Citigroup cuts value of investments by $14B in 1Q

NEW YORK — Citigroup's 9,000 job cuts and $14 billion in write-downs suggest that even if the worst of the credit market volatility is over, the industry is now in a conservative, cost-cutting mode.

With banks expecting more loans to go sour, people can expect tight lending standards for many months _ perhaps years _ to come.

"Underwriting standards have to be high. That's the way to dampen potential losses you might face," said chief financial officer Gary Crittenden in an interview with The Associated Press. He said that historically, deterioration in consumer credit has taken eight to 10 quarters, or at least two years, for rates of delinquency and default to recover.

Citigroup Inc. is struggling with not only a troubling lending environment in the United States, but also a dented portfolio of investments. The bank's write-downs, plus more than $3 billion in costs related to consumers' credit problems, led it to report a first-quarter loss Friday of $5.1 billion, or $1.02 a share.

The most recent quarterly shortfall at the nation's biggest bank by assets was not as massive as the nearly $10 billion loss it suffered in the fourth quarter of last year. Since many investors had been bracing for even more dismal results, Citigroup shares jumped $1.08, or 4.5 percent, to close at $25.11 Friday.

But it is hardly smooth sailing for the bank from this point on. Citigroup essentially lost in the first three months of the year what it earned in the same period in 2007 _ $5 billion, or $1.01 per share. Analysts, on average, had expected the New York bank to lose 95 cents per share, according to Thomson Financial.

"We're not happy with our financial results this quarter _ although they're not completely unexpected, given the assets we hold," said chief executive Vikram Pandit during a conference call.

Because Citigroup has lost so much money, it has announced 13,200 job cuts since the credit crisis began slamming the banking industry last summer. The bank announced 4,200 cuts in January, about 9,000 on Friday, and suggested more work-force reductions are likely.

"We're very, very focused on efficiency," Pandit said during the analyst call.

To be sure, it appears that Citigroup, like most other large banks, has already been aggressive in writing down its assets to market value, and that the biggest write-downs may have been taken already. Write-downs in the first quarter were $4 billion less than the fourth quarter's $18.1 billion.

Citigroup's $14.1 billion in first-quarter write-downs include $7 billion related to subprime and alt-A mortgages; $3.1 billion related to leveraged loans; $1.5 billion related to bond insurers; $1.5 billion on auction-rate securities; and another $1 billion related to commercial real estate, a hedge fund and funds known as structured investment vehicles.

But with significant exposure to problematic mortgages and leveraged loans still on its books, Citigroup does remain at risk for further write-downs. Fitch Ratings on Friday downgraded the bank's credit rating, while Moody's Investors Services and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services took actions that indicated Citigroup might be downgraded in the future, if the assets on its books deteriorate.

"There's always the prospect that you'll have additional marks," Crittenden said during the analyst call.

Meanwhile, echoing other banks that have reported financial results this week, Citigroup said it faces a deteriorating environment for consumer lending. Charge-off rates keep climbing for mortgages, credit cards, auto loans and other types of loans.

"The consumer is being pinched _ it's not just homes," MacLeod said.

To prepare for more consumer loan losses, the company added about $2 billion to its reserves.

"Everybody is swimming in the same pool here. Everybody has issues," said Byron MacLeod, earnings quality analyst with Gradient Analytics. But compared to other banks, MacLeod said, the rate at which Citigroup is having to write off loans is particularly high, relative to the amount of loans on its books that are in default or close to default. "That's going to be a serious concern for the company going forward."

The bank ousted CEO Chuck Prince late last year and promoted Pandit, a former Morgan Stanley investment banker, as it scrambled for cash. In December and January, Citi raised over $30 billion through sales stock to outside investors, some of which have been funds run by Asian and the Middle Eastern governments, and other assets. It has also reorganized its mortgage business and wealth management unit.

Octavio Marenzi, head of the research and consulting firm Celent, said banks need to be shrewd as they slash costs.

"Cost cutting programs must be carefully managed," Marenzi wrote in a note, "since in the past they have frequently not actually improved performance, but have worsened it in the medium term."

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On the Net:

Citigroup Inc.: http://www.citigroup.com

Comments

[WorkingClass]

I have seen unofficial numbers that put unemployment between 12% and 18%. The official numbers are a lie of course. So who knows? I read that unemployment during the great depression was 25%. Can we achieve that number by the end of this year? Why not? The unemployed will not make payments on their house, their car, their student loans, or their credit cards. They will not pay their property taxes. They will not pay their child support. They will not pay income tax, social security tax, or health insurance premiums. When money stops circulating the economy is said to "collapse" in the same sense that you will collapse if your heart stops pumping. The 9,000 people fired by Citigroup are no longer helping the rest of us prop up the economy. Only the rich are safe. All Americans, even the virtuous, are at risk if they depend on wages. So cling to your gun and your religion and don't be bitter. And watch the birds. Anything they eat is safe for you to eat.

[scottyboi84]

Didn't Merril just lay off 4,000 after billions in loss... But, I doubt that the CEO's of these companies didn't get mega million salaries. Isn't that the problem with these companies. Paying their executives tons of money, which means they can't afford to pay anyone else, but it's everyone else that's doing the work... hmmm, that seems fair.

[MetalCanuck]

HAHAHA!!

Time to wake up folks, the guys who did 9/11 are now robbing you blind. The criminals never left, they are still running your country. The Dems are in on it and you guys are fools of you think Clinton or Obama will change anything. You know the media is corrupt and they give them both top spot. But Ron Paul is telling the truth and he is ignored because he says what they do not want to hear. Its time to wake up people.

[joebhed]

C'mon gang.
This is the good news.
Look what it did for the Dow jerkoff.
Just wait til we get the next round of what can only be bad news.
Lke, the FED is broke.

[falco]

The Rockefellers don't have a few hundred billion laying around? Oh, that's right. They'd rather lay off 9 thousand workers than cough. David's money is probably safe in an offshore account. They like to take from the taxpayers rather than contribute their tax dollars, or any other dollars for that matter. I bet if you take the money of all the royalty in the world (Saudis included), all the federal reserve owners (yes it is a private bank), the Rockefellers and the Rothchilds, not only would they be able to give back all of the money they have stolen over the years, but they would be able to feed every starving person in this world. But that is not the plan. They are more reptilian brained than that - " What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine. I'll get mine on your back. Hooray for me, it sucks to be you. We have "special blood", you are a commoner." Heirarchical thinking needs to be eradicated if we are going to survive.

[willo]

That's probably about the same amount as the bonuses they gave themselves.

[dolphy]

Hey, how come it says on CNBC at 12:50 PM Pacific time that Citi posted "solid earnings". I tell you people, we're being fed a bunch of crap everydayby the MSM.

[mediamarv]

Aren't these guys listening; the Decider in Chief has said the economy is strong. And what if those fired people all will never vote republigun again.... surely Rove has a plan for them???

[GerryS]

Arbeit macht frei-

[dolphy]

Why's the DOW up 200 points at the same time today?

[WIpatriot]

Because these fools think a loss of $5B is better than a loss of an unknown number like $10B or more, is a good thing, which it is, I suppose, so celebrate good times! Buy, buy, everybody buy!

[GerryS]

wait, do I hear thunder, a stampede, a tsunami???????

naw, probably another bail out

I'll be on the corner with my tin cup and some pencils-

[Rockwell]

How can these clowns lose money when they're charging 30% on their credit cards plus fees?

[torrrep]

Because people aren't repaying the money. Now was that so hard to figure out?

[WIpatriot]

In more ways than you can shake the proverbial stick at, Rockwell.