Eliot Spitzer vs Sandy Weill

New York’s attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, stood up in front of a Wall Street

crowd last week to give a 20-minute speech. He started with a joke: he was glad

he’d been invited, because he really wanted to put faces to emails. The following

morning, the assorted research analysts found outexactly what kind of emails

he was talking about. The front page of the Wall Street Journal had

a story which had clearly come directly from Spitzer, referencing a message

that Salomon Smith Barney’s star telecom analyst, Jack Grubman, had sent to

an unidentified client.

For the next four days, that email was front-page news. It was a masterpiece

of slow leaking for maximum damaging effect. First we learned that Grubman said

he had upgraded his rating on AT&T as a favour for Citigroup chairman Sandy

Weill; in return, AT&T chairman Michael Armstrong, who sat on Citigroup’s

board, would help Weill "nuke" his then co-head, John Reed. The following

day, the other shoe dropped: never mind Weill v Reed, now Grubman had done Weill

the favour in return for Weill getting his (Grubman’s) twins into the 92nd St

Y, a posh pre-school on the Upper East Side.

The revelations kept on coming: after the email, the memo; after the memo,

the name of the person to whom the email was sent. Feature articles were commissioned

about the competitiveness of pre-schools, and Spitzer announced he was looking

into whether Citigroup’s $1 million donation to the 92nd St Y – which

even Citi officials didn’t bother denying was linked directly to Grubman’s twins

– might have violated some regulations.

Even before the latest set of leaks, Citigroup had already had so much bad

press that, in the words of a recent piece

in Fortune, "in the public’s mind, Salomon Smith Barney surely

is regarded by now as the top villain among Wall Street firms." Last week’s

coverage, which was surely the worst yet that any bank has had to go through,

by all accounts made Weill incandescent with rage.

But curiously, no one seems to have covered the reason why all of this is going

on. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, it would

seem, are so keen to keep their channels of communication to Eliot Spitzer open

that they won’t print any speculation as to why he’s leaking all this stuff

to them. Rather, they continue to print pieces which follow the Spitzer line

slavishly: Gretchen Morgenson wrote

last Sunday that "thousands of individual investors lost millions of dollars

because of what appear to have been self-interested actions by Mr. Grubman and

Mr. Weill".

In order for this to be true, thousands of individual investors would have

had to have bought AT&T just because Grubman upgraded it, and then held

on to that stock all the way down to its present level: that is, trusted Grubman’s

upgrade, but not the downgrade he made a few months later.

The thing is, there’s no doubt that a lot of what went on at Citigroup during

the bubble years was smelly. But smelly is not illegal, or not always illegal

(although Spitzer has proved adept at using a dusty piece of New York State

legislation, the Martin Act, to make it so). And it’s now reached the point

at which practices which banks used to be very proud of are being looked at

askance. Fortune cites "tying", where banks make the granting

of a loan contingent on investment-banking mandates. Under the names "relationship

banking" and "one-stop shopping," this has been something many

banks have been bragging of for years: the way that they’re exiting their low-margin

lending businesses, or at least trying to "add value" to them by converting

them into high-margin client relationships.

So it’s easy to see where negotiations between Spitzer and Weill might have

become bogged down. Weill was paying Grubman $20 million a year: an extra $1

million donation to the 92nd St Y would be little more than a perk as far as

he was concerned, not to mention a donation to a worthy cause. In Spitzer’s

eyes, of course, it looks like a quid pro quo. And for all that Weill has now

embarked on a major spring-cleaning operation, including the defenestration

of Michael Carpenter, the head of Salomon Smith Barney, he remains the man who

spent $31 billion on Associates First Capital, a company which makes its money

by charging usurous rates of interest to individuals with weak credit.

My guess is that Spitzer long ago confronted Citigroup with the Grubman email,

and that Citigroup didn’t react with the degree of remorse required to placate

the crusading attorney general. After all, Grubman said immediately and publicly

that he’d made the whole thing up, and both Grubman and Weill seem to be in

full agreement that there was no basis in reality for the allegations in the

email: it’s likely that Citigroup wouldn’t consider it worth however many tens

or even hundreds of millions of dollars Spitzer wanted to get out of it.

