Citigroup - 10-K annual report 2011

OVERVIEW

Citigroup’s history dates back to the founding of Citibank in 1812. Citigroup’s original corporate predecessor was incorporated in 1988 under the laws of the State of Delaware. Following a series of transactions over a number of years, Citigroup Inc. was formed in 1998 upon the merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group Inc.
     Citigroup is a global diversified financial services holding company whose businesses provide consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services. Citi has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions.
     Citigroup currently operates, for management reporting purposes, via two primary business segments: Citicorp, consisting of Citi’s Global Consumer Banking businesses and Institutional Clients Group; and Citi Holdings, consisting of Brokerage and Asset Management, Local Consumer Lending and Special Asset Pool. For a further description of the business segments and the products and services they provide, see “Citigroup Segments” below, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
     Throughout this report, “Citigroup,” “Citi” and “the Company” refer to Citigroup Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
     Additional information about Citigroup is available on Citi’s Web site atwww.citigroup.com. Citigroup’s recent annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, proxy statements, as well as other filings with the SEC, are available free of charge through the Citi’s Web site by clicking on the “Investors” page and selecting “All SEC Filings.” The SEC’s Web site also contains current reports, information statements, and other information regarding Citi at www.sec.gov.
     Within this Form 10-K, please refer to the tables of contents on pages 3 and 129 for page references to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, respectively.
     At December 31, 2011, Citi had approximately 266,000 full-time employees compared to approximately 260,000 full-time employees at December 31, 2010.

     Please see “Risk Factors” below for a discussion of
certain risks and uncertainties that could materially impact
Citigroup’s financial condition and results of operations.

     Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior periods’ financial statements to conform to the current period’s presentation.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Market and Economic Environment
During 2011, Citigroup remained focused on executing its strategy of growth through increasing the returns on and investments in its core businesses of Citicorp—Global Consumer Banking and Institutional Clients Group—while continuing to reduce the assets and businesses within Citi Holdings in an economically rational manner. While Citi continued to make progress in these areas during the year, its 2011 operating results were impacted by the ongoing challenging operating environment, particularly in the second half of the year, as macroeconomic concerns, including in the U.S. and the Eurozone, weighed heavily on investor and corporate confidence. Market activity was down globally, with a particular impact on capital markets-related activities in the fourth quarter of 2011. This affected Citigroup’s results of operations in many businesses, including not only Securities and Banking, but also the Securities and Fund Services business in Transaction Services and investment sales in Global Consumer Banking. Citi believes that the European sovereign debt crisis and its potential impact on the global markets and growth will likely continue to create macro uncertainty and remain an issue until the market, investors and Citi’s clients and customers believe that a comprehensive resolution to the crisis is structured, and achievable. Such uncertainty could have a continued negative impact on investor activity, and thus on Citi’s activity levels and results of operations, in 2012.
     Compounding this continuing macroeconomic uncertainty is the ongoing uncertainty facing Citigroup and its businesses as a result of the numerous regulatory initiatives underway, both in the U.S. and internationally. As of December 31, 2011, regulatory changes in significant areas, such as Citi’s future capital requirements and prudential standards, the proposed implementation of the “Volcker Rule” and the proposed regulation of the derivatives markets, were incomplete and significant rulemaking and interpretation remained. See “Risk Factors—Regulatory Risks” below. The continued uncertainty, including the potential costs, associated with the actual implementation of these changes will continue to require significant attention by Citi’s management. In addition, it is also not clear what the cumulative impact of regulatory reform will be.

