FINRA Fines Citigroup $15 Million

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) fined Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. $15 million for failing to adequately supervise communications between its equity research analysts and its clients and Citigroup sales and trading staff, and for permitting one of its analysts to participate indirectly in two road shows promoting IPOs to investors.

Citigroup neither admitted nor denied the charges, but consented to the entry of FINRA’s findings.

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Citigroup was represented by Neal Sullivan of Sidley & Austin in Washington, D.C.

FINRA found that from January 2005 to February 2014, Citigroup failed to meet its supervisory obligations regarding the potential selective dissemination of non-public research to clients and sales and trading staff.

During this period, Citigroup issued approximately 100 internal warnings concerning communications by equity research analysts.

When Citigroup detected violations involving selective dissemination and client communications, there were lengthy delays before the firm disciplined the research analysts and the disciplinary measures lacked the severity necessary to deter repeat violations of Citigroup policies.

One example of Citigroup’s failure to supervise certain communications by its equity research analysts involved “idea dinners” hosted by Citigroup equity research analysts that were also attended by some of Citigroup’s institutional clients and sales and trading personnel.

At these dinners, Citigroup research analysts discussed stock picks, which, in some instances, were inconsistent with the analysts’ published research.

Despite the risk of improper communications at these events, Citigroup did not adequately monitor analyst communications or provide analysts with adequate guidance concerning the boundaries of permissible communications. In another example, FINRA found that an analyst employed by a Citigroup affiliate in Taiwan selectively disseminated research information concerning Apple Inc. to certain clients, which was then selectively disseminated to additional clients by a Citigroup equity sales employee.

“The frequent interactions between Citigroup analysts and clients at events like ‘idea dinners’ created a heightened risk that views inconsistent with research would selectively be disclosed to clients,” said FINRA enforcement director Brad Bennett. “Citigroup failed to effectively police these risks.”

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