Citicorp income doubles
CITICORP says its first-quarter net income more than doubled, in part because of a lower provision for credit losses.
Net income for the largest banking company rose in America to US$364 million or $1.80 a share from $151 million or 74 cents a year earlier.
The company's provision for credit losses fell to $160 million from $360 million a year earlier.
Trading revenue, which includes foreign exchange trading and derivatives contracts, rose to $179 million from $175 million a year earlier.
Earnings were above analysts expectations of $1.19 a share, based on the mean estimate of 18 analysts.
During the quarter, Citicorp arranged the sale of Quotron Systems Inc to Reuters Holdings for $12.8 million, ending a long quest to shed the money-losing business.
Citicorp wrote down the value of its assets by $179 million in the fourth-quarter as part of the Quotron sale.
The company said it did not expect to take a charge in the first quarter from the sale.
