Thread: Citigroup to buy back $7 billion in securities

WASHINGTON - Citigroup Inc. will buy back more than $7 billion in auction-rate securities and pay $100 million in fines as part of settlements with federal and state regulators, who said the bank marketed the investments as safe despite liquidity risks.
Citigroup will buy back the securities from tens of thousands of investors nationwide under separate accords announced Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and other state regulators. The buybacks must be completed by November.
The nation’s largest financial institution also will pay a $50 million civil penalty to New York state and a separate $50 million civil penalty to the North American Securities Administrators Association, which represents securities regulators in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The SEC also will consider levying a fine on Citigroup, the agency’s enforcement director Linda Thomsen, said at a news conference.
In addition, New York-based Citigroup agreed to make its best efforts to liquidate by the end of next year all of the roughly $12 billion of auction-rate securities it sold to retirement plans and other institutional investors.....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26073427/