Citigroup (C)

Highly Leveraged Financing Commitments

        The Company reports approximately $900 million of highly leveraged loans as held for sale, which are measured on a LOCOM basis. The fair value of such exposures is determined, where possible, using quoted secondary-market prices and classified in Level 2 of the fair-value hierarchy if there is a sufficient level of activity in the market and quotes or traded prices are available with suitable frequency.

        However, due to the dislocation of the credit markets and the reduced market interest in higher risk/higher yield instruments since the latter half of 2007, liquidity in the market for highly leveraged financings has been limited. Therefore, a majority of such exposures are classified in Level 3 as quoted secondary market prices do not generally exist. The fair value for such exposures is determined using quoted prices for a similar asset or assets, adjusted for the specific attributes of the loan being valued.

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Highly Leveraged Financing Commitments

The Company reports a number of highly leveraged loans as held for sale, which are measured on a LOCOM basis. The fair value of such exposures is determined, where possible, using quoted secondary-market prices and classified in Level 2 of the fair-value hierarchy if there is a sufficient level of activity in the market and quotes or traded prices are available with suitable frequency.

However, due to the dislocation of the credit markets and the reduced market interest in higher risk/higher yield instruments since the latter half of 2007, liquidity in the market for highly leveraged financings has been limited. Therefore, a majority of such exposures are classified in Level 3 as quoted secondary market prices do not generally exist. The fair value for such exposures is determined using quoted prices for a similar asset or assets, adjusted for the specific attributes of the loan being valued.

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Highly Leveraged Financing Commitments

        The Company reports approximately $900 million of highly leveraged loans as held for sale, which are measured on a LOCOM basis. The fair value of such exposures is determined, where possible, using quoted secondary-market prices and

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classified in Level 2 of the fair-value hierarchy if there is a sufficient level of activity in the market and quotes or traded prices are available with suitable frequency.

        However, due to the dislocation of the credit markets and the reduced market interest in higher risk/higher yield instruments since the latter half of 2007, liquidity in the market for highly leveraged financings has been limited. Therefore, a majority of such exposures are classified in Level 3 as quoted secondary market prices do not generally exist. The fair value for such exposures is determined using quoted prices for a similar asset or assets, adjusted for the specific attributes of the loan being valued.

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Table of Contents

Highly Leveraged Financing Commitments

The Company reports a number of highly leveraged loans as held for sale, which are measured on a LOCOM basis. The fair value of such exposures is determined, where possible, using quoted secondary-market prices and classified in Level 2 of the fair-value hierarchy if there is a sufficient level of activity in the market and quotes or traded prices are available with suitable frequency.

However, due to the dislocation of the credit markets and the reduced market interest in higher risk/higher yield instruments since the latter half of 2007, liquidity in the market for highly leveraged financings has been limited. Therefore, a majority of such exposures are classified in Level 3 as quoted secondary market prices do not generally exist. The fair value for such exposures is determined using quoted prices for a similar asset or assets, adjusted for the specific attributes of the loan being valued.

Highly Leveraged Financing Commitments

        Included in the line item "Commercial and other consumer loan commitments" in the table above are highly leveraged financing commitments, which are agreements that provide funding to a borrower with higher levels of debt (measured by the ratio of debt capital to equity capital of the borrower) than is generally the case for other companies. Highly leveraged financing has been commonly employed in corporate acquisitions, management buy-outs and similar transactions.

        In these financings, debt service (that is, principal and interest payments) absorbs a significant portion of the cash flows generated by the borrower's business. Consequently, the risk that the borrower may not be able to meet its debt obligations is greater. Due to this risk, the interest rates and fees charged for this type of financing are generally higher than other types of financing.

        Prior to funding, highly leveraged financing commitments are assessed for impairment in accordance with SFAS 5 and losses are recorded when they are probable and reasonably estimable. For the portion of loan commitments that relate to loans that will be held for investment, loss estimates are made based on the borrower's ability to repay the facility according to its contractual terms. For the portion of loan commitments that relate to loans that will be held for sale, loss estimates are made in reference to current conditions in the resale market (both interest rate risk and credit risk are considered in the estimate). Loan origination, commitment, underwriting, and other fees are netted against any recorded losses.

        Citigroup generally manages the risk associated with highly leveraged financings it has entered into by seeking to sell a majority of its exposures to the market prior to or shortly after funding. In certain cases, all or a portion of a highly leveraged financing to be retained is hedged with credit derivatives or other hedging instruments. Thus, when a highly leveraged financing is funded, Citigroup records the resulting loan as follows:

•

The portion that Citigroup will seek to sell is recorded as a loan held-for-sale in Other Assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheet, and measured at the lower-of-cost-or-market (LOCOM)



•

The portion that will be retained is recorded as a loan held-for-investment in Loans and measured at amortized cost less impairment.

