Citibank has sold its Colombian consumer and small business operations to Banco Colpatria Multibanca Colpatria S.A, the Colombian subsidiary of leading Canadian financial institution Scotiabank. Citibank operations in Colombia include 500,000 customers, 47 branches, and 424 self-service access points in Colombia. The deal also includes “assumption by Banco Colpatria of Citibank’s workforce,” according to Scotiabank.
Citibank is planning to sell the consumer banking operations it has run for a century in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia as South America’s three biggest economies suffer a major downturn. The New York-based bank said in a statement that its decision was prompted by a desire to allocate resources where it can generate the best returns.
US Federal judge Thomas Griesa has rejected a request by European investors seeking payment on Argentine titles currently blocked in New York, despite an ongoing parallel court battle over the issue in London.
Argentina's Economy minister Axel Kicillof lashed out at US Judge Thomas Griesa after he authorized Citibank a one-off payment of Argentine bonds' coupon next Tuesday saying he once again failed to address the heart of the issue and also in fact recognized that bonds under Argentine law do not belong to his jurisdiction.
US District Judge Thomas Griesa has enabled Citibank to process a one-off payment on US dollar-denominated bonds issued under Argentine law, during a hearing held at Manhattan federal court on Friday.
A US court on Friday dismissed an appeal by Citibank and Argentina to let the country make payments on debt tied up in a bitter legal battle with hedge funds.
Citigroup has told the US appeals court overseeing the dispute between Argentina and hedge funds refusing to accept terms of the country's debt restructuring that its Argentine banking license may be at risk as a result of the standoff.
Argentine President Cristina Fernández on Thursday urged US President Barack Obama to intercede in the dispute between Argentina and holdouts over Argentine debt, while blasting New York judge Thomas Griesa for “not making any sense”.
New York district judge Thomas Griesa and the Argentine government are again on the collision course: while the magistrate has ordered the Bank of New York Mellon to retain the funds deposited by Argentina to pay exchange bondholders and declaring the payment “illegal”, the Ministry of Economy in Buenos Aires suggested bondholder should change BONY for a new intermediary institution.
The Argentine Government will formally demand that Citibank and the Bank of New York Mellon pay exchange bondholders, the Economy Ministry informed on Tuesday in a press release.