Citigroup dumps Phibro, avoids showdown with US

NEW YORK—Citigroup Inc. is removing one of the irritants in its relationship with the government, its Phibro commodities trading division that is paying one trader an estimated $100 million this year.
The deal announced Friday carries a tradeoff for Citigroup: While the $250 million sale to Occidental Petroleum Corp. means a bit less government scrutiny, it also means the bank is losing hundreds of millions of dollars in annual income that could help repay $49 billion in bailout money.

Phibro, which makes most of its money through oil and natural gas trades, earned an average $371 million annually during the past five years. Citigroup sold it for about $250 million, which means Occidental could recoup its investment in less than a year.

A Citigroup official with knowledge of the deal said the bank wanted to dispose of Phibro by the end of the year.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to discuss the deal publicly, said Citigroup considered Phibro a "political hot potato" that would hurt the company despite its financial success.

Occidental Petroleum spokesman Richard S. Kline said Citigroup approached Occidental about a month ago, seeking a buyer for Phibro.

"There obviously was some pressure from the government to do this," Kline said. Noting that Citigroup sold Phibro for a relatively small amount, he said, "if they had liquidated the business, they would get about what we're paying."

The income lost to the Phibro sale will have little effect on Citigroup's earnings because the company has bigger problems with losses from failed loans, said Gerard Cassidy, a banking analyst with RBC Capital Markets.

"They're going to miss those earnings," Cassidy said. "But the credit losses are much larger and will have a much bigger impact."

Officials at the Treasury Department declined to comment directly when asked whether the government had pressured Citigroup to dump Phibro, its huge pay packages and the volatility that goes along with trades in the energy market.

The government now has a 34 percent stake in Citigroup, putting the bank under close watch by federal officials. The company came under further scrutiny this year after it agreed to pay Phibro trader Andrew J. Hall an estimated $100 million.

Hall's pay will now be Occidental's responsibility. It's not known whether the Obama administration's pay czar, Kenneth Feinberg, will continue to review Hall's pay package following the sale to Occidental.

Treasury spokeswoman Meg Reilly said in a statement, "We are not going to provide a running commentary on that process, but it's clear that Mr. Feinberg has broad authority to make sure that compensation at those firms strikes an appropriate balance."

While the government has questioned banks' pay practices since the financial crisis that erupted a year ago, it has also taken issue with the companies' trading units. Many banks drove their profits higher by dealing in risky securities and commodities, and they turned to the government for help when they piled up billions of dollars in losses.