Shanghai Daily: Business - shanghaidaily.com
CITIGROUP Inc, the biggest US bank, may cut its dividend by 40 percent to preserve capital and write down more fixed income securities than it has told investors to expect, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The New York bank may write off US$18.7 billion in collateralized debt obligations such as subprime mortgages, up from its November 4 estimate of as much as US$11 billion, Goldman's William F. Tanona wrote in a note on Wednesday. Citigroup, which paid out 54 cents each quarter this year, will have to raise US$6.2 billion in extra capital to reach its target, they wrote. "It will be a couple of quarters before the current credit crisis is fully digested by the markets," wrote Tanona, who has a "sell" rating on the stock. "Given the magnitude of the writedowns we assume and Citi's remaining exposure, we believe the firm has a serious need to preserve or raise additional capital." Chief Executive Officer Charles O. "Chuck" Prince III