurance and annuities underwriting business; however, it sold those businesses to [[MetLife]] in 2005. Citigroup still heavily sells all forms of insurance, but it no longer underwrites insurance.

In spite of their divesting Travelers Insurance, Citigroup retained Travelers' signature red umbrella logo as its own until February 2007, when Citigroup agreed to sell the logo back to St. Paul Travelers,<ref name="PR">{{cite web|url=http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/press/2007/070213a.htm|title=Citigroup Announces Unified, Global Brand Identity Under "Citi" Name|date=February 13, 2007|publisher=Citigroup|accessdate=August 7, 2008}}</ref> which renamed itself [[Travelers Companies]]. Citigroup also decided to adopt the corporate brand "Citi" for itself and virtually all its subsidiaries, except Primerica and Banamex.<ref name="PR" />

===Subprime mortgage crisis===
Heavy exposure to troubled mortgages in the form of [[Collateralized debt obligation]] (CDO's), compounded by poor risk management led Citigroup into trouble as the [[subprime mortgage crisis]] worsened in 2008. The company had used elaborate mathematical risk models which looked at mortgages in particular geographical areas, but never included the possibility of a national housing downturn, or the prospect that millions of mortgage holders would default on their mortgages. Indeed, trading head [[Thomas Maheras]] was close friends with senior risk officer David Bushnell, which undermined risk oversight.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/business/yourmoney/27kim.html?pagewanted=print|title=What’s $34&nbsp;billion on Wall Street?|date=January 27, 2008|first=Landon Jr.|last=Thomas|newspaper=New York Times|accessdate=September 22, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/business/23citi.html?pagewanted=print|title=Citigroup Saw No Red Flags Even as It Made Bolder Bets|date=November 23, 2008|first=Eric|last=Dash|first2=Julie|last2=Creswell|newspaper=New York Times|accessdate=September 22, 2009}}</ref> As Treasury Secretary, [[Robert Rubin]] was said to be influential in lifting the [[Glass–Steagall Act|regulations]] that allowed Travelers and Citicorp to merge in 1998. Then on the board of directors of Citigroup, Rubin and Charles Prince were said to be influential in pushing the company towards MBS and CDOs in the subprime mortgage market.

As the crisis began to unfold, Citigroup announced on April 11, 2007, that it would eliminate 17,000 jobs, or about 5 percent of its workforce, in a broad restructuring designed to cut costs and bolster its long underperforming stock.<ref name="jobcuts1" /> Even after [[Security (finance)|securities]] and [[brokerage]] firm [[Bear Stearns]] ran into serious trouble in summer 2007, Citigroup decided the possibility of trouble with its CDO's was so tiny (less than 1/100 of 1%) that they excluded them from their risk analysis. With the crisis worsening, Citigroup announced on January 7, 2008 that it was considering cutting another 5 percent to 10 percent of its work force, which totaled 327,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN0738522020080107|title=Citi mulls cutting work force by 5 to 10 percent: report |last=Plumb |first=Christian |date=January 1, 2008 |agency=Reuters |accessdate=August 7, 2008}}</ref>

===Federal assistance===
Over the past several decades, the United States government has engineered at least four different rescues of the institution now known as Citigroup.<ref>New York Times, October 31, 2009, "Can Citigroup Carry Its Own Weight?" http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/business/economy/01citi.html?_r=1&hpw</ref> During the most recent tax-payer funded rescue, by November 2008, Citigroup was insolvent, despite its receipt of $25&nbsp;billion in federal [[Troubled Assets Relief Program|TARP]] bailout money, and on November 17, 2008, Citigroup announced plans for about 52,000 new job cuts, on top of 23,000 cuts already made during 2008 in a huge job cull resulting from four quarters of consecutive losses and reports that it was unlikely to be in profit again before 2010. Many senior executives were fired<ref name="jobcuts2" /> but [[Wall Street]] responded by dropping its stock market value to $6&nbsp;billion, down from $300&nbsp;billion two years prior.<ref name="stockcollapse" /> As a result, Citigroup and Federal regulators negotiated a plan to stabilize the company and forestall a further deterioration in the company's value. The arrangement calls for the government to back about $306&nbsp;billion in loans and securities and directly invest about $20&nbsp;billion in the company. The assets remain on Citigroup's balance sheet; the technical term for this arrangement is [[Ring fence|ring fencing]]. In a ''New York Times'' op-ed, Michael Lewis And David Einhorn described the $306&nbsp;billion guarantee as "an undisguised gift" without any real crisis motivating it.<ref>
{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/opinion/04lewiseinhornb.html?pagewanted=print|title=How to Repair a Broken Financial World|work=The New York Times|date=January 4, 2009|accessdate=January 5, 2009|first=Michael|last=Lewis|first2=David|last2=Einhorn}}</ref> The plan was approved late in the evening on November 23, 2008.<ref name="nyt-dash24nov" /> A joint statement by the [[Treasury Department]], the [[Federal Reserve]] and the [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corp]] announced: "With these transactions, the U.S. government is taking the actions necessary to strengthen the financial system and protect U.S. taxpayers and the U.S. economy."

Citigroup in late 2008 held $20&nbsp;billion of mortgage-linked securities, most of which have been marked down to between 21 cents and 41 cents on the dollar, and has billions of dollars of buyout and corporate loans. It faces potential massive losses on auto, mortgage and credit card loans if the economy worsens. [This paragraph requires a reference, particularly to the $20&nbsp;billion figure quoted above. It is likely that this number is a severe underestimate of the value of CDO holdings held in off-balance sheet SIVs.]

