Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit’s job security is increasingly in jeopardy as momentum grows in Washington to oust him.
With the bank stress tests wrapping up, sources tell The Post that regulators think they might have to make the bold move of removing Pandit to signal Washington is taking as hard a line with the banks as it did with General Motors when it effectively ousted GM CEO Rick Wagoner.
The talk of Pandit being dismissed comes amid speculation that a visit to Citi’s offices by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner a week and a half ago might have been to discuss a change at the bank’s helm. However, people familiar with the meeting said the visit was simply to conduct a checkup on the bank.
Pandit, who took over in December 2007 from the deposed Charles Prince, has voiced his commitment to breathing life into the troubled bank, and is widely seen as not being part of Citi’s problem.
However, amid criticism that Citi hasn’t moved fast enough to clean up its balance sheet and speculation that Citi may need to raise more cash amid rising writedowns from consumer debt, sources said there’s a growing sense Pandit might have to be sacrificed.
Such a move isn’t without its own risks, though. In an interview with The Post, Citi CFO Ned Kelly said, “Replacing [Pandit] would be dramatically de-stabilizing both for Citi and the system.”
In a statement, a Citi spokeswoman said, “Our recent quarterly results reveal the underlying strength of the franchise and Vikram Pandit’s strategy at work to restore Citi to profitability.”
Nineteen of the nation’s largest lenders are bracing for results of tests showing how well-capitalized they are, and some observers have feared that Citi might be one of the banks that needs more cash. The bank is also awaiting a conversion of some $25 billion of preferred shares that would give Uncle Sam a 36 percent stake in Citi.
Results of the tests are expected to be released May 4.
Geithner and other regulators have said that they would boot CEOs if the government had to rescue them further.
Replacing Pandit might be the pound of flesh some shareholders want, but it’s possible such a move would do little to help the firm. Indeed, sources said possible successors like Kelly are loyal to Pandit, and others like Gary Crittenden, the new CEO of Citi Holdings, may not be willing to take on the role.