New York, NY — Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) today reported record net income for the first quarter of 2005 of $5.44 billion, or $1.04 per share, both increasing 3% from the first quarter of 2004. Income from continuing operations was $5.17 billion, or $0.99 per share, both increasing 3% from the first quarter of 2004. Income from continuing operations excludes the results of substantially all of Life Insurance and Annuities and the Argentine pension business, which are subject to a pending sale transaction.
First quarter results include a $272 million after-tax charge for repositioning costs, comprised of $151 million in Corporate and Investment Banking, $95 million in Global Consumer, $22 million in Global Wealth Management and $4 million in Asset Management. Results also include a $109 million after-tax loss on the sale of manufactured housing loans, a $111 million after-tax gain on the sale of a transportation finance business and a $72 million after-tax gain relating to the resolution of previously disclosed litigation involving Golden State Bancorp.
The Board of Directors of Citigroup has authorized management to repurchase up to an additional $15 billion of its common stock. Combined with a remaining authorization of $1.3 billion, the total authorization is $16.3 billion.
"We are proud of our record global earnings, driven by the strength and diversity of our global franchises. As we have seen in prior quarters, weakness in certain products or regions was more than offset by strength in others. We achieved strong growth in customer balances, which helped to offset the impact of spread compression from rising short-term rates. Our fixed income and transaction services businesses performed exceptionally well, both achieving record revenues. Our results also include the impact of repositioning costs, which reflect expense discipline and ongoing consolidation activities to improve operating efficiencies," said Charles Prince, Chief Executive Officer of Citigroup.
"Our focus on disciplined capital allocation led to the announced sale of substantially all of Life Insurance and Annuities and the sale of a portfolio of manufactured housing loans. We continued to allocate resources to expand our growth franchises through branch expansion, advertising, technology and people. We closed the acquisition of First American Bank, providing an important presence in the attractive Texas retail banking market. All of these actions reflect a sharpened focus on Citigroup's long-term growth franchises and a rigorous approach to the use of shareholders' capital," said Prince.
"Citigroup's businesses continue to generate industry-leading returns and, as a result, substantial capital. Over the past nine months, we have significantly strengthened our capital ratios. Considering our strong capital generation, and with confidence in the strength of our businesses, the Board has authorized management to repurchase up to an additional $15 billion in common shares. The authorization provides management with flexibility to achieve an appropriate balance between growth for our franchises and returning capital to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. We expect to execute up to $15 billion in share repurchases over 18 months," said Prince.
"In addition, in the first quarter we launched our Five Point Plan, which marked the beginning of a very important chapter in Citigroup's history. The Plan strengthens a foundation of values, priorities and internal controls that are essential for sustained long-term growth. Implementation of the Plan is our top priority," said Prince.
FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS
GLOBAL CONSUMER GROUP
CORPORATE AND INVESTMENT BANKING
GLOBAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT
ASSET MANAGEMENT
ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS
CORPORATE/OTHER
Corporate/Other declined to a loss of $88 million. Results in the first quarter of 2004 included a $180 million after-tax gain on the sale of the electronic funds services business.
DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
On January 31, 2005, Citigroup announced the sale of Travelers Life & Annuity, including substantially all international insurance businesses. The sale transaction also includes the Argentine pension business, which was previously recorded in Asset Management. Results for all of the businesses included in the sale transaction are recorded as discontinued operations and are presented below.
INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS
Citigroup (NYSE: C), the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance, securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Travelers Life and Annuity. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.
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 at www.citigroup.com.
Certain statements in this document are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors. More information about these factors is contained in Citigroup's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.