On January 16, 2009, Citigroup announced its intention to reorganize itself into two operating units: Citicorp for its retail and investment banking business, and Citi Holdings for its brokerage and asset management.<ref name="pr-split">{{cite web |url=http://www.citigroup.com/citi/press/2009/090116b.htm|title=Citi to Reorganize into Two Operating Units to Maximize Value of Core Franchise|publisher=Citigroup|date=January 16, 2009|accessdate=January 16, 2009}}</ref> Citigroup will continue to operate as a single company for the time being, but Citi Holdings managers will be tasked to "tak[e] advantage of value-enhancing disposition and combination opportunities as they emerge",<ref name="pr-split"/> and eventual spin-offs or mergers involving either operating unit have not been ruled out.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/business/17citi.html?pagewanted=print|title=Citigroup Reports Big Loss and a Breakup Plan|first=Eric|last=Dash|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 17, 2009|accessdate=September 22, 2009}}</ref> On February 27, 2009 Citigroup announced that the United States government would be taking a 36% [[Stock|equity]] stake in the company by converting $25&nbsp;billion in emergency aid into [[common shares]]. Citigroup shares dropped 40% on the news.

On June 1, 2009, it was announced that Citigroup Inc. would be removed from the [[Dow Jones Industrial Average]] effective June 8, 2009, due to significant government ownership. Citigroup Inc. was replaced by Travelers Co.<ref name=TravCiscoCitiGM>{{cite news |first=E.S. |last=Browning |title=Travelers, Cisco Replace Citi, GM in Dow |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124386244318072033.html |work=Wall Street Journal |publisher=[[Dow Jones & Company]]|date=June 1, 2009 |accessdate=November 1, 2009}}</ref>

===Return to profitability, private ownership===
In 2010, Citigroup celebrated its first year in the black since 2007. It reported $10.6&nbsp;billion in net profit, compared with a $1.6&nbsp;billion loss in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2e1f5e74-233f-11e0-b6a3-00144feab49a.html#axzz1C3Ybj7G9|title=Results mute celebrations at Citigroup|date=January 18, 2011|first=Francesco|last=Guererra|work=Financial Times|separator=,|postscript=|accessdate=January 25, 2011}}</ref> Late in the year, the government sold its remaining stock holding in the company, yielding an overall net profit to taxpayers of $12&nbsp;billion.<ref>Dennis, Brady (December 7, 2010), [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/07/AR2010120700091.html "Government sells remaining shares in Citigroup; investment to net $12&nbsp;billion total profit for taxpayers"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', retrieved February 16, 2011</ref>

==Organization==

Citi is organized into two major segments – Citicorp and Citi Holdings.<ref>http://www.citigroup.com/citi/business/index.htm</ref>

===Citicorp===
====Regional Consumer Banking====

'''Retail Banking, Local Commercial Banking and Citi Personal Wealth Management'''
*North America, EMEA, Latin America and Asia; Residential real estate in North America

'''Citi-Branded Cards'''
*North America, EMEA, Latin America and Asia

'''Latin America Asset Management'''

====Institutional Clients Group====
'''Securities and Banking'''
*Investment banking
*Debt and equity markets (including prime brokerage)
*Lending
*Private equity
*Hedge funds
*Real estate
*Structured products
*Private Bank
*Equity and Fixed Income research

'''Transaction Services'''
*Cash management
*Trade services
*Custody and fund services
*Clearing services
*Agency/trust

===Citi Holdings===
====Brokerage and Asset Management====
*Largely includes investment in and associated earnings from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney joint venture
*Retail alternative investments

====Local Consumer Lending====
'''North America'''
*Consumer finance lending: residential and commercial real estate; auto, student and personal loans; and consumer branch lending
*Retail partner cards
*Certain international consumer lending (including Western Europe retail banking and cards)

====Special Asset Pool====
*Certain institutional and consumer bank portfolios

==Divisions==
{{update|section|date=July 2010}}
Citigroup is divided into four major business groups: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth Management, Global Cards, and Institutional Clients Group.<ref name="C">{{cite web|url=http://www.citigroup.com/citi/business/index.htm|title=How Citi is Organized|publisher=Citigroup|accessdate=January 23, 2009}}</ref>

===Global Consumer Group===
This division of Citigroup generated 12&nbsp;billion in revenue and more than $4&nbsp;billion in net income in 2006, Global Consumer Group comprises four sub-divisions: Cards ([[credit card]]s), Consumer Lending Group (Real-Estate Lending, Auto Loans, Student Loans), [[Consumer finance|Consumer Finance]], and [[Retail Banking]]. Targeting individual consumers as well as small- to medium-sized businesses, GCG offers financial services across its worldwide branch network, including banking, loans, insurance, and investment services. On March 31, 2008, Citigroup announced that it will create 2 new global businesses – Consumer Banking and Global Cards out of the existing Global Consumer Group. This has since changed. Consumer Banking "The Americas" is managed by Manuel Medina Mora who was the CEO of Banamex prior to its merger with Citigroup. Western Europe, Central Europe and Asia are under Business Managers responsible for both the Consumer and Corporate/Investment businesses. After 2008, Citigroup carved out CitiHoldings as a separate entity to manage the businesses on the block.
Citigroup Nominates 4 Independent Directors by [[New York Times]] (March 16, 2009)

====Citi Cards====
Citi Cards is responsible for around 40% of the profits with GCG, and represents the largest issuer of credit cards across the world as well as a 3,800-point [[Automated teller machine|ATM]] network across 45 countries.