Expenses
Citigroup expenses were $50.9 billion in 2011, up $3.6 billion, or 8%, compared to 2010. Over two-thirds of this increase resulted from higher legal and related costs (approximately $1.5 billion) and higher repositioning charges (approximately $200 million, including severance) as compared to 2010, as well as the impact of FX translation (approximately $800 million). Excluding these items, expenses were up $1.0 billion, or 2%, compared to the prior year.
     Investment spending was $3.9 billion higher in 2011, of which roughly half was funded with efficiency savings, primarily in operations and technology, labor reengineering and business support functions (e.g., call centers and collections) of $1.9 billion. The $3.9 billion increase in investment spending in 2011 included higher investments in Global Consumer Banking ($1.6 billion, including incremental cards marketing campaigns and new branch openings), Securities and Banking (approximately $800 million, including new hires and technology investments) and Transaction Services(approximately $600 million, including new mandates and platform enhancements), as well as additional firm-wide initiatives and investments to comply with regulatory requirements. All other expense increases, including higher volume-related costs in Citicorp, were more than offset by a decline in Citi Holdings expenses. While Citi will continue some level of incremental investment spending in its businesses going forward, Citi currently believes these increases in investments will be self-funded through ongoing reengineering and efficiency savings. Accordingly, Citi believes that the increased level of investment spending incurred during the latter part of 2010 and 2011 was largely completed by year end 2011.
     Citicorp expenses were $39.6 billion in 2011, up $3.5 billion, or 10%, compared to 2010. Over one-third of this increase resulted from higher legal and related costs and higher repositioning charges (including severance) as compared to 2010, as well as the impact of FX translation. The remainder of the increase was primarily driven by investment spending (as described above), partially offset by ongoing productivity savings and other expense reductions.
     Citi Holdings expenses were $8.8 billion in 2011, down $824 million, or 9%, principally due to the continued decline in assets, partially offset by higher legal and related costs.

Capital and Loan Loss Reserve Positions
Citigroup’s capital and loan loss reserve positions remained strong at year end 2011. Citigroup’s Tier 1 Capital ratio was 13.6% and the Tier 1 Common ratio was 11.8%.
     Citigroup’s total allowance for loan losses was $30.1 billion at year end 2011, or 4.7% of total loans, down from $40.7 billion, or 6.3% of total loans, at the end of the prior year. The decline in the total allowance for loan losses reflected asset sales, lower non-accrual loans, and overall continued improvement in the credit quality of Citi’s loan portfolios. The Consumer allowance for loan losses was $27.2 billion, or 6.45%, of total Consumer loans at year end 2011, compared to $35.4 billion, or 7.80%, of total Consumer loans at year end 2010. See details of “Credit Loss Experience—Allowance for Loan Losses” below for additional information on Citi’s loan loss coverage ratios as of December 31, 2011.
     Citigroup’s non-accrual loans of $11.2 billion at year end 2011 declined 42% from the prior year, and the allowance for loan losses represented 268% of non-accrual loans.

Citicorp
Citicorp net income of $14.4 billion in 2011 decreased by $269 million, or 2%, from the prior year. Excluding CVA/DVA, Citicorp’s net income declined $1.6 billion, or 10.6%, to $13.4 billion in 2011, reflecting lower revenues and higher operating expenses, partially offset by the significantly lower credit costs. Asia and Latin America contributed roughly half of Citicorp’s net income for the year.
     Citicorp revenues were $64.6 billion, down $989 million, or 2%, from 2010. Excluding CVA/DVA, revenues of $62.8 billion were down $3.1 billion, or 5%, as compared to 2010. Net interest revenues decreased by $450 million, or 1%, to $38.1 billion, as lower revenues in North America Regional Consumer Banking and Securities and Banking more than offset growth in Latin America and Asia Regional Consumer Banking and Transaction Services. Non-interest revenues, excluding CVA/DVA, declined by $2.7 billion, or 10%, to $24.7 billion in 2011 as compared to 2010, driven by lower revenues in Securities and Banking.
     Global Consumer Banking revenues of $32.6 billion were up $211 million year-over-year, as continued growth in Asia and Latin America Regional Consumer Banking was partially offset by lower revenues in North America Regional Consumer Banking. The 2011 results in Global Consumer Banking included continued momentum in Citi’s international regions, as well as early signs of growth in its North America business:

