Citibank Argentina

Overview

Citibank Argentina was established in 1914 as the Buenos Aires branch of the National City Bank of New York, and the first of any United States bank in Argentina. The bank remained a secondary name in Argentine banking; but earned renown for the quality of its services: its Paylink payment processing network made it the first bank in Argentina to earn an ISO 9000 (1997), and in 2002, Citiservice y Citiphone Banking earned the institution an ISO 9002 certification.

The president of Citicorp Argentina during the 1990s, H. Richard Handley, had been raised in Argentina with the chairman of Citigroup at the time, John S. Reed, and obtained his support for the bank's lucrative participation in the 1990 sale of the state telephone concern ENTel. Under bank president Carlos Fedrigotti, the bank acquired Buenos Airesbased Banco Mayo in 1998, stabilizing the insolvent institution's finances, and doubling Citibank's network.

Losses registered during the 1998–2002 Argentine great depression prompted an investigation in 2004 by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

In 1999, the division acquired Provencred; it was sold to Banco Comafi in 2009.

In April 2017, its retail division was sold to Banco Santander Argentina. At that time, the bank had US$1.4 billion in assets and provided credit cards, personal loans, deposit accounts, and a retail brokerage business.

Headquarters

The headquarters of Citibank Argentina, at Bartolomé Mitre 502, are in the heart of the Buenos Aires financial district, and face the offices of the Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires and Banco Santander Argentina, two of its largest competitors. The building, notable for its Art Deco façade and main hall, was designed by Luis Aberastain Oro and Lyman Dudley, and completed in 1929. The building was also known in its early decades for the Club Americano, a social club located on the top floor, and popular with Buenos Aires' sizable American expatriate community.

References

References

1. [https://www.argentina.citibank.com/laar/aboutciti/arhist.htm Citi en Argentina] {{webarchive. link. (2011-07-08 {{in lang). es
2. [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/19/us/deal-century-debt-riches-citicorp-special-report-argentine-bonanza-helped-big.html?pagewanted=all ''New York Times'' (April 19, 1994)]
3. (28 October 1998). "El Central adjudicará el Banco Mayo al Citibank". La Nación.
4. Teather, David. (6 May 2004). "New SEC inquiry into Citigroup". [[The Guardian]].
5. Taub, Stephen. (May 7, 2004). "SEC Probes Citigroup Argentine Business". [[CFO (magazine).
6. O'Brien, Timothy L.. (May 6, 2004). "U.S. Looking At Citigroup's Accounting In Argentina". [[The New York Times]].
7. (2009). "GRUPO COMAFI COMPRÓ PROVENCRED A DINERS". Banco Comafi.
8. Abbasi, Rahat Anwaar. (3 April 2017). "Santander Río completes acquisition of Citibank's Argentine unit". [[S&P Global]].
9. Mishra, Parikshit. (9 October 2016). "Citi sells Argentinian consumer unit a day after Brazil sale". [[Reuters]].
10. (October 21, 2016). "Banco Santander Rio’s Acquisition of Citi’s Consumer Banking Business in Argentina". [[Cravath, Swaine & Moore]].
11. ''Nuestra Arquitectura'' (January 1930): El nuevo edificio del National City Bank of New York.