Consumer Finance division (branded as "CitiFinancial") accounts for about 20% of GCG's profits, and offers personal loans and homeowner loans to consumers in 20 countries worldwide.[26] There are over 2,100 branches in the U.S. and Canada.[27] The takeover of Associates First Capital in September 2000 enabled CitiFinancial to expand its reach outside of the United States, particularly capitalizing on Associates' 700,000 customers in Japan and Europe.[28] Citi ended its CitiFinancial operations in the UK in 2008 [3].[29] Citifinancial is head by [[Mary Mcdowell]] in Baltimore, Maryland. On December 8, 2010, CitiGroup announced a rebranding name change taking into effect summer of 2011 where CitiFinancial will then be operating under the name OneMain Financial.

====Citibank====
Finally, the retail bank encompasses the Citi's global branch network, branded [[Citibank]]. Citibank is the third largest retail bank in the United States based on deposits (although it has considerably fewer retail branches than many of its smaller rivals), and it has Citibank branded branches in countries throughout the world, with the exception of Mexico; In Mexico Citigroup's bank operations are branded as [[Banco Nacional de México|Banamex]] is the country's second largest bank and a Citigroup subsidiary.

===Global Wealth Management===
Global Wealth Management divides itself into [[Citi Private Bank]], [[Citi Smith Barney]] and Citi Investment Research, and generated 7% of Citigroup's total revenue in 2006.<ref name="2006AR" /> As revenues are predominantly derived from investment income, Global Wealth Management is more sensitive to the direction and level of the equity and fixed-income markets than other divisions of the company.<ref name="BW" />

====Citi Private Bank====
Citi Private Bank provides banking and investment services to high net worth individuals, private institutions, and law firms. Acting as a gateway to all of Citigroup's products, Citi Private Bank offer traditional investment products and alternative choices, with all clients assigned a Private Banker to personally deal with their portfolio.

====Citi Smith Barney====
Citi Smith Barney was Citi's global private wealth management unit, providing brokerage, investment banking and asset management services to corporations, governments and individuals around the world. With over 800 offices worldwide, Smith Barney held 9.6&nbsp;million domestic client accounts, representing $1.562&nbsp;trillion in client assets worldwide.<ref name="Citi">{{cite web|publisher=Citigroup|title=Citigroup – Our Businesses|url=http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/business/index.htm|accessdate=September 13, 2007}}</ref>

Citi announced on January 13, 2009 that they would give Smith Barney to Morgan Stanley investment bank to combine their brokerage firms in exchange for $2.7&nbsp;billion and 49% interest in the joint venture. Citi's urgent need for cash is reputed to be a driving force in this deal. Many have speculated that this may be the beginning of the end of Citi's "financial supermarket" approach.

====Citi Investment Research====
Citi Investment Research is Citi's equities research unit, with 390 research analysts across 22 countries. Citi Investment Research covers 3,100 companies, representing 90 percent of the market capitalization of the major global indices, providing macro and quantitative analysis of global markets and sector trends.<ref name="Citi" />

===Citi Institutional Clients Group===
Citi announced on October 11, 2007 the formation of the new Institutional Clients Group comprising Citi Markets & Banking (CMB) and Citi Alternative Investments (CAI) with Vikram Pandit, then 50, as its Chairman and CEO.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Citi Forms Institutional Clients Group|publisher=Citigroup|date=October 11, 2007|url=http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/press/2007/071011b.htm|accessdate=October 11, 2007}}</ref> Vikram Pandit was promoted to CEO of the entire company two months later.<ref name=CEO />

====Institutional Clients Group====
Containing Citi's most market-sensitive divisions, "ICG" is divided into two primary businesses: "Global Capital Markets and Banking" and "Global Transaction Services" (GTS). Global Capital Markets and Banking provides investment- and commercial-banking services covering institutional brokerage, advisory services, foreign exchange, structured products, derivatives, loans, leasing, and equipment finance. Meanwhile, GTS offers cash-management, trade finance and securities services to corporations and financial institutions worldwide.<ref name="BW">{{cite news|last=Braden|first=Frank|url=http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/apr2007/pi20070417_581458.htm|title=A Compelling Case for Citigroup|work=Business Week |date=April 17, 2007|accessdate=September 13, 2007}}</ref> ICG is responsible for around 32% of Citigroup's annual revenues, generating just under US $30&nbsp;billion in 2006 financial year.<ref name="2006AR">Citigroup Annual Report, 2006</ref>

Citi is reportedly advising [[ABRY Partners]] upon the possible sale of [[Monitronics]] in 2010.<ref name="Monitronics">{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2811250320100728|title=Monitronics on block, could be $1 bln or more-sources|agency=Reuters |date=July 28, 2010|accessdate=August 24, 2010}}</ref>

