FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 1999
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Citigroup Reports First Quarter Diluted Core EPS of $1.04, Up 16% from $0.90 in 1Q98
Diluted EPS Up 73% From $0.60 in 4Q98

Record Core Income of $2.42 Billion Up 12% on Record Revenues of $14.7 Billion

Global Consumer Income Up 33%

Global Corporate and Investment Bank Income Up 31%
New York
Citigroup (NYSE: C) today reported record core income of $2.42 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 1999, up 12% from $2.16 billion in the comparable 1998 period. Core income was $1.07 per basic share and $1.04 per diluted share, up 14% and 16%, respectively, from $0.94 per basic share and $0.90 per diluted share in the first quarter of 1998. Business income rose 32% over the prior year excluding income from investment activities, which was particularly strong in the 1998 quarter. The Company's outstanding performance reflected record earnings and revenue in the Global Consumer business, a sharp turnaround in the Global Corporate and Investment Bank highlighted by record results at Salomon Smith Barney, and solid earnings growth from Asset Management. Core income increased more than 72% from that reported in the fourth quarter of 1998, driven by a 146% improvement in earnings from the Global Corporate and Investment Bank, as a result of a combination of progress in the integration of Citigroup's predecessor companies and an improved market environment. Return on common equity, at 24%, exceeded the Company's goal of 20%.
Strong momentum across all businesses contributed to a 15% increase in business revenues from the 1998 first quarter to a record $14.5 billion, led by 21% growth in the Global Consumer business. Asset Management revenues increased 16%, while the Global Corporate and Investment Bank recorded a 10% increase.
Net income for the period was $2.36 billion, or $1.04 per basic share and $1.01 per diluted share, compared to $2.16 billion, or $0.94 per basic share and $0.90 per diluted share in the first quarter of 1998. Net income in 1999 includes a net impact of $(53) million from accounting changes and restructuring-related items.
John S. Reed and Sanford I. Weill, Chairmen and Co-Chief Executive Officers, said, "Our first quarter performance demonstrates the tremendous potential of our groundbreaking merger and great progress in our integration. We are leveraging our formidable selling platforms and product capabilities and achieving our expense control objectives throughout our global organization. Additionally, by the end of the first quarter, we already have taken the actions necessary to realize approximately $900 million of our targeted $2 billion annualized pre-tax expense savings.
"We are growing our base of business from recurring and predictable earnings sources, which now represent approximately two-thirds of total core income. While principal transactions generated record revenues in the quarter, these now represent only 12% of revenues, with a substantial portion of this amount representing activity on behalf of our customers. We have hired a seasoned new senior executive to lead our risk management team and continue to de-emphasize more volatile activities to further reduce risk exposure and minimize the impact of disruptions in the world economy.
"Collaborative efforts are resulting in a healthy pipeline of new transactions and activity in our Corporate Business and throughout our organization. Our goal moving forward is to further leverage our singular core franchises in the Consumer and Corporate businesses, to further our emphasis on costs and quality, and to take advantage of the opportunities represented by the Internet. We are also continuing to invest in the development of our asset management infrastructure to support its global growth," concluded Reed and Weill.
First quarter 1999 Stockholders' equity and trust securities totaled approximately $49 billion, representing one of the largest capital bases of any financial services organization in the world. The strength of the company's balance sheet is further evidenced by its 8.8% Tier I capital ratio. Citigroup's total assets were approximately $690 billion at March 31, 1999. Citigroup was recently ranked number two in the Forbes Super 100 based on a composite ranking of sales, net profit, assets and market value.
Results for all periods have been restated to reflect changes in capital and tax allocations among the segments to conform the policies of each of the predecessor companies.
GLOBAL CONSUMER
1st Quarter Core Income: $1.05 Billion, Up 33% from $790 Million in 1998 Period
Core income for the Global Consumer business, which includes North American Banking/Lending, International and the personal insurance lines, grew 33% to a record $1.05 billion in the quarter, driven by strong performances from virtually all business lines and a sizable 75% earnings increase from North American cards.
Productivity and expense reduction programs contributed to strong earnings growth. Controllable expenses, excluding increased marketing expenditures and the effect of acquisitions, are down since programs were initiated in the third quarter of 1998, and the group is well on its way to achieving the expense goals set for the end of this year. Consistent with this, full time equivalent positions are down approximately 4,100 since the third quarter, excluding acquisitions. As these declines were accomplished, substantial investments were made in numerous new initiatives, including the expansion of the Japanese and Eastern European franchise, and accelerated credit card expansion throughout Western Europe.
