Late last week Citibank warned the markets that more big writedowns were expected in quarter 2. They are also looking at more credit losses in the face of what they called unprecedented conditions in the market.
Following the announcement shares on the NYSE fell by over 4 percent, recovering by the end of trading though still down 1 percent. The markets have already seen disappointing results from other major financial players, leading many to feel that the credit crunch is going to hurt companies for some time to come. Citibank made a lot of their money in the sub-prime lending market so have been hit hard by the meltdown in this area.
As well as the mortgage difficulties they experienced Citibank are now seeing the credit crunch hitting their credit card arm too, with business really slowing down as consumers feel the need to rein in their spending.
The new management team at Northern Rock is looking into whether they can take legal action against the previous board that led the bank into such difficulties last year.
At the moment the matter is in the hands of lawyers acting on behalf of Northern Rock who are in the process of looking into the situation to determine what can be done. Only after their analysis is complete will there be any decision made on pursuing the matter through the courts.
Elsewhere at Northern Rock the bank is aiming to increase the debt collection part of its business by well over 100 percent as they plan for the financial difficulties that may face their customers in the future. There are currently around 170 people in this particular department though that number will be closer to 450 after the extra staff have been brought on board.
Citibank has revealed that it intends to reduce its portfolio having suffered at the hands of the sub prime lending difficulties in the USA.
Of all the financial institutions to suffer over the American mortgage problems Citibank felt the pain more than any other. The sub prime area of lending is one that they were heavily involved in. Due to this they are to sell around 20 percent of their assets over the next couple of years, worth around USD400 billion.
They have already announced the areas of business where the cuts will be made, namely consumer banking and securities banking. Citibank has stated it has an objective of generating revenue growth of 10 percent within 36 months, and these cuts are part of their plan. By freeing up resources they can focus more on the areas where growth can be achieved whilst reducing their exposure to potentially difficult markets.