        Due to the dislocation of the credit markets and the reduced market interest in higher risk/higher yield instruments since the latter half of 2007, liquidity in the market for highly leveraged financings has been limited.

        Citigroup's exposures for highly leveraged financings totaled $23 billion at September 30, 2008 ($10 billion funded, recorded as loans-held-for-sale in other assets and carried at LOCOM, and $13 billion in unfunded commitments). This compares to total commitments of $43 billion ($22 billion funded and $21 billion unfunded) at December 31, 2007. During the third quarter of 2008, the Company recorded an incremental net $792 million pretax write down on its highly leveraged financing commitments as a result of the reduction in liquidity in the market for such instruments. This brings the cumulative write-downs for the nine months of 2008 to $4.3 billion pretax.

        On April 17, 2008, the Company completed the transfer of approximately $12 billion of loans to third parties, of which $8.5 billion relates to highly leveraged loans and commitments. In these transactions, the third parties purchased subordinate interests backed by the transferred loans. These subordinate interests absorb first loss on the transferred loans and provide the third parties with control of the loans. The Company retained senior debt securities backed by the transferred loans. These senior debt securities have a fair value of approximately $8.3 billion as of September 30, 2008 and are the Company's sole remaining risk with respect to the transferred loans. The Company purchased protection on these retained senior positions from the third party subordinate interest holders via total return swaps. The credit risk in the total return swap is protected through margin arrangements that provide for both initial margin as well as additional margin at specified triggers. These transactions were accounted for as sales of the transferred loans. The loans were removed from the balance sheet and the retained securities are classified as available-for-sale securities on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Due to the initial cash margin received and the existing margin requirements on the total return swaps, and the substantive subordinate investments made by third parties, the Company believes that the transactions largely mitigate the Company's risk related to these transferred loans.

78

Highly Leveraged Financing Commitments

        Included in the line item "Commercial and other consumer loan commitments" in the table above are highly leveraged financing commitments, which are agreements that provide funding to a borrower with higher levels of debt (measured by the ratio of debt capital to equity capital of the borrower) than is generally the case for other companies. Highly leveraged financing is commonly employed in corporate acquisitions, management buy-outs and similar transactions.

        As a result, debt service (that is, principal and interest payments) absorbs a significant portion of the cash flows generated by the borrower's business. Consequently, the risk that the borrower may not be able to meet its debt obligations is greater. Due to this risk, the interest rates and fees charged for this type of financing are generally higher than other types of financing.

        Prior to funding, highly leveraged financing commitments are assessed for impairment in accordance with SFAS 5 and losses are recorded when they are probable and reasonably estimable. For the portion of loan commitments that relate to loans that will be held for investment, loss estimates are made based on the borrower's ability to repay the facility according to its contractual terms. For the portion of loan commitments that relate to loans that will be held for sale, loss estimates are made in reference to current conditions in the resale market (both interest rate risk and credit risk are considered in the estimate). Loan origination, commitment, underwriting, and other fees are netted against any recorded losses.

        Citigroup generally manages the risk associated with highly leveraged financings it generally has entered into by seeking to sell a majority of its exposures to the market prior to or shortly after funding. In certain cases, all or a portion of a highly leveraged financing to be retained is hedged with credit derivatives or other hedging instruments. Thus, when a highly leveraged financing is funded, Citigroup records the resulting loan as follows:

•

The portion that Citigroup will seek to sell is recorded as a loan held-for-sale in Other Assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheet, and measured at the lower-of-cost-or-market (LOCOM)



•

The portion that will be retained is recorded as a loan held-for-investment in Loans and measured at amortized cost less impairment.

        Due to the dislocation of the credit markets and the reduced market interest in higher risk/higher yield instruments since the latter half of 2007, liquidity in the market for highly leveraged financings has been limited.

        Citigroup's exposures for highly leveraged financings totaled $24 billion at June 30, 2008 ($11 billion funded, recorded as loans-held-for-sale in other assets and carried at LOCOM, and $13 billion in unfunded commitments). This compares to total commitments of $43 billion ($22 billion funded and $21 billion unfunded) at December 31, 2007. During the second quarter of 2008, the Company recorded an incremental net $428 million pretax write down on its highly leveraged financing commitments as a result of the reduction in liquidity in the market for such instruments. This brings the cumulative write-downs for the first half of 2008 to $3.5 billion pretax.

        On April 17, 2008, the Company completed the transfer of approximately $12 billion of loans to third parties, of which $8.5 billion relates to the highly leveraged loans and commitments. In these transactions, the third parties purchased subordinate interests backed by the transferred loans. These subordinate interests absorb first loss on the transferred loans and provide the third parties with control of the loans. The Company retained senior debt securities backed by the transferred loans, and purchased protection on these retained senior positions via total return swaps. The credit risk in the total return swap is protected through margin arrangements that provide for both initial margin as well as additional margin at specified triggers. These transactions were accounted for as sales of the transferred loans. The loans were removed from the balance sheet and the retained securities are classified as available-for-sale securities on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. Due to the initial cash margin received and ongoing margin requirements on the total return swaps, and the substantive subordinate investments made by third parties, the Company believes that the transactions substantially mitigate the Company's risk related to these transferred loans.

