FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2000
SSB Citi Launches No-Load Index Fund Family; "Citi" Funds Available on New Cititrade Online Brokerage Platform
Includes Index Funds Based on FORTUNE 500(R) and FORTUNE e-50(TM)
Funds Offer Choice, Convenience, and Low Cost
New York, NY
SSB Citi Asset Management Group (SSB Citi), the money management arm of Citigroup, today introduced its first-ever family of no-load index funds.
The new line-up, which will be sold under the "Citi" banner, features 11 index funds covering a wide range of investment choices.
The funds will be available with no sales charges on Citigroup's new online investment service, Cititrade, which also made its debut today. The new funds offer wide investment choice, convenience, and low-cost. SSB Citi's two other U.S. mutual fund brands - Smith Barney and Salomon Brothers - are load-fund families generally sold with the advice of a financial consultant.
The new line-up would also include open-end index mutual funds pegged to the FORTUNE 500 and FORTUNE e-50 stock benchmarks. The two new funds, the Citi FORTUNE 500 Index Fund and the Citi FORTUNE e-50 Index Fund, will also be offered with no sales charges directly to investors on Cititrade. They are expected to be available to investors beginning November 27.
"We are excited to offer our first line-up of no-load, index funds and to launch them on the new Cititrade platform. This is yet another example of Citigroup's successful cross-marketing efforts," said Laurie Hesslein, Head of U.S. mutual funds at SSB Citi. "For those investors who prefer to invest all or a portion of their assets directly in mutual funds without sales charges, these funds together with Cititrade offer convenience, low-cost, and a wide range of investment choice. They are an excellent complement to our strong Smith Barney and Salomon Brothers funds."
Cititrade is a new stand-alone, online investment service from Citigroup designed for the quality-conscious online investor. Cititrade's state-of-the-art trading operation is powered by a wide range of products and services from Citigroup's investment and consumer businesses. Cititrade's featured offerings include research by internationally recognized Salomon Smith Barney analysts, prompt and reliable order processing systems, an award-winning online bill payment service and proprietary interactive financial and planning tools. Cititrade provides investors with the means to make informed investment decisions on their own. For more information, consumers may visit www.mycititrade.com and register online to be a guest for two months.
The introduction of the CitiFunds Index Series completes SSB Citi's rebranding of its U.S. mutual funds business, under which Smith Barney has emerged as the primary load-fund brand sold through Citigroup's internal distribution channels in the U.S. Salomon Brothers is the primary load brand sold through outside, or third-party, distributors. And the CitiFunds family is the firm's direct, no-load brand available online via the Cititrade platform.
Each fund in the CitiFunds Index Series seeks to replicate the performance, after fees and expenses, of a well-recognized investment benchmark. Of course, as with all index funds, there is no guarantee that the funds will match the performance of their respective benchmarks. The funds are listed on the attached page with their respective benchmarks and annual expense ratios. For more information about the CitiFunds Index Series, please visit the Cititrade website at www.mycititrade.com or call a Cititrade account representative at 1-888-663-CITI(2484) and ask for a prospectus containing more complete information, including all fees and expenses. Please read it carefully before you invest or send money.
Securities transactions are through Citicorp Investment Services (CIS), member NASD/SIPC and a subsidiary of Citigroup Inc.
CitiFunds and Cititrade are registered service marks of Citicorp. Citi is a service mark of Citicorp.
For a free prospectus for any of the Smith Barney and Salomon Brothers funds, please call 1-800-451-2010. The prospectus contains more complete information, including all charges and expenses. Read it carefully before you invest or send money. All Smith Barney Mutual Funds are distributed by Salomon Smith Barney Inc., and certain Funds are also distributed by PFS Distributors, Inc. Salomon Brothers funds are distributed by CFBDS, Inc. Salomon Smith Barney Inc. and PFS Distributors, Inc. are subsidiaries of Citigroup Inc.
SSB Citi Asset Management Group (SSB Citi) is comprised of the substantial resources that are available through its primary asset management business platforms: Salomon Brothers Asset Management, Smith Barney Asset Management, a division of Salomon Smith Barney Inc., and Citibank Global Asset Management. SSB Citi Fund Management LLC, a unit of SSB Citi Asset Management Group, is the manager of Smith Barney Mutual Funds. The SSB Citi Asset Management Group companies offer institutional, high net worth and retail clients a broad range of investment disciplines from global investment centers around the world. Products and services offered include mutual funds, closed-end funds, separately managed accounts, unit investment trusts and variable annuities (through affiliated and third party insurance companies). Aggregate assets under management totaled $397 billion as of September 30, 2000.