Citi Holdings
Citi Holdings’ net loss of $(2.6) billion in 2011 improved by $1.6 billion as compared to the net loss in 2010. The improvement in 2011 reflected a significant decline in credit costs and lower operating expenses, given the continued decline in assets, partially offset by lower revenues.
     While Citi Holdings’ impact on Citi has been declining, it will likely continue to present a headwind for Citi’s overall performance due to, among other factors, the lower percentage of interest-earning assets remaining in Citi Holdings, the slower pace of asset reductions and the transfer of the substantial majority of retail partner cards out of Citi Holdings into Citicorp—North America Regional Consumer Banking in the first quarter of 2012. During the first quarter of 2012, Citi will republish its historical segment reporting for Citicorp and Citi Holdings to reflect this transfer in prior periods. The adjusted net loss in Citi Holdings for these historical periods will be higher than previously reported, as the retail partner cards business in Local Consumer Lending was the primary source of profitability in Citi Holdings.
     Citi Holdings’ revenues declined 33% to $12.9 billion from the prior year. Net interest revenues decreased by $4.5 billion, or 30%, to $10.3 billion, primarily due to the decline in assets, including lower interest-earning assets in theSpecial Asset Pool. Non-interest revenues declined by $1.9 billion, or 42%, to $2.6 billion in 2011, driven by lower gains on asset sales and other revenue marks as compared to 2010, as well as divestitures.

2011 vs. 2010
Net income increased $1.9 billion as compared to the prior year, driven by higher loan loss reserve releases and an improvement in net credit losses, partly offset by lower revenues and higher expenses. Citi does not expect the same level of loan loss reserve releases in NA RCB in 2012 as it believes credit costs in the business have generally stabilized.

     Net interest revenue decreased 8%, driven primarily by lower cards net interest margin which was negatively impacted by the look-back provision of The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act (CARD Act). As previously disclosed, the look-back provision of the CARD Act generally requires a review to be done once every six months for card accounts where the annual percentage rate (APR) has been increased since January 1, 2009 to assess whether changes in credit risk, market conditions or other factors merit a future decline in the APR. In addition, net interest margin for cards was negatively impacted by higher promotional balances and lower total average loans. As a result, cards net interest revenue as a percentage of average loans decreased to 9.48% from 10.28% in the prior year. Citi expects margin growth to remain under pressure into 2012 given the continued investment spending in the business during 2012, which largely began in the second half of 2011.
     Non-interest revenuedecreased 9%, primarily due to lower gains from the sale of mortgage loans as Citi held more loans on-balance sheet. In addition, the decline in non-interest revenue reflected lower banking fee income.
     Expensesincreased 19%, primarily driven by the higher investment spending in the business during the second half of 2011, particularly in cards marketing and technology, and increases in litigation accruals related to the interchange litigation (see Note 29 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).
    Provisions decreased $5.5 billion, or 71%, primarily due to a loan loss reserve release of $2.7 billion in 2011, compared to a loan loss reserve release of $0.3 billion in 2010, and lower net credit losses in the Citi-branded cards portfolio. Cards net credit losses were down $3.0 billion, or 39%, from 2010, and the net credit loss ratio decreased 366 basis points to 6.36% for 2011. The decline in credit costs was driven by improving credit conditions as well as continued stricter underwriting criteria, which lowered the cards risk profile. As referenced above, Citi believes the improvements in, and Citi’s resulting benefit from, declining credit costs in NA RCB will likely slow into 2012.

2011 vs. 2010
Net income declined 14% as compared to the prior year as an improvement in net credit losses was partially offset by lower revenues and higher expenses from increased investment spending. During 2011, the U.S. dollar generally depreciated versus local currencies. As a result, the impact of FX translation accounted for an approximately 1% growth in revenues and expenses, respectively.
     Revenues declined 2% driven by the continued liquidation of higher yielding non-strategic customer portfolios and a lower contribution from Akbank, Citi’s equity investment in Turkey. The revenue decline was partly offset by the impact of FX translation and improved underlying trends in the core lending portfolio, discussed below.
    Net interest revenuedeclined 3% due to the continued decline in the higher yielding non-strategic retail banking portfolio and spread compression in the Citi-branded cards portfolio. Interest rate caps on credit cards, particularly in Turkey and Poland, contributed to the lower spreads in the cards portfolio.