====Citi Alternative Investments====
Citi Alternative Investments (CAI) is an alternative investment platform that manages assets across five classes – private equity, hedge funds, structured products, managed futures, and real estate. Across 16 "boutique investment centers", it offers various funds or separate accounts that utilize alternative investment strategies, as opposed to the mainstream mutual funds that it recently sold to [[Legg Mason]]. CAI manages Citigroup proprietary capital as well as institutional investments from third-parties and high-net-worth investors. As of June 30, 2007, CAI holds US$59.2&nbsp;billion under capital management,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.citigroupai.com/about_overview_cai.htm|title=Overview of CAI|publisher=Citi Alternative Investments|accessdate=September 13, 2007}}</ref> and contributed 7% of Citigroup's 2006 income.<ref name="2006AR" /> In 2010, Citigroup agreed to sell its private equity unit to [[Lexington Partners]] for about $900&nbsp;million, according to PE Hub, reported by Reuters. StepStone Group will provide management services for the unit. The sale would mark another step in Citigroup’s efforts to unload its unwanted assets.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66645620100707?dbk|title=Citigroup sells private equity unit|agency=Reuters | date=July 7, 2010}}</ref>

== Brands ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2011}}

=== Citi ===
Through Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

=== Citibank ===
Found in more than 100 countries, Citibank delivers a wide array of banking, lending and investment services to individual consumers, as well as to small businesses with up to $10&nbsp;million in annual sales. Citibank also offers a full range of financial services products to serve the needs of small and large corporations, governments, and institutional and individual investors.

===One Main Financial===
Formerly known as CitiFinancial, One Main Financial provides community-based lending services through a branch network system. Consumer loan services include real estate-secured loans, unsecured and partially secured personal loans, and loans to finance consumer goods. Preparing for efforts to sell the unit, Citigroup announced the name change from CitiFinancial in December 2010, with nationwide signage changes occurring July 1, 2011.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Citigroup Picks OneMain as New Name for CitiFinancial|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-08/citigroup-picks-onemain-as-name-for-consumer-loan-unit-in-step-toward-sale.html|date=December 8, 2010|first=Bradley|last=Keoun|publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]|separator=,|postscript=|accessdate=July 14, 2011}}</ref>

=== CitiMortgage ===
Provides mortgage products to customers.

=== Citi Capital Advisors ===
Creates and delivers a broad offering of investments, including fixed income, private equity, and infrastructure

=== Citi Cards ===
Citi Cards is a provider of credit cards with more than 150&nbsp;million accounts generating more than $144&nbsp;billion in receivables. Citi Cards is the largest consumer business within Citi employing more than 32,000 employees at more than 30 sites across North America.

=== Citi Private Bank ===
The Citi Private Bank provides wealthy individuals a range of finance, banking, investment, trust and advisory services.

=== Citi Institutional Clients Group ===
Citi Institutional Clients Group provides investment and commercial banking services and is organized into five groups: Global Banking, Global Markets, Global Transaction Services, Citi Capital Advisors and the Citi Private Bank.

=== Citi Investment Research ===
Citi Investment Research is a research unit composed of 390 research analysts across 22 countries. The unit covers 3,100 companies and provides macro and quantitative analysis of global markets and sector trends.

=== Citi Microfinance ===
Citi Microfinance works with the microfinance sector to broaden the reach of financial services including providing direct and structured financing, access to local capital markets, leasing, individual lending through MFI partners, foreign exchange and interest rate hedging, remittances and insurance.

=== Banamex ===
Banamex is Mexico's largest commercial bank in terms of equity and earnings, and Citigroup's access to the Mexican and Latin American markets.

=== Woman & Co. ===
Women & Co. is a membership program that addresses the unique financial facts of women's lives.

==Real estate==
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2011}}
[[File:CitigroupCenterChicago.jpg|thumb|right|[[Citicorp Center (Chicago)|Citigroup Center, Chicago]]]]
[[File:citigroup.canary.wharf.arp.500pix.jpg|thumb|right|[[Citigroup Centre, London|Citigroup EMEA headquarters]], [[Canary Wharf]], London]]
[[File:Citigroup Centre.jpg|right|thumb|[[Citigroup Centre, Sydney|Citigroup Centre]] in Sydney]]
Citigroup's most famous office building is the [[Citigroup Center]], a diagonal-roof skyscraper located in [[Midtown Manhattan|East Midtown]], [[Manhattan]], New York City, which despite popular belief is not the company's headquarters building. Citigroup has its headquarters across the street in an anonymous-looking building at 399 [[Park Avenue (Manhattan)|Park Avenue]] (the site of the original location of the City National Bank). The headquarters is outfitted with nine luxury dining rooms, with a team of private chefs preparing a different menu for each day. The management team is on the third and fourth floors above a Citibank branch. Citigroup also leases a building in the [[TriBeCa]] neighborhood in Manhattan at [[388 Greenwich St]], that serves as headquarters for its Investment and Corporate Banking operations and was the former headquarters of the Travelers Group.

Strategically, all of Citigroup's New York City real estate, excluding the company's Smith Barney division and Wall Street trading division, lies along the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]], served by the {{NYCS Queens 53rd}} trains. Consequently, the company's Midtown buildings—including 787 Seventh Avenue, 666 Fifth Avenue, 399 Park Avenue, 485 Lexington, 153 East 53rd Street (Citigroup Center), and [[One Court Square|Citigroup Building]] in [[Long Island City, Queens]], are all no more than two stops away from each other. In fact, every company building lies above or right across the street from a subway station served by the {{NYCS Queens 53rd}} trains.