During the quarter, the company announced four acquisitions to strengthen several business lines. Citibank acquired Mellon Bank's credit card business, with $1.9 billion in credit card receivables, and Financiero Atlas, a Chilean consumer finance company with 65 branches and $460 million in assets. Citibank also announced the acquisition of Source One Mortgage, an originator of FHA/VA mortgage products. Commercial Credit acquired 128 consumer finance branch offices and a $519 million loan portfolio from Associates First Capital.
North America Consumer
- Banking/Lending core income rose 69% year-over-year on a 29% growth in revenues:
- Core income for Cards increased 75% to $268 million in the quarter. Revenues increased 40% as a result of pricing increases and 48% growth in receivables to $69 billion, driven by the UCS acquisition and core business improvement. Credit experience continued to improve, with net charge-offs in the U.S. bankcard portfolio falling to 4.72%.
- Commercial Credit's core income grew 37% to $81 million in the quarter, with revenues rising 22%, to $376 million. Receivables grew 28% from the 1998 first quarter due to healthy business flow at Commercial Credit branches, cross-selling of Commercial Credit products through Primerica distribution channels and the acquisition of certain Associates First Capital branches. The total number of Commercial Credit branches rose to 1,143 from 1,023 in the first quarter of 1998.
- Citibanking core income surged 200% to $75 million in the quarter. Successful implementation of cost reduction initiatives drove a 12%, or $44 million, reduction in fixed expenses (which exclude advertising and variable compensation). Revenues rose 7% on continued increases in accounts and deposit volumes and sales of investment products.
- Core income from Mortgage Banking, including the Student Loan business, increased 20% to $60 million from the prior year quarter. Higher student loan volume and mortgage originations, continued improvements in credit quality in the mortgage portfolio, and flat expenses contributed to positive overall trends.
- The Insurance sector recorded solid growth across all business units:
- Travelers Life & Annuity's core income rose 20% from the prior year period to $147 million, with earnings up 19% from the fourth quarter, as increased business volume offset lower levels of investment income versus the prior year periods. The business achieved double-digit growth in annuity account balances and life and long-term care premiums, as well as strong momentum from cross-selling initiatives.
- Primerica core income rose 16% to $110 million as a result of growth in life insurance in-force and record contributions from cross-selling variable annuities and real estate-secured loans. The proportion of Primerica's income related to cross-selling was approximately 22% in the first quarter of 1999. Results continued to benefit from disciplined expense management.
- Travelers Property Casualty's Personal Lines core income of $83 million was up slightly from the prior year quarter, as a 16% increase in earned premiums offset modest medical cost increases and less favorable prior-year development. The expense ratio, adjusted for a reinsurance transaction, improved to 26.6% from 28.0%, reflecting greater efficiency through the leveraging of the business' expense base. Net written premiums, adjusted for a reinsurance transaction, increased 13%, driven by increased production across all lines through both independent and new distribution channels.
International Consumer
Earnings from the International Consumer business increased 20% to $281 million in the quarter, as accounts increased 19% and deposits grew 19% from the prior year period:
- Asia Pacific region core income rose 23% to $102 million on a 23% increase in revenues, with accounts and customer deposits growing at rates in excess of 20% across the region, and particularly strong performance in Japan. The provision for credit losses increased $38 million from the prior year period, the result of economic conditions and increased asset volumes.
- Core income for Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) rose 45% to $74 million, led by strong performance in Western Europe, particularly in volumes from both credit and investment products in Germany.
- Latin America core income increased 12% to $48 million from the comparable 1998 quarter, as the positive impact of recent acquisitions and a rebound in earnings from Credicard, a 33%-owned Brazilian card affiliate, offset weaker credit experience.
- The Global Private Bank, which serves high net worth individuals around the world, recorded core income of $57 million, about level with first quarter 1998. Revenue growth, particularly in the U.S., was offset by the absence of credit recoveries that positively impacted first quarter 1998 results.
e-Citi
The net loss in e-Citi, which represents the firm's investment in global electronic commerce research and development and business activities, increased 20% to $36 million for the first quarter. Higher spending for new product development and e-commerce pilots globally offset increased earnings from existing businesses such as Global Debit Cards.
