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Citigroup (C) Pushed by the Fed to Speed up Risk Management
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Troubles for Citigroup Inc. (C - Free Report) do not seem to end. The bank, which had begun revamping its underlying technology, risk management and internal controls as part of remediation highlighted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) and the Federal Reserve, is now being pushed by regulators to make urgent changes in the way it measures default risk of its trading partners.
In addition to this, the bank’s own auditors have found issues with a proposal to improve internal oversight, as reported by Reuters.
Notably, late last year, the Fed issued three notices concerning matters requiring immediate attention (MRIAs) to Citi. The MRIAs, which ranged from six months to a year, directed the bank to improve data and governance around how it sets aside capital to account for counterparty credit risks, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
In a separate incident, Citi’s internal audit unit said that some of the work related to risk management is not sufficient and that the bank has not fulfilled regulators’ requirements that the board of directors and the senior management team receive more information about firmwide risks.
The requirements relate to the bank’s ongoing risk management overhaul to address a pair of consent orders issued in 2020 by the Fed and the OCC.
In October 2020, regulators ordered Citi to improve its risk management and internal controls.
The OCC announced a $400-million fine against the company’s primary banking subsidiary and said that it would require Citi to seek the agency’s non-objection before making acquisitions.
Apart from this, the Fed said that it would require Citi to conduct a “gap analysis” of its risk management framework and internal controls system to determine what enhancements need to be made.
The above-mentioned consent orders from the OCC and the Fed followed several risk-related lapses at Citi, including an incorrect payment of $900 million made to the creditors of cosmetics company Revlon.
Moreover, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, the OCC conducted exams in September and October to assess whether Citi had made as much progress on data integrity as it claimed. But Citi failed the exams, which forced it to do additional work.
Citi stated, “Like any multi-year effort of this scale, progress isn’t linear and there are important learnings along the way that we’re incorporating into our efforts, including in the areas of regulatory reporting, infrastructure and data enhancement.”
Notably, the latest rebuke on Citi comes as CEO Jane Fraser enters her fourth year. The above-mentioned issues have made her task more complex as she carries out the company’s biggest overhaul in decades to boost profits and shares.
Currently, Citi is in the midst of a multi-year plan to improve efficiency and shareholder returns by simplifying its business structure, for which it is selling businesses and laying off thousands of employees.
The bank’s restructuring plan involves selling/winding down underperforming businesses and retail franchises, trimming management layers and eliminating 20,000 jobs, or 10% of its total workforce, by the end of 2026.
Such strategies provide an illustrative roadmap to the company achieving its medium-term target of return on average tangible common shareholder equity of 11-12%. This reflects that management expects improvement in C’s performance.
Moreover, the company’s effort to focus on revenue growth and reduce expenses over the long term will positively impact its earnings growth and likely revive shareholders' confidence in the stock.
Over the past six months, shares of Citi have gained 22.3% compared with the industry’s 11.6% growth.
BlackRock, Inc. (BLK - Free Report) has been planning to eliminate 600 job positions. This accounts for nearly 3% of the company’s total global workforce.
Despite this elimination, BLK has been positive about its growth prospects. By the end of 2024, BlackRock expects to employ a larger workforce as it plans to expand certain parts of its business.
As part of its cost-saving plan, Truist Financial (TFC - Free Report) will likely shutter 4% of its branch network by March. Per the data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, TFC had 2,006 branches across 17 states and Washington, DC, as of Dec 29, 2023.
The primary reasons behind branch closures, as stated by Truist Financial spokesperson, are lower branch traffic and transaction volume. The spokesperson also noted that nine branches in North Carolina and seven in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area are slated to close by March.
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Citigroup (C) Pushed by the Fed to Speed up Risk Management
Troubles for Citigroup Inc. (C - Free Report) do not seem to end. The bank, which had begun revamping its underlying technology, risk management and internal controls as part of remediation highlighted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) and the Federal Reserve, is now being pushed by regulators to make urgent changes in the way it measures default risk of its trading partners.
In addition to this, the bank’s own auditors have found issues with a proposal to improve internal oversight, as reported by Reuters.
Notably, late last year, the Fed issued three notices concerning matters requiring immediate attention (MRIAs) to Citi. The MRIAs, which ranged from six months to a year, directed the bank to improve data and governance around how it sets aside capital to account for counterparty credit risks, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
In a separate incident, Citi’s internal audit unit said that some of the work related to risk management is not sufficient and that the bank has not fulfilled regulators’ requirements that the board of directors and the senior management team receive more information about firmwide risks.
The requirements relate to the bank’s ongoing risk management overhaul to address a pair of consent orders issued in 2020 by the Fed and the OCC.
In October 2020, regulators ordered Citi to improve its risk management and internal controls.
The OCC announced a $400-million fine against the company’s primary banking subsidiary and said that it would require Citi to seek the agency’s non-objection before making acquisitions.
Apart from this, the Fed said that it would require Citi to conduct a “gap analysis” of its risk management framework and internal controls system to determine what enhancements need to be made.
The above-mentioned consent orders from the OCC and the Fed followed several risk-related lapses at Citi, including an incorrect payment of $900 million made to the creditors of cosmetics company Revlon.
Moreover, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, the OCC conducted exams in September and October to assess whether Citi had made as much progress on data integrity as it claimed. But Citi failed the exams, which forced it to do additional work.
Citi stated, “Like any multi-year effort of this scale, progress isn’t linear and there are important learnings along the way that we’re incorporating into our efforts, including in the areas of regulatory reporting, infrastructure and data enhancement.”
Notably, the latest rebuke on Citi comes as CEO Jane Fraser enters her fourth year. The above-mentioned issues have made her task more complex as she carries out the company’s biggest overhaul in decades to boost profits and shares.
Currently, Citi is in the midst of a multi-year plan to improve efficiency and shareholder returns by simplifying its business structure, for which it is selling businesses and laying off thousands of employees.
The bank’s restructuring plan involves selling/winding down underperforming businesses and retail franchises, trimming management layers and eliminating 20,000 jobs, or 10% of its total workforce, by the end of 2026.
Such strategies provide an illustrative roadmap to the company achieving its medium-term target of return on average tangible common shareholder equity of 11-12%. This reflects that management expects improvement in C’s performance.
Moreover, the company’s effort to focus on revenue growth and reduce expenses over the long term will positively impact its earnings growth and likely revive shareholders' confidence in the stock.
Over the past six months, shares of Citi have gained 22.3% compared with the industry’s 11.6% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Currently, Citigroup carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Restructuring Efforts by Other Banks
BlackRock, Inc. (BLK - Free Report) has been planning to eliminate 600 job positions. This accounts for nearly 3% of the company’s total global workforce.
Despite this elimination, BLK has been positive about its growth prospects. By the end of 2024, BlackRock expects to employ a larger workforce as it plans to expand certain parts of its business.
As part of its cost-saving plan, Truist Financial (TFC - Free Report) will likely shutter 4% of its branch network by March. Per the data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, TFC had 2,006 branches across 17 states and Washington, DC, as of Dec 29, 2023.
The primary reasons behind branch closures, as stated by Truist Financial spokesperson, are lower branch traffic and transaction volume. The spokesperson also noted that nine branches in North Carolina and seven in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area are slated to close by March.