Chicago also plays home to an architectural beauty operated by Citigroup. [[Citicorp Center (Chicago)|Citicorp Center]] has a series of curved archways at its peak, and sits across the street from major competitor [[ABN AMRO]]'s [[ABN AMRO Plaza]]. It has a host of retail and dining facilities serving thousands of [[Metra]] customers daily via the [[Ogilvie Transportation Center]].

Citigroup has obtained naming rights to [[Citi Field]], the home ballpark of the [[New York Mets]] [[Major League Baseball]] team, who began playing their home games there in 2009.

==Criticism==
===Raul Salinas and alleged money laundering===
In 1998, the [[General Accounting Office]] issued a report critical of Citibank's handling of funds received from [[Raul Salinas de Gortari]], the brother of [[Carlos Salinas]], the former president of Mexico. The report, titled "Raul Salinas, Citibank and Alleged Money Laundering", indicated that Citibank facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars through complex financial transactions to hide the paper trail of funds. The report also indicated that Citibank took on Raul Salinas as a client even though they did not make a thorough inquiry as to how he made his fortune.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/mexico/stories/981204.htm | date=December 4, 1998 | work=The Washington Post}}</ref>

===Conflicts of interest on investment research===
In December 2002, Citigroup paid fines totaling $400&nbsp;million, with the amount split between the states and the federal government. The fines were part of a settlement involving charges that ten banks, including Citigroup, deceived investors with biased research. The total settlement with the ten banks was $1.4&nbsp;billion. The settlement required that the banks separate investment banking from research, and ban any allocation of IPO shares.<ref>http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wall-street-firms-to-pay-14-billion-in-probe</ref>

===Plutonomy Memo===
On October 16, 2005, a memo detailing how America was losing its grasp as a democracy, but rather becoming a [[Plutonomy]]. The memo was leaked to the public causing outcry against the memo's secretive nature of keeping the nation's wealthiest 1% in power over America through politics.<ref>http://www.scribd.com/doc/6674234/Citigroup-Oct-16-2005-Plutonomy-Report-Part-1</ref>

===Enron, WorldCom and Global Crossing bankruptcies===
Citigroup paid out over $3&nbsp;billion in fines and legal settlements for their role in financing [[Enron]] Corporation, which collapsed amid a financial scandal in 2001. In 2003, Citigroup paid $145&nbsp;million in fines and penalties to settle claims by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] and the Manhattan district attorney’s office. In 2005, Citigroup paid $2&nbsp;billion to settle a lawsuit filed by investors in Enron.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061000532.html | title=Citigroup to Settle With Enron Investors | first=Carrie | last=Johnson | date=June 11, 2005 | work=The Washington Post}}</ref> In 2008, Citigroup paid $1.66&nbsp;billion to the Enron Bankruptcy Estate, which represented creditors of the bankrupt company.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/business/27enron.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | title=Citigroup Resolves Claims That It Helped Enron Deceive Investors | first=Eric | last=Dash | date=March 27, 2008 | work=The New York Times}}</ref> In 2004, Citigroup paid $2.65&nbsp;billion to settle a lawsuit concerning their role in selling stocks and bonds for [[WorldCom]], which collapsed in 2002 in an accounting scandal.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.latimes.com/2004/may/11/business/fi-citi11 | title=Citigroup Settles WorldCom Case | work=Los Angeles Times | date=May 11, 2004}}</ref> In 2005, Citigroup paid $75&nbsp;million to settle a lawsuit from investors in [[Global Crossing]], which filed bankruptcy in 2002. Citigroup was accused of issuing exaggerated research reports and not disclosing conflicts of interest.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/business/03citigroup.html | title=Global Crossing Investors Settle With Citigroup | date=March 3, 2005 | work=The New York Times}}</ref>

===Citigroup proprietary government bond trading scandal===
Citigroup was criticized for disrupting the European [[bond market]] by rapidly selling €11&nbsp;billion worth of bonds on August 2, 2004 on the MTS Group trading platform, driving down the price, and then buying it back at cheaper prices.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.euroweek.com/default.asp?Page=1&SID=436395&ISS=11029|title=Under Pressure, Citigroup Climbs Down on Govie Trade|work=EuroWeek|date=September 7, 2004|accessdate=March 7, 2007|format=fee required |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070318152609/http://www.euroweek.com/default.asp?Page=1&SID=436395&ISS=11029 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = March 18, 2007}}</ref>

===2005 "Revisiting Plutonomy: The Rich Getting Richer" equity strategy public investment advisory===

In 2005, Citigroup published an investment advisory for current and potential Citi investors entitled "''Revisiting Plutonomy: The Rich Getting Richer''" which declared, "Asset booms, a rising profit share and favorable treatment by market-friendly governments have allowed the rich to prosper...[and] take an increasing share of income and wealth over the last 20 years..."

"...the top 10%, particularly the top 1% of the US-- the plutonomists in our parlance-- have benefited disproportionately from the recent productivity surge in the US...[and] from globalization and the productivity boom, at the relative expense of labor."