Other
Other Consumer business items, which include unallocated marketing and staff expenses, increased by $19 million from last year's first quarter to a net loss of $20 million, but improved $25 million from fourth quarter 1998. Outlays for new global advertising, marketing and distribution development initiatives more than offset reductions in fixed expenses.
GLOBAL CORPORATE AND INVESTMENT BANK
1st Quarter Core Income $1.36 Billion, Up 31% from $1.04 Billion in 1998 Period
Results for the Global Corporate and Investment Bank rebounded sharply in the first quarter, rising 31% to $1.36 billion over the comparable quarter in 1998 and more than doubling the 1998 fourth quarter. The rebound was most notable at Salomon Smith Barney (SSB), which posted record earnings on total revenues of $3.3 billion while reducing risk. SSB's earnings benefited from continued strong results in the retail business, record fixed income underwriting and improved trading revenues. Earnings from Emerging Markets and Global Relationship Banking (GRB) also showed particularly strong growth.
The Global Corporate and Investment Bank continued to build on the collaborative opportunities between SSB and Citibank's global corporate bank, as underscored by the completion of the largest corporate bond deal of all time, the $8 billion AT&T bond offering. Over 160 collaborative deals resulting from joint SSB/Corporate Bank customer calls have been closed since last April, with 60 of these completed in the first quarter alone. SSB Financial Consultants generated referrals for approximately $200 million in Citibank mortgages in the first quarter, demonstrating the potential for retail cross-selling and increased retention of customer assets.
During the quarter, Nikko Salomon Smith Barney, the institutional and investment banking joint venture between Salomon Smith Barney and Nikko Securities, began operations as a net contributor to earnings. In February, Institutional Investor ranked Citigroup the top derivatives dealer in its annual survey of market users. Citibank also continues to be the number one foreign exchange dealer, as ranked by Euromoney, and the number one cash management provider, as ranked by Corporate Finance magazine. Salomon Smith Barney also took the number one positions in the Securities Data Corporation League Tables in municipal bond underwriting and mortgage and asset backed debt. SSB also surged into the top five in both Eurobond and Euromarket issues, from #11 in these categories in the first quarter of 1998.
During the quarter, SSB continued to enhance its state-of-the-art website, through which 300,000 clients currently receive on-line account access and research. SSB plans to roll out on-line trading capabilities later this year.
Travelers Property Casualty's Commercial Lines core income increased 11% relative to prior year, despite continued challenges in its operating environment.
- Salomon Smith Barney reported first quarter core business income of $648 million, a 46% increase over the prior year period, on revenues of $3.3 billion versus $2.9 billion last year. The firm's strong growth reflected a 13% rise in commissions to $900 million, and a 6% increase in investment banking revenues to $655 million, predominately from record high grade debt underwritings. Revenue also includes $974 million in principal transactions, up 25% from $779 million in the prior year quarter, as increases in institutional global fixed income and global equities transactions offset declines in global arbitrage and commodity trading. Asset management fees rose to $377 million as a result of increased client assets under management. Non-compensation expenses as a percent of net revenues decreased to 16.3% from 18.0% in the first quarter of 1998 and 25.8% in the fourth quarter of 1998. Compensation and benefits as a percentage of net revenues was 53.7% for the first quarter of 1999, down from 57.6% in the comparable 1998 period and 73.4% in the fourth quarter of 1998. Including Asset Management, the compensation and benefits ratio for the quarter dropped to 51.4%, comparable to that of other broker-dealers.
- Emerging Markets core income of $321 million for the 1999 first quarter reflected increases of 22% and 37% from the first and fourth quarters of 1998, respectively. Revenues increased 18% from the first quarter of 1998, and 16% from the fourth quarter, primarily driven by higher trading revenues, as well as lending and trade finance. Expenses rose 5% from the 1998 first quarter, reflecting ongoing spending to expand Citigroup's emerging market franchise. Credit write-offs increased $53 million to $115 million from the first quarter of 1998, and $30 million from the fourth quarter of 1998, primarily as a result of higher losses in Asia.
