New Regulatory Communications Slap Citi Earnings and Ratios Lower

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By Jon C. Ogg Updated Published

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Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) has just used the children’s game excuse of “Do Over!” for the third-quarter earnings. Citi announced after the close that it is lowering its previously reported third-quarter 2014 financial results. What seems to be happening is a rapidly developing regulatory situation, and this would be deemed material information ahead of its formal 10-Q filing.

This effort is not just lowered preliminary earnings. It lowered book value and capital ratios.

Citigroup said the lower earnings are due to a $600 million increase in legal accruals. Citi said, “The increase resulted from rapidly-evolving regulatory inquiries and investigations, including very recent communications with certain regulatory agencies related to previously-disclosed matters.”

The financial impact lowers Citi’s third-quarter 2014 net income from $3.4 billion to $2.8 billion. As this was disclosed in the 10-Q filing, it now takes earnings per share down to $0.88 from $1.07, and it lowers the firm’s Tier 1 Capital Ratio to 10.66% from 10.74%. Also, the firm’s book value was lowered to $67.11 from $67.31 per share.

This is one of those situations that we are calling a restatement, although technically it might be considered a formal restatement only if the company had already filed its 10-Q and then had to go back and adjust that filing.

ALSO READ: 8 Companies That Just Destroyed Investor Prospects

Citigroup shares closed up almost 1% at $53.15, against a 52-week range of $45.18 to $55.28, and shares were down 2% at $52.05 in the after-hours reaction. Stay tuned.

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About the Author Jon C. Ogg →

Jon Ogg has been a financial news analyst since 1997. Mr. Ogg set up one of the first audio squawk box services for traders called TTN, which he sold in 2003. He has previously worked as a licensed broker to some of the top U.S. and E.U. financial institutions, managed capital, and has raised private capital at the seed and venture stage. He has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as New York and Chicago, and he now lives in Houston, Texas. Jon received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance at University of Houston in 1992. www.247wallst.com.

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