"...[and they] are likely to get even wealthier in the coming years. [Because] the dynamics of plutonomy are still intact."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04302010/transcript5.html |title=[[Bill Moyers]] Journal |work=[[Public Broadcasting System]] |date=April 30, 2010 |accessdate=March 4, 2011}}</ref>

===Regulatory action===
In 2004, Japanese regulators took action against Citibank Japan in connection with making loans to a customer involved in stock manipulation. This action included suspension of bank activities in one branch and three offices, and restrictions on their consumer banking division. In 2009, the Japanese regulators again took action against Citibank Japan, this time in regard to the bank not setting up an effective money laundering monitoring system. The regulatory agency suspended sales operations within its retail banking operations for a month.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/japanese-regulators-suspend-citibank-retail-ads/ | title=Japan Slaps Sanctions on Citibank | first=Chris | last=Nicholson | date=June 26, 2009 | work=The New York Times}}</ref>

On March 23, 2005, the NASD announced total fines of $21.25&nbsp;million against Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., American Express Financial Advisors and Chase Investment Services regarding suitability and supervisory violations relating to mutual fund sales practices between January 2002 and July 2003. The case against Citigroup involved recommendations and sales of Class B and Class C shares of mutual funds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finra.org/PressRoom/NewsReleases/2005NewsReleases/P013648|title=NASD Fines Citigroup Global Markets, American Express and Chase Investment Services More Than $21&nbsp;million for Improper Sales of Class B and C Shares of Mutual Funds|last=Condon|first=Nancy|coauthors=Herb Perone|date=March 23, 2005|publisher=NASD|accessdate=August 7, 2008}}</ref>

On June 6, 2007, the NASD announced more than $15&nbsp;million in fines and restitution against Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., to settle charges related to misleading documents and inadequate disclosure in retirement seminars and meetings for BellSouth Corp. employees in North Carolina and South Carolina. NASD found that Citigroup did not properly supervise a team of brokers located in Charlotte, N.C., who used misleading sales materials during dozens of seminars and meetings for hundreds of BellSouth employees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finra.org/PressRoom/NewsReleases/2007NewsReleases/P019240|title=Citigroup Global Markets to Pay Over $15&nbsp;million to Settle Charges Relating to Misleading Documents and Inadequate Disclosure in Retirement Seminars, Meetings for BellSouth Employees|last=Condon|first=Nancy|coauthors=Herb Perone|date=June 6, 2006|publisher=NASD|accessdate=September 19, 2007}}</ref>

In July 2010, Citigroup agreed to pay $75&nbsp;million to settle civil charges that it misled investors over potential losses from high-risk mortgages. The [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] said that Citigroup had made misleading statements about the company's exposure to subprime mortgages. In 2007, Citigroup indicated that their exposure was less than $13&nbsp;billion, when in fact it was over $50&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10812128 |work=BBC News | title=Citigroup agrees $75m fraud fine | date=July 29, 2010}}</ref>

===Terra Securities scandal===
In November 2007 it became public that the Citigroup is heavily involved in the [[Terra Securities scandal]], which involved investments by eight municipalities of Norway in various hedge funds in the United States bond market.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/world/europe/02norway.html|title=U.S. Credit Crisis Adds to Gloom in Norway|last=Landler|first=Mark|date=December 2, 2007|work=The New York Times|accessdate=December 14, 2007}}</ref> The funds were sold by [[Terra Securities|Terra Securities ASA]] to the municipalities, while the products were delivered by Citigroup. Terra Securities ASA filed for bankruptcy November 28, 2007, the day after they received a letter<ref name="kt">{{cite web|url=http://pub.tv2.no/multimedia/na/archive/00527/Kredittilsynet_til__527202a.pdf|format=PDF|title=Forhåndsvarsel om tilbakekall av tillatelse|date=November 27, 2007|publisher=KreditTilsynet|language=Norwegian|accessdate=December 14, 2007}}</ref> from The [[Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway]] announcing withdrawal of permissions to operate. The same letter also stated, "''The Supervisory Authority contends that Citigroup's presentation, as well as the presentation from Terra Securities ASA, appears insufficient and misleading because central elements like information about potential extra payments and the size of these are omitted.''"

===Theft from customer accounts===
On August 26, 2008 it was announced that Citigroup agreed to pay nearly $18&nbsp;million in refunds and fines to settle accusations by California Attorney General [[Jerry Brown]] that it wrongly took funds from the accounts of credit card customers. Citigroup would pay $14&nbsp;million of restitution to roughly 53,000 customers nationwide. A three-year investigation found that Citigroup from 1992 to 2003 used an improper computerized "sweep" feature to move positive balances from card accounts into the bank's general fund, without telling cardholders.<ref name="theft">{{cite journal
| last = Stempel | first = Jonathan | title = Citigroup to pay $18 mln over credit card practice | journal=Reuters
| date = August 26, 2008 | url = http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSN2636973720080826
}}</ref>

Brown said in a statement that Citigroup "knowingly stole from its customers, mostly poor people and the recently deceased, when it designed and implemented the sweeps...When a whistleblower uncovered the scam and brought it to his superiors, they buried the information and continued the illegal practice."<ref name="theft"/>

