New York – Citigroup Inc. today reported net income for the fourth quarter 2018 of $4.3 billion, or $1.64 per diluted share, on revenues of $17.1 billion. This compared to a net loss of $18.9 billion, or $7.38 per diluted share, on revenues of $17.5 billion for the fourth quarter 2017.
Fourth quarter 2017 included a one-time, non-cash charge of $22.6 billion, or $8.66 per share, recorded in the tax line related to the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Reform). Fourth quarter 2018 included a one-time benefit of $94 million, or $0.03 per share, recorded in the tax line in Corporate / Other, due to the finalization of the provisional component of the impact based on Citi’s analysis as well as additional guidance received from the U.S. Treasury Department related to Tax Reform. Excluding the one-time impact of Tax Reform in both the current and the prior-year periods, net income of $4.2 billion increased 14%, primarily driven by a reduction in expenses, lower cost of credit and a lower effective tax rate, partially offset by lower revenues. On this basis, earnings per share of $1.61 increased 26% from $1.28 per diluted share in the prior-year period, driven by the growth in net income and an 8% reduction in average diluted shares outstanding.
For the full year 2018, Citigroup reported net income of $18.0 billion on revenues of $72.9 billion, compared to a net loss of $6.8 billion on revenues of $72.4 billion for the full year 2017. Excluding the one-time impact of Tax Reform, Citigroup net income of $18.0 billion increased 14% compared to the prior year.
Throughout the remainder of this press release, net income and Citigroup’s effective tax rate are presented on a reported and adjusted basis, excluding the one-time impact of Tax Reform in both the current and prior year periods. For additional information on these adjustments as well as other non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release, see the Appendices and Footnotes to this release. Percentage comparisons throughout this press release are calculated for the fourth quarter 2018 versus the fourth quarter 2017, unless otherwise specified.
CEO COMMENTARY: Citi CEO Michael Corbat said, “We made solid progress throughout 2018 towards our longer -term financial targets, ending the year with an RoTCE of 10.9% and an efficiency ratio of 57%
.Our institutional and consumer franchises each grew revenue on a full year basis and we continued to invest in our people and technology in order to better serve our clients. During the year, we also grew loans and deposits, improved ROA, and carefully managed both our expenses and balance sheet. We also returned more than $18 billion of capital to common shareholders
.“A volatile fourth quarter impacted some of our market sensitive businesses, particularly Fixed Income. However, our ICG accrual businesses– Treasury and Trade Solutions, Securities Services, Private Bank and Corporate Lending– continued their strong Performance .
And in Global Consumer Banking, we had good underlying growth in U.S. Branded Cards and solid performance from our franchise in Mexico where we have been investing. For 2019, we remain committed to delivering a 12%RoTCE and continuing to improve our operating efficiency during the year ” Mr. Corbat concluded.
