FINRA Cracks Down on Citi over RMBS

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has cracked down on Citigroup Global Market, a unit of Citigroup Inc. ( C - Analyst Report ) and imposed a fine of $3.5 million for allegedly offering inaccurate information related to subprime residential mortgage-backed securitizations (RMBS). The company was also accused of lacking supervisory procedures as well as violating other norms related to RMBS.

The Allegations

FINRA has accused Citi of providing inaccurate performance data related to three RMBS from January 2006 to October 2007 on its website. In spite of being informed that such information were inaccurate, Citi continued to retain them until early May 2012.

Notably, RMBS issuers need to provide historical performance data for prior securitizations which include mortgage loans that are similar to those in the RMBS they are offering to investors. However, the disclosure of faulty data by Citi likely impacted investors’ assessment as they used such inaccurate data to gauge the value of RMBS.

Moreover, Citi has also been alleged of lacking a proper supervisory procedure for verifying the pricing of these RMBS and failing to document steps for assessing whether trader’s prices were reasonable or not. Citi, also, did not supposedly maintain the required books and records when re-pricing of mortgage backed securities were made following margin calls.

Our Take

Post financial crisis, regulators have intensified their scrutiny in the mortgage market and have come up with charges against the big shots for their fraudulent practices. In fact, besides Citi, other majors who could not escape FINRA’s wrath and were imposed penalties related to similar issues include Barclays Plc. ( BCS - Snapshot Report ) as well as Deutsche Bank AG ( DB - Snapshot Report ) . They have been accused of misinterpreting delinquency data related to RMBS.

Notably, Citi has hit headlines in the past couple of years for issues related to its faulty procedures associated with the mortgage business. The company was subject to a penalty of $75 million in 2010 by the Securities and Exchange Commission for misleading its investors about its exposure to subprime mortgage-related assets. We believe such penalties not only dent the company’s financial but also blemish its reputation.

Citi currently retains its Zacks #3 Rank, which translates to a short-term Hold rating. Considering the fundamentals, we also maintain a long-term Neutral recommendation on the stock.