Crunch time is fast approaching for Jane Fraser. Since taking the helm at Citigroup in March 2021, the 56-year-old has cut jobs and ditched retail banking operations in 14 overseas markets. In September, she announced an even bigger shake-up. The restructuring is aimed at stripping away the layers of bureaucracy that have made the US’s third-largest bank by deposits so unwieldy.
Having unveiled the bank’s biggest overhaul in two decades, Fraser in 2024 will need to show her plans impress her investors. Citi offers attractive value relative to its peers. Currently, Citi’s price to tangible book value ratio — at just 0.6 times — is the lowest among the largest US banks.
This reflects Citi’s dismal return on tangible common equity. The closely watched number came in at 7.7 per cent in the most recent quarter. That is well below the 22 per cent and 15.5 per cent reported by JPMorgan and Bank of America, respectively. Nevertheless, Citi has work to do to hit its own medium-term target of achieving an 11 to 12 per cent ROTE by 2027.