66

Highly Leveraged Financing Commitments

        Included in the line item "Commercial and other consumer loan commitments" in the table above are highly leveraged financing commitments, which are agreements that provide funding to a borrower with higher levels of debt (measured by the ratio of debt capital to equity capital of the borrower) than is generally the case for other companies. Highly leveraged

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financing is commonly employed in corporate acquisitions, management buy-outs and similar transactions.

        As a result, debt service (that is, principal and interest payments) absorbs a significant portion of the cash flows generated by the borrower's business. Consequently, the risk that the borrower may not be able to service its debt obligations is greater. Due to this risk, the interest rates and fees charged for this type of financing are generally higher than other types of financing.

        Prior to funding, highly leveraged financing commitments are assessed for impairment in accordance with SFAS 5 and losses are recorded when they are probable and reasonably estimable. For the portion of loan commitments that relate to loans that will be held for investment, loss estimates are made based on the borrower's ability to repay the facility according to its contractual terms. For the portion of loan commitments that relate to loans that will be held for sale, loss estimates are made in reference to current conditions in the resale market (both interest rate risk and credit risk are considered in the estimate). Loan origination, commitment, underwriting, and other fees are netted against any recorded losses.

        Citigroup generally manages the risk associated with highly leveraged financings it generally has entered into by seeking to sell a majority of its exposures to the market prior to or shortly after funding. In certain cases, all or a portion of a highly leveraged financing to be retained is hedged with credit derivatives or other hedging instruments. Thus, when a highly leveraged financing is funded, Citigroup records the resulting loan as follows:

•

The portion that Citigroup will seek to sell is recorded as a loan held-for-sale in Other Assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheet, and measured at the lower-of-cost-or-market (LOCOM)



•

The portion that will be retained is recorded as a loan held-for-investment in Loans and measured at amortized cost less impairment.

        Due to the dislocation of the credit markets and the reduced market interest in higher risk/higher yield instruments during the second half of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, liquidity in the market for highly leveraged financings has continued to decline significantly during that period.

        Citigroup's exposures for highly leveraged financings totaled $38 billion at March 31, 2008 ($21 billion in funded and $17 billion in unfunded commitments). This compares to total commitments of $43 billion ($22 billion funded and $21 billion unfunded) at December 31, 2007. During the first quarter of 2008, the Company recorded a net $3.1 billion pretax write down on its highly leveraged financing commitments as a result of the reduction in liquidity in the market for such instruments.

        Subsequent to March 31, 2008, the Company transferred approximately $12 billion of loans to third parties, of which $8.5 billion relates to the highly leveraged loans and commitments. In these transactions, the third parties purchased subordinate interests backed by the transferred loans. These subordinate interests absorb first loss on the transferred loans and provide the third parties with control of the loans. The company retained senior debt securities backed by the transferred loans, and purchased protection on these retained senior positions via total return swaps. The credit risk in the total return swap is protected through margin arrangements that provide for both initial margin as well as additional margin at specified triggers. These transactions were accounted for as sales of the transferred loans. The loans were removed from the balance sheet and the retained securities are classified as available-for-sale securities on the Company's balance sheet. Due to the initial cash margin received and ongoing margin requirements on the total return swaps, and the substantive subordinate investments made by third parties, the Company believes that the transactions substantially mitigate the Company's risk related to these transferred loans.

57

Highly Leveraged Financing Commitments

Included in the line item “Commercial and other consumer loan commitments” in the table above are highly leveraged financing commitments, which are agreements that provide funding to a borrower with higher levels of debt (measured by the ratio of debt capital to equity capital of the borrower) than is generally the case for other companies. Highly leveraged financing is commonly employed in corporate acquisitions, management buy-outs and similar transactions.

As a result, debt service (that is, principal and interest payments) absorbs a significant portion of the cash flows generated by the borrower’s business. Consequently, the risk that the borrower may not be able to service its debt obligations is greater. Due to this risk, the interest rates and fees charged for this type of financing are generally higher than other types of financing.

Prior to funding, highly leveraged financing commitments are assessed for impairment in accordance with SFAS 5 and losses are recorded when they are probable and reasonably estimable. For the portion of loan commitments that relate to loans that will be held for investment, loss estimates are made based on the borrower’s ability to repay the facility according to its contractual terms. For the portion of loan commitments that relate to loans that will be held for sale, loss estimates are made in reference to current conditions in the resale market (both interest rate risk and credit risk are considered in the estimate). Loan origination, commitment, underwriting, and other fees are netted against any recorded losses.