===Federal bailout 2008===
On November 24, 2008, the U.S. government announced a massive bailout of Citigroup, designed to rescue the company from bankruptcy while giving the government a major say in its operations. The Treasury will provide another $20&nbsp;billion in [[Troubled Asset Relief Program]] (TARP) funds in addition to $25&nbsp;billion given in October. The Treasury Department, the [[Federal Reserve]] and the [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]] (FDIC) will cover 90% of the losses on its $335&nbsp;billion portfolio after Citigroup absorbs the first $29&nbsp;billion in losses.<ref>The Treasury will assume the first $5&nbsp;billion in losses; the FDIC will absorb the next $10&nbsp;billion; then the Federal reserve takes over the rest of the risk.
</ref> In return the bank will give Washington $27&nbsp;billion of preferred shares and warrants to acquire stock. The government will obtain wide powers over banking operations. Citigroup has agreed to try to modify mortgages, using standards set up by the FDIC after the collapse of [[IndyMac Bank]], with the goal of keeping as many homeowners as possible in their houses. Executive salaries will be capped.<ref>Eric Dash, "U.S. Approves Plan to Help Citigroup Weather Losses," [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/business/24citibank.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1227521075-7269NT+ly1OQy1ToM/cLMw ''New York Times'' November 23, 2008]
</ref>

As a condition of the bailout, Citigroup's dividend payment has been reduced to 1 cent per share.

As the [[subprime mortgage crisis]] began to unfold, heavy exposure to toxic mortgages in the forms of [[Collateralized debt obligation]] (CDOs), compounded by poor risk management led the company into serious trouble. In early 2007 Citigroup began eliminating about 5 percent of its workforce, in a broad restructuring designed to cut costs and bolster its long underperforming stock.<ref name="jobcuts1">
{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/2007/04/11/businesspro-citigroup-dc-idUKWEN630720070412|title=Citigroup to slash 17,000 jobs|last=Stempel|first=Jonathan|coauthors=Dan Wilchins|date=April 12, 2007|agency=Reuters |accessdate=February 16, 2011}}</ref>
By November 2008, the ongoing crisis hit Citigroup hard and despite federal TARP bailout money, the company announced further cuts.<ref name="jobcuts2">
{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7733575.stm|title=Citigroup job cull to hit 75,000|publisher=BBC |accessdate=November 17, 2008 | date=November 17, 2008}}</ref>
Its stock market value dropped to $6&nbsp;billion, down from $244&nbsp;billion two years prior.<ref name="stockcollapse">
{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/business/23citi.html |title=Citigroup Saw No Red Flags Even as It Made Bolder Bets |last=Dash |first=Eric |last2=Creswell|first2=Julie |date=November 22, 2008 |accessdate=November 23, 2008| work=Business |work=The New York Times}}</ref>
As a result, Citigroup and Federal regulators negotiated a plan to stabilize the company.<ref name="nyt-dash24nov">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/business/24citibank.html?hp |title = U.S. Approves Plan to Help Citigroup Weather Losses | last=Dash | first=Eric |date = November 23, 2008| accessdate=November 23, 2008| work=Business |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Its single largest shareholder is Prince [[Al-Waleed bin Talal]] of [[Saudi Arabia]], who has a 4.9% stake.<ref>{{cite book|title=Alwaleed: Businessman, Billionaire, Prince|publisher=HarperCollins Entertainment|date=October 18, 2005|isbn=0007215134|author=Riz Khan.}}</ref>
[[Vikram Pandit]] is Citigroup's current CEO, while [[Richard Parsons (businessman)|Richard Parsons]] is the current chairman.<ref name=CEO>{{cite press release|title=Citi Board Names Vikram Pandit Chief Executive Officer and Sir Win Bischoff is the current Chairman|publisher=Citigroup|date=December 11, 2007|url=http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/press/2007/071211a.htm|accessdate=December 12, 2007}}</ref>

According to New York Attorney General [[Andrew Cuomo]] and as reported by the Wall Street Journal, after having received its $45&nbsp;billion TARP bailout in late 2008, Citigroup paid hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses to more than 1,038 of its employees. This included 738 employees each receiving $1&nbsp;million in bonuses, 176 employees each receiving $2&nbsp;million bonuses, 124 each receiving $3&nbsp;million in bonuses, and 143 each receiving bonuses of $4&nbsp;million to more than $10&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2009/07/30/wall-street-compensation-no-clear-rhyme-or-reason/tab/print/|title=Wall Street Compensation–'No Clear Rhyme or Reason'|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=July 30, 2009|accessdate=September 22, 2009|first=Stephen|last=Grocer}}</ref>

===Terra Firma Investments lawsuit===
In December 2009, Citigroup was sued by British equity firm Terra Firma Investments, who alleged fraud on Citigroup's part in regard to Terra Firma's purchase of music corporation [[EMI]]'s label and music publishing interests.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Terra Firma sues Citigroup|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012681?refCatId=1444|date=December 13, 2009|first=Christopher|last=Morris|work=Variety |separator=,|postscript=|accessdate=February 1, 2011}}</ref> The suit was decided in Citigroup's favor in November 2010.<ref>{{Citation|title=Citigroup Prevails at Trial Over Terra Firma’s EMI Sale Lawsuit|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-05/citigroup-prevails-at-trial-over-terra-firma-s-emi-sale-lawsuit.html|date=November 5, 2010|first=Bob|last=Van Voris|work=Bloomberg Businessweek |first2=Patricia|last2=Hurtado|separator=,|lastauthoramp=yes|postscript=|accessdate=February 1, 2011}}</ref> On February 1, 2010, Citigroup took control of EMI from Terra Firma and wrote off £2.2&nbsp;billion ($3.5&nbsp;billion) of Terra Firma's debt.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Citigroup wrestles EMI from Guy Hands's grasp|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/01/guy-hands-emi-citigroup|date=February 1, 2011|first=Mark|last=Sweney|work=The Guardian |location=UK |separator=,|postscript=|accessdate=February 1, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Citigroup takes over record label EMI|url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110201/FREE/110209990|date=February 1, 2011|work=[[Crain Communications|Crain's New York Business]]|series=[[Associated Press]]|separator=,|postscript=|accessdate=February 1, 2011}}</ref>

