It is what said Brian Yelvington, an analyst at CreditSights Inc in New York.
Citigroup Inc agreed to buy back more than $7 billion of illiquid auction-rate securities and pay a $100 million civil fine to settle charges it fraudulently misled investors about the debt's risk.
The agreement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could pave the way for other settlements stemming from February's meltdown of the $330 billion auction-rate market.
It will also hinder efforts by Citigroup Chief Executive Vikram Pandit to slash costs and restore profitability following $17.4 billion of losses in the last three quarters.
(Reuters)