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Citigroup (NYSE:C), the 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, CitiFinancial, and Primerica under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella. Additional information may be found at: www.Citigroup.com.
| CitiFunds Index Series Fund |
| Index Benchmark |
Estimated Annual |
Expense Ratio |
| Citi S&P 500 Index Shares |
S&P 500 Index |
0.34% |
| Citi U.S. 5000 Index Shares |
Wilshire 5000 Index(a) |
0.48% |
| Citi U.S. 1000 Index Shares |
Russell 1000 Index(a) |
0.50% |
| Citi Small Cap Index Shares |
Russell 2000 Index(a) |
0.55% |
| Citi Nasdaq-100 Index Shares |
Nasdaq-100 Index(a) |
0.55% |
| Citi International Index |
MSCI EAFE Free Index(a) |
0.65% |
| Citi Global Titans Index Shares |
Dow Jones Global Titans Index(a) |
0.60% |
| Citi Technology Index Shares |
Goldman Sachs Technology Index(a) |
0.75% |
| Citi Financial Services Index Shares |
Goldman Sachs Sector Index - Financials(a) |
0.75% |
| Citi Health Sciences Index Shares |
Goldman Sachs Sector Index -- Heathcare(a) |
0.75% |
| Citi U.S. Bond Index Shares |
Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index |
0.40% |
| (a) Redemption fees apply to shares sold within 180 days of purchase. Please consult your prospectus for more information. |
The Russell 1000(R) Index is a trademark/service mark of the Frank Russell Company. Russell(TM) is a trademark of the Frank Russell Company. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Index, and the Index is not in any way affiliated with the Fund. The sponsor of the Index makes no representation or warranty, implied or express, regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
The Russell 2000(R) Index is a trademark/service mark of the Frank Russell Company. Russell(TM) is a trademark of the Frank Russell Company. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Index, and the Index is not in any way affiliated with the Fund. The sponsor of the Index makes no representation or warranty, implied or express, regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
The Nasdaq-100(R), Nasdaq-100 Index(R), and Nasdaq(R) are trade or service marks of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (which with its affiliates are the Corporations) and are licensed for use by SSB Citi Fund Management LLC. The Fund has not been passed on by the Corporations as to their legality or suitability. The Fund is not issued, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Corporations. THE CORPORATIONS MAKE NO WARRANTIES AND BEAR NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE FUND.
The MSCI EAFE Free index is the exclusive property of MSCI. Morgan Stanley Capital International is a service mark of MSCI and has been licensed for use by SSB Citi Fund Management LLC. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Index, and the Index is not in any way affiliated with the Fund. The sponsor of the Index makes no representation or warranty, implied or express, regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
"Dow Jones" and "Dow Jones Global Titans Index(SM)" are service marks of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by SSB Citi Fund Management LLC. The Fund is based on the Dow Jones Global Titans Index(SM), is not sponsored, endorsed sold or promoted by Dow Jones, and Dow Jones makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
"Standard & Poor's(R)", "S&P(R)", "S&P 500(R)", "Standard & Poor's 500" and "500" are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by SSB Citi Fund Management LLC. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor's and Standard & Poor's makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
"Wilshire 5000" is a trademark and "Wilshire" is a service mark of Wilshire Associates Incorporated and they have been licensed for use by SSB Citi Fund Management LLC. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Wilshire Associates Incorporated or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, and they make no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
"GSTI", "GSTI Composite Index", "Goldman Sachs Technology Index", "GSSI" and "Goldman Sachs Sector Indices" are trademarks of Goldman Sachs & Co. and have been licensed for use by SSB Citi Fund Management LLC for use in connection with the Fund. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by Goldman, Sachs & Co. or any of its affiliates. Neither Goldman, Sachs & Co. nor any of its affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
"GSSI" and "Goldman Sachs Sector Indices" are trademarks of Goldman Sachs & Co. and have been licensed for use by SSB Citi Fund Management LLC for use in connection with the Fund. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by Goldman, Sachs & Co. or any of its affiliates. Neither Goldman, Sachs & Co. nor any of its affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
"Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index(R)" is a trademark of Lehman Brothers. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Index, and the Index is not in any way affiliated with the Fund. The sponsor of the Index makes no representation or warranty, implied or express, regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
Contact
SSB Citi Asset Management Group, New York
Edward F. Giltenan
212/783-0772
Sally A. Cates
212/783-7374