Feds, Citigroup Close In on Rescue Deal

Merger or sale become options as bank scrambles to stop the drop

(NEWSER) - Citigroup is keeping all its options on the table as its share price plunges—including selling itself, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. The battered giant's share price plummeted another 26% yesterday—its worst one-day hit ever—chalking up an 83% dive for the year. Directors plan crisis talks today. More»

New book says Obama's team routinely undermined him

(NEWSER) - In March 2009, in the throes of the financial crisis, Barack Obama told Tim Geithner to focus on a proposal to dissolve Citigroup—but the Treasury Secretary ignored him and never developed a plan, according to former Wall Street Journal reporter Ron Suskind’s new book Confidence Men. In the book, which was obtained early by the AP and the New York Times , Suskind writes that Obama’s “authority was being systematically undermined or hedged by his seasoned advisers.” More»

(NEWSER) - Citigroup will raise salaries for investment bankers and traders as much as 50% to offset a steep falloff in bonus pay and keep the company’s compensation package competitive, Bloomberg reports. Other employees, like those in the consumer banking section, will receive smaller raises. Citi, which took $45 billion in federal bailout funds, also plans to offer its employees stock options to keep them on. More»

$400M, over decades, will generate lots of publicity, help pay back bailout funds

(NEWSER) - Citi’s $400 million naming-rights deal with the New York Mets may seem “tone-deaf and stupid” after the bank took $45 billion in bailout funds, Daniel Gross writes in Newsweek—but it’s a good idea. “Companies—even companies getting bailed out by the feds—need to attract customers and to build their brand image.” And Citi’s exposure will be huge on TV, in print, and, yes, at the ballpark. More»

Good news from RIM, Oracle help lift tech sector

(NEWSER) - Stocks ended mixed today as a rally on the news of a White House bailout for the auto industry fizzled over concerns for the larger economy, MarketWatch reports. General Motors led advancing stocks with a 22.7% gain, and the Dow closed up 25.88 at 8,579.11. The Nasdaq gained 11.95, closing at 1,564.32, while the S&P 500 rose 2.60, to settle at 887.88. More»