지금 정부에서 citi지분을 40%로 올리기 위한 협상이 진행중이라고 하는군요. 지난주에 정부에서는 C와 BAC에대한 국유화계획이 없다고 밝혔는데 이번엔 citi쪽에서 먼저 정부에 지분율을 늘려줄것을 요청했다는 예기가 흘러 나오고 있습니다. 그만큼 citi의 내부사정이 생각보다 상당히 안좋다는 말인데, BAC는 잘 버틸지…. 이번주 부터는 연방 금융감독기구에서 각 금융기관에 대한 stress test도 시작되는데 BAC도 상태가 어느정도인지 결과가 나오겠죠.

아무튼, 시간이 지날수록 비관론자들이 꾸준히 주장하고있는 nationalization이 힘을얻고 있는것같군요.

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Citigroup in Talks That May Raise Government’s Stake, WSJ Says

By Brett Miller

Feb. 23 (Bloomberg) — Citigroup Inc., the recipient of $45 billion in U.S. government aid, is in talks with federal officials that may increase state ownership of the bank, the Wall Street Journal said.

The government may end up holding as much as 40 percent of Citigroup’s common stock, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the situation it didn’t identify. Citigroup spokesman Jon Diat declined to comment on the report.

Citigroup, which slumped 22 percent in New York trading Feb. 20 on concern it may be nationalized, proposed to its regulators that the government convert a large portion of its preferred shares into common stock in a transaction that wouldn’t cost taxpayers more money, the Journal reported. Another taxpayer- funded bailout would probably cost Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit his job, the report said.

Investors including William Smith of Smith Asset Management in New York have blamed Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s failure to clarify his intentions regarding Citigroup and Bank of America Corp. for hurting the companies’ stocks. Citigroup shares have tumbled 71 percent this year and Bank of America is down 73 percent, ranking the banks among the 10 worst performers on the S&P 500 index.

Citigroup shares traded in Tokyo reversed earlier losses, gaining 3.8 percent to 230 yen at 12:58 p.m. local time after slumping as much as much as 18 percent to a record low. The stock has lost 94 percent since Citigroup listed shares on the bourse on Nov. 5, 2007 — the day former CEO Charles Prince was ousted.

Nationalization Concern

“It’s the right move” for the U.S., said Winson Fong, who helps oversee $2 billion at SG Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd. “This should have happened much earlier. To rescue a bank, you need to give it more capital.”

Banks may have to be nationalized for “a short time” to help lenders such as Citigroup and Bank of America survive the worst economic slump in 75 years, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said on Feb. 20. Bank of America and Citigroup have received a combined $90 billion in U.S. aid in four months.

The administration of President Barack Obama said on Feb. 20 that a “privately held” banking system is the “correct way to go” and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said nationalization ought “to be avoided.”

Citigroup, which is trading at its lowest level in 18 years, would prefer the government stake in the New York-based company to be closer to 25 percent, the Journal said.

Citigroup’s capital base is “strong” and Tier 1 capital ratio, a measure of its ability to absorb losses, was 11.9 percent at the end of the fourth quarter, “among the highest in the industry,” spokeswoman Shannon Bell said last week.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brett Miller in Tokyo at bmiller30@bloomberg.net;