==Public and government relations==
===Political donations===
Citigroup is the 16th largest political campaign contributor in the United States, out of all organizations, according to the [[Center for Responsive Politics]]. According to Matthew Vadum, a senior editor at the conservative [[Capital Research Center]], Citigroup is also a heavy contributor to left-of-center political causes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spectator.org/archives/2008/11/25/liberalism-never-sleeps/print|title=Liberalism Never Sleeps:|accessdate=November 29, 2008}}</ref> However, members of the firm have donated over $23,033,490 from 1989–2006, 49% of which went to Democrats and 51% of which went to Republicans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?ID=D000000071&Name=Citigroup+Inc|title=Citigroup Inc: Summary|publisher=OpenSecrets|accessdate=August 7, 2008}}</ref>

===Lobbying and political advice===
In 2009, Richard Parsons hired long-time Washington, D.C. lobbyist [[Richard F. Hohlt]] to advise Parsons and the company about relations with the U.S. government, though not to lobby for the company. While some speculated anonymously that the FDIC would have been a particular focus of Mr. Hohlt's attention, Hohlt said he'd had no contact with the government insurance corporation. Some former regulators found room to criticize, in the news report, Mr. Hohlt's involvement with Citigroup, because of his earlier involvement with the financial-services industry during the [[savings and loan crisis]] of the 1980s. Mr. Hohlt responded that though mistakes were made in the earlier episode, not to mention by other more recent clients of his like [[Fannie Mae]] and [[Washington Mutual]], he'd never been investigated by any government agency and his experience gave him reason to be back in the "operating room" as parties address the more recent crisis.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/business/11hohlt.html?pagewanted=1&hpw "Citigroup Hires Mr. Inside"] by [[Gretchen Morgenson]] and Andrew Martin, ''The New York Times'', October 10, 2009 (p BU1 of NY ed. 2009-10-11). Retrieved October 11, 2009.</ref>

===Public and governmental relations===
In 2010, the company named [[Edward Skyler]], formerly in New York City government and at [[Bloomberg LP]], to its senior public and governmental relations position.<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/03/31/2010-03-31_mikes_deputy_says_so_long_to_city_hall.html "Mayor Bloomberg deputy Edward Skyler says so long to City Hall"], by Adam Lisberg, ''New York Daily News'', March 31, 2010, 4:00&nbsp;am ET. Retrieved July 27, 2010.</ref> Before Skyler was named and before he began his job search, the company reportedly held discussions with three other individuals to fill the position: NY Deputy Mayor [[Kevin Sheekey]], Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]'s "political guru ... [who] spearheaded ... his short-lived flirtation with a presidential run ..., who will soon leave City Hall for a position at the mayor’s company, Bloomberg L.P. .... After Mr. Bloomberg’s improbable victory in the 2001 mayor’s race, both Mr. Skyler and Mr. Sheekey followed him from his company to City Hall. Since then, they have been a part of an enormously influential coterie of advisers"; [[Howard Wolfson]], the former communications director for [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]]’s presidential campaign and Mr. Bloomberg’s re-election bid; and [[Gary Ginsberg]], now at [[Time Warner]] and formerly at [[News Corporation]].<ref name="NYT01">[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/nyregion/31skyler.html "Another Exit From Bloomberg’s Inner Circle"], by Michael Barbaro, ''The New York Times'', March 30, 2010 (March 31, 2010 p. A19 of NY ed.). Retrieved July 27, 2010.</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book|title=Tearing Down the Walls|first=Monica|last=Langley|authorlink=Monica Langley|isbn=0-7432-4726-4|year=2004|publisher=Free Press|location=New York}}
*[http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/58/58365.html Yahoo! – Citigroup Inc. Company Profile]
**[http://finance.yahoo.com/q/sa?s=C C: Star Analysts for CITIGROUP – Yahoo! Finance]
*[http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/press/2004/040510a.htm Citigroup Reaches Settlement on WorldCom Class Action Litigation for $1.64&nbsp;billion After-Tax]
See [http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0000831001&owner=exclude SEC – Company Information: CITIGROUP INC]
*November 4, 2004 – [http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/831001/000104746904033138/0001047469-04-033138-index.htm Q3 2004 10-Q]
*March 4, 2004 – [http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/831001/000104746904006087/0001047469-04-006087-index.htm 2003 10-K]
See also [http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/fin/pres.htm Citigroup], and [http://biz.yahoo.com/cc/C/C.html Yahoo!]
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Citigroup}}
{{Portal box|New York City|Companies}}
* [http://www.citigroup.com Company website]

{{Citigroup}}
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{{Major investment banks}}
{{50 largest US banks}}
{{2008 economic crisis}}
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[[Category:Citigroup| ]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1998]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the Bolsa de Valores y Productos de Asunción]]
[[Category:Financial services companies based in New York City]]
[[Category:Former components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average]]
[[Category:Primary dealers]]

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Revision as of 20:23, 30 July 2011

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