Monday, November 24, 2008

Citigroup says credit card loan losses will rise in the recession

Citigroup says losses in its credit card portfolio could rise between $US1 billion and $US2 billion each quarter from now through the first half of next year.
Citi's credit card losses could double over the next nine months.
Shares of Citigroup, which plans to slash 50,000 jobs worldwide, had declined 9.5 per cent to $US8.05 with just under an hour of trading remaining on Wall Street.
Citigroup also revealed its plans to change its accounting for a large portion of its risky, written-down assets. It will move about $US80 billion of the assets from its trading portfolio to either its held for investment, held to maturity or available for sale categories on its balance sheet.
Citigroup said that the company's capital position was strong and it was moving ahead with restructuring plans, which include an additional 50,000 job cuts.
Citi reported last month a $US2.8 billion net loss in its third quarter; its losses over the last four quarters totalled more than $US20 billion.