Citibank Sold Hundreds of Credit Cards Over the Internet

Press Release

Citigroup INC (NYSE symbol: C)

December 14, 2003

Citibank Sold Hundreds of Credit Cards over the Internet

Prague, In the pre-Christmas period, Citibank a.s. offered its customers to apply for credit cards and Citibank personal loans over the Internet. Following the launch of the new Internet banking program – Citibank Online, this is another innovation connected with use of the Internet. The new service enables to apply for these products directly, using one’s PC. After the applicant fills in the basic data, his or her application will be pre-approved. A personal banker contacts the applicant within a short time then to complete the approving process together with him or her. The applicant for the card or the loan need not visit the bank branch at all, nor does he or she have to open an account with Citibank. As far as the loan is concerned, most customers receive the money within five days of delivering the required documentation, while the waiting period for the credit card is approximately one week. Furthermore, customer may newly manage his or her credit card also through the Internet. Citibank is the only bank to offer the possibility of changing one’s credit card PIN over the Internet.

“We consider the Internet as a very interesting sales channel, important for the future. We sold hundreds of credit cards over the Internet in only one month and more applicants for them have been coming up since the first hours of the New Year,” Citibank a.s. Manager in charge of personal banking, Haris Hanif, says.

Citibank a.s. is a member of the financial group Citigroup, which the prestigious magazine Global Finance named as the best Internet bank in Central and Eastern Europe in late 2003. In the Czech Republic, the bank is one of the pioneers of Internet banking for both individuals as well as corporate clients.

For more information please contact:

Marek Hlavica

Public Affairs Officer

Citibank a.s.

Tel.: 233 061 041, e-mail:

Citibank a.s. has been present in the Czech republic since 1991. The Bank has rapidly gained its position of the market leader in corporate banking and, Citibank’s offering of products and services has been gradually enhanced to include also small and medium-sized companies. Citibank a.s. entered the retail banking business in January of 2001 and, a number of products and services are offered to Citibank clients ever since, such as personal accounts, credit cards, personal loans, investing into mutual funds as well as CitiGold, the private banking services. For additional information about Citibank a.s. please refer to the following web site: www.citibank.cz.

Citigroup (NYSE: C), the preeminent global financial services company has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance, securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Travelers Life and Annuity. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.