2010 vs. 2009
Net income improved by $313 million, driven by the reduction in credit costs, partly offset by lower revenues and higher expenses. During 2010, the U.S. dollar generally appreciated versus local currencies. As a result, the impact of FX translation accounted for an approximately 1% decline in revenues and expenses, respectively.
     Revenues declined 3% driven by FX translation and the continued liquidation of non-strategic customer portfolios. Net interest revenue was 5% lower due to the continued decline in the higher yielding non-strategic retail banking portfolio. In 2010, Citi focused its lending strategy around higher credit quality customers who tend to revolve less, meaning they have lower average balances than customers previously had. While this led to lower credit costs, it also negatively impactedNet interest revenue as customers paid off their loans more quickly. Non-interest revenue increased 1%, reflecting higher investment sales and a higher contribution from Citi’s equity investment in Akbank.
     Expenses increased 5%, due to account acquisition-focused investment spending and volumes. As the average customer credit quality improved, Citi focused on volume growth to compensate for the lower revenue. The expansion of the sales force in 2010 drove some of the expense increase as compared to 2009.
     Provisions decreased 75% from the prior year driven by reduction in net credit losses and higher loan loss reserve releases. Net credit losses decreased 33%, reflecting continued credit quality improvement and the move to lower risk products.

2011 vs. 2010
Net income declined 11% as lower loan loss reserve releases more than offset increased operating margin. During 2011, the U.S. dollar generally depreciated versus local currencies. As a result, FX translation contributed approximately 2% to the growth in each of revenues and expenses.
     Revenues increased 9% primarily due to higher volumes as well as the impact of FX translation.Net interest revenueincreased 8% driven by the continued growth in lending and deposit volumes, partially offset by continued spread compression. The declining rate environment negatively impactedNet interest revenue as interest revenue declined at a faster pace than interest expense. Spread compression was also driven by the continued move towards customers with a lower risk profile and stricter underwriting criteria, especially in the branded cards portfolio.Non-interest revenue increased 11%, predominantly driven by an increase in banking fee income from credit card purchase sales, which grew 22%.

2010 vs. 2009
Net income increased $1.4 billion driven by lower credit costs as Citi released reserves in 2010 as compared to reserve builds in 2009. During 2010, the U.S. dollar generally appreciated versus local currencies. As a result, FX translation contributed approximately 5% to the decline in both revenues and expenses.
     Revenues increased 10%. Net interest revenue increased 11% as higher loan volumes, particularly in the retail bank, offset the effect of spread compression. Spread compression was driven by the lower interest rates and move towards the above referenced lower risk customer base. Non-interest revenue increased 8% due to higher banking fee income from increased purchase sale activity and FX translation.
     Expenses increased 13% due to FX translation as well as higher volumes and transaction-related expenses as economic conditions improved. The increase in expenses was also due to increased investment spending, including new cards acquisitions and new branches.
     Provisions decreased 61% primarily reflecting loan loss reserve releases of $823 million compared to a build of $463 million in the prior year as well as a $564 million improvement in net credit losses. The increase in loan loss reserve releases and decrease in net credit losses primarily resulted from improved credit conditions and portfolio quality in the Citi-branded cards portfolio, primarily in Mexico, as well as the move to customers with a lower risk profile and stricter underwriting criteria referenced above.

2011 vs. 2010
Net income decreased 10%, driven by higher operating expenses, lower loan loss reserve releases and a higher effective tax rate, partially offset by growth in revenue. The higher effective tax rate was due to lower tax benefits (APB 23) and a tax charge of $66 million due to a write-down in the value of deferred tax assets due to a change in the tax law, each in Japan. During 2011, the U.S. dollar generally depreciated versus local currencies. As a result, the impact of FX translation accounted for an approximately 5% growth in revenues and expenses.
     Revenues increased 8%, primarily driven by higher business volumes and the impact of FX translation, partially offset by continued spread compression and $65 million of net charges relating to the repurchase of certain Lehman

     Expenses increased 13% due to continued investment spending, growth in business volumes, repositioning charges and higher legal and related expenses, as well as the impact of FX translation, partially offset by ongoing productivity savings. The increase in the level of incremental investment spending in the business was largely completed at the end of 2011.
     Provisions increased 13% as lower loan loss reserve releases were partially offset by lower net credit losses. The increase in credit provisions reflected the increasing volumes in the region, partially offset by continued credit quality improvement. India remained a significant driver of the improvement in credit quality, as it continued to de-risk elements of its legacy portfolio. Citi believes that provisions could continue to increase as the portfolio continues to grow and season.