Citi Drops Wachovia Talks, Will Still Sue for Damages

Merger would create three banks with 30% of all deposits

(NEWSER) - Wells Fargo appeared to be close last night to forging a deal to buy struggling Wachovia, the nations's fourth-largest bank, reports the Wall Street Journal. Federal regulators pressured Wachovia to seek a suitor after its share prices plunged 47% last week. Citigroup was also in talks, but Wells now appears to be the preferred bidder, sources said. More»

Fed massaged some figures to portray banks as healthy

(NEWSER) - Some major banks managed to cajole the government into using more optimistic figures in its "stress test" results, insiders tell the Washington Post. Banks like Citigroup—eager to show they were healthy and didn't need more help from the government—were given credit for pending moves to raise capital, resulting in the report showing shortages of capital well below what many experts had predicted. More»

(NEWSER) - A sign of the times: Citibank shares are now eligible for your local dollar store. The bank’s shares fell below $1 for the first time ever today in trading, MarketWatch reports. They reached 97¢ at midday, about 2 years after trading at an all-time high of $57. Investors apparently have little faith that Citi, which has received $45 billion in government aid, can rebound. More»

As red ink continues to flow, more experts say some nationalization is likely

(NEWSER) - With US banks likely to need as much as $2 trillion in capital in coming months, more experts are seeing semi-nationalization as a distinct possibility, writes Reuters reporter Dan Wilchins. The government already is using its $700 billion bailout to put pressure on banks. The Obama administration is on record as saying that it will push banks seeking federal funds for more concessions, specifically limiting dividends and executive pay. More»

Tough road ahead for merged financial institutions

(NEWSER) - Bank of America and Wells Fargo completed their respective takeovers of Merrill Lynch and Wachovia this week, expected developments that close the books on a year of unprecedented change in the banking industry, Reuters reports. The acquisition of Merrill makes BoA the largest US bank by assets, with $2.7 trillion, while Wells Fargo is now fourth, with $1.4 trillion. More»