CITI CARDS CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING IN BLANKENBAKER STATION BUSINESS PARK

Citi currently employs more than 1,300 people at the site

Louisville, Kentucky, April 14, 2005 - Citi Cards, part of Citigroup Inc., the largest provider of credit cards in the United States, celebrates its grand opening and ribbon cutting at the Blankenbaker Station Business Park today at 10:30 a.m. The facility is one of more than 30 Citi facilities in North America that services more than 100 million credit card customer accounts.

"This is a tremendous economic development opportunity for the Greater Louisville area. Many Kentucky families will benefit from the jobs generated from the opening of this facility," said Governor Ernie Fletcher. "My administration is dedicated to improving opportunity for the commonwealth's workforce. I commend Citi Cards and Citigroup for their commitment to Kentucky."

The new state-of-the-art facility was built as a result of Citi's acquisition of the Sears credit card business in 2003. In 2003, Sears credit services in Louisville employed 500 individuals. These employees joined the Citi team after the acquisition. Currently, the Louisville facility employs over 1,300 employees with total capacity for 2,100. Citi Cards employs over 35,000 employees, while their parent company, Citigroup, employs 300,000 individuals throughout the world.

Construction of the new facility began in April of 2004. Employees at the site handle customer service, and collections services for their Sears Credit Card customers.

Speakers at the grand opening festivities will include Secretary Gene Strong from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson and Joe Reagan, COO of Greater Louisville Inc. The event will be hosted by Citi Site President Greg Stevens and other Citigroup officials. Expected attendance is 200-250. Site tours will be made available to attendees at 11:15 a.m.

&auot;As Louisville gains recognition as a major call center hub in the country, Citigroup's opening reaffirms our advantageous location and skilled and available workforce," said Mayor Jerry Abramson. "Adding these kinds of jobs to our community benefits everyone and we can expect to see more good things from Citigroup."

"Citi Cards is a great example of the type of company we want to attract to the area," said Joe Reagan, COO of Greater Louisville, Inc. – the Metro Chamber of Commerce. "They are a quality employer with international recognition. By choosing Louisville, Citi Cards validates the strength of Louisville's workforce and further strengthens our ability to compete for new jobs and new capital investment."

Citigroup (NYSE: C). Citigroup, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance, securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Travelers Life and Annuity. Additional information may be found at http://www.citigroup.com/

The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development is the primary state agency in Kentucky responsible for creating new jobs and new investment in the state. New business investment in Kentucky in 2004 totaled nearly $2.3 billion with the creation of just over 16,600 new jobs. Information on available development sites, workforce training, incentive programs, community profiles, small business development and other resources is available at http://www.thinkkentucky.com/.