- Global Relationship Banking reported first quarter core income of $197 million, a substantial improvement over fourth quarter 1998 core income of $102 million, and 25% above the $158 million reported in the comparable first quarter. Revenues increased 10% versus the prior year first quarter, reflecting strong trading results and double-digit revenue growth in Transaction Services. Expenses were 2% below the prior quarter, but 6% higher than the first quarter of last year, due to increased technology spending, including EMU and Year 2000 expense, and higher incentive compensation.
- Travelers Property Casualty's Commercial Lines core income increased 11% to $189 million, reflecting favorable prior year loss development and continued expense reductions, which were somewhat offset by the continued depopulation of the involuntary workers' compensation market and higher weather-related losses. Net written premiums were down 8% from the prior year period reflecting a disciplined approach to underwriting and risk management. The statutory combined ratio, at 104.7%, reflected an improvement from the 106.8% reported in the first quarter of 1998.
ASSET MANAGEMENT
1st Quarter Core Income: $80 Million, Up 16% from $69 Million in 1998 Period
SSB Citi Asset Management Group's core income increased 16% to $80 million in the first quarter of 1999, as revenue growth offset increased expenses from continued investments in the businesses' infrastructure and investment research. Revenues increased 16% in the first quarter to $354 million, reflecting strong growth in assets under management. Expenses grew 15% from the first quarter of 1998, reflecting global business growth and efforts to build the Company's investment research and quantitative investment capabilities. The segment's pretax profit margin for the quarter increased slightly to 37.6%, from 37.1% in the first quarter of 1998.
Assets under management rose 20% from the year-ago quarter to $338 billion, as growth continued across all product categories. Institutional managed account assets grew to $93 billion, up 22% from the 1998 first quarter. Money fund and long-term mutual fund assets grew by 27% and 13%, respectively. Contributing to money fund growth was a $3.6 billion increase in institutional liquidity funds in the first quarter, the result of increased selling efforts through Global Relationship Banking. Capitalizing on Japan's Big Bang, the Group raised $600 million in Japan through sales of its new CitiFunds mutual funds and sales of Salomon Brothers mutual funds in non-proprietary channels. Also in the quarter, CitiEuroland funds were introduced through the Citibank Europe Consumer Bank.
The amount of proprietary mutual funds sold through Primerica totaled $408 million in the quarter and accounted for 64% of Primerica's U.S. mutual fund sales versus 59% in the first quarter of 1998. Sales of the Group's proprietary funds through SSB's retail channel grew to 36% of all of the brokerage operation's mutual fund sales, up from 28% in the first quarter of the previous year. The Group's penetration into the SSB channel also increased in the private client separately managed account category, as sales grew by more than 200% over the prior year first quarter.
CORPORATE/OTHER
1st Quarter Core Loss: $162 Million Versus Core Loss of $136 Million in 1998 Period
Corporate/Other includes net treasury results, corporate staff and similar expenses. The increased loss over the previous year principally reflects the absence of gains on dispositions of certain corporate assets recorded in the first quarter of 1998, partially offset by reduced staff expense.
INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES
1st Quarter Core Income: $93 Million Versus $402 Million in 1998 Period
Declines in earnings from Investment Activities for the first quarter reflect reduced LDC debt sales, lower proprietary investment gains and lower insurance portfolio gains. This segment's $70 billion investment portfolio consists mainly of fixed income securities with average quality ratings of A+/A1 and also includes proprietary equity investments. The company's insurance companies hold the majority of the portfolio. The fixed income securities held in the portfolio, including short-term investments, have an effective duration of 4.9 years.
SHARE REPURCHASE
During the first quarter of 1999, Citigroup repurchased 18.9 million shares of its common stock for a total cost of $1.08 billion, to offset the dilution from the issuance of shares under incentive compensation plans. The weighted average common shares for basic earnings per share were 2,226.8 million in the quarter and for diluted earnings per share were 2,293.3 million.
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Citigroup (NYSE:C), the world's most global financial services company, provides some 100 million consumers, corporations, governments and institutions in 100 countries with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance, securities brokerage and asset management. The 1998 merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group brought together such brand names as Citibank, Travelers, Salomon Smith Barney, Commercial Credit and Primerica under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella.
A financial summary follows. Additional financial, statistical and business-related information, as well as business and segment trends, is included in a Financial Supplement. Both the earnings release and the Financial Supplement are available on Citigroup's web site (http://www.citi.com). The documents can also be obtained by fax by calling 1-800-853-1754 within the United States or 732-935-2771 outside the United States.
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