So Spitzer made it public, in the most damaging way he possibly could. He wasn’t

just acting out of spite, either: he was getting public opinion on his side.

The more angry the public is at Citigroup, the more pressure Weill is going

to feel to make spectacular amends. Certainly, he now wants nothing more than

to make all the bad press go away.

And in a weird way, the more spectacular the settlement the better, for Citigroup:

the higher the dollar amount that Spitzer gets out of Weill, the more important

Citigroup is seen to be. After all, if no one paid any attention to Grubman’s

recommendations, then the damage caused would be zero. And whatever the final

sum works out to be, it’s going to be negligible in the context of Citi’s $16

billion in annual earnings.

Spitzer surely had another motive in dragging Citi through the mud, too: to

persuade the rest of the banks he’s got his eye on to be more cooperative in

their own negotiations, lest they, too, end up going through the same process.

Spitzer has neither the time nor the manpower to go after them all himself:

by some quirk, Goldman Sachs is being investigated by the state of Utah. It’s

in everybody’s best interest that negotiations come to a quick and clean end,

and maybe Citi is being treated harshly pour encourager les autres.

It’s one of the downsides to being enormous: you’re always the biggest and the

juiciest target.

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4 Responses to Eliot Spitzer vs Sandy Weill

  1. Jean Gryzenia says:

    I would like to send Sandy Weill an email about

    his retiree insurance for his financial advisors–

    I think it is very sad after 30 years of service to Smith Barney to be offered such a terrible

    retiree medical insurance package–My husband gave so much to that company and he was a top

    producer for many years and now when we need them

    to help us in our golden years they are being

    very bad–I know he would never take this retiree

    insurance package–so why should we??? Please help

    me!! Jean

  2. DAMARI says:

    ON SATURDAY I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM CITIGROUP THANKING ME FOR MY FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE YET THEY JUST EXPLAINED TO THE DFEH WHY THEY FIRED ME

    PLEASE HELP US GET TO THE TRUTH

    GETTTING THIS LETTER WAS VERY DISTURBING SINCE I FEEL I WAS WRONGFULLY TERMINATED

    I HAD NO PLANS TO LEAVE CITIBANK IN CARMEL

    THE LETTER EVEN STATES TO ANOTHER 5 YEARS BUT THEY FIRED ME!!!!!

    Subject: IS IT LEGAL TO LIE TO THE DFEH & US DEPT OF LABOR? CITIGROUP DID & THEY LIE TO CLIENTS IN CARMEL PLEASE READ THIS LETTER SENT TO THE MONTEREY HERALD

    The Monterey County Herald

    Attn: Herald Executive Editor, Carolina Garcia

    8 Upper Ragsdale

    Monterey, CA 93940

    cgarcia@montereyherald.com

    (831) 646-4306

    Ms. Garcia,

    I have attempted through several sources to clarify my

    position regarding my unfair treatment by my previous

    employer, Citibank. I had no previous plans to leave

    my position as Head Teller at the Citibank branch in

    Carmel. After 4 years of employment with the company,

    the unfair and unequal treatment of employees led to

    medically supervised work-related stress. The manager

    of the branch then accused me of job abandonment which

    led to my termination via UPS delivery on December 15,

    2005, while I was at home on medical leave.

    Subsequent to my termination, I received numerous

    correspondences that referenced me as terminated, no

    longer with the company, and as a former employee. My

    401K and pension have both been forwarded to me.

    However, when interviewed by the Department of Fair

    Employment and Housing, Citibank representatives

    reported that I was terminated due to not personally

    reporting my absence, but rather having medical

    documentation reported by my physician. When

    interviewed by the U. S. Department Wage and Hours

    Division, Citibank representatives reported on August

    8, 2006, that I was still an employee of the company

    and that a letter indicating such would be forwarded

    to me. To date, this letter has not been received.

    I have continued to be in contact with several clients

    that have stated that Citibank representatives

    indicated that I was either on vacation, or that I

    voluntarily resigned in order to work with my husband

    in his new business. This is absolutely untrue. It was

    my intention to continue my employment as the benefits

    were extremely important to me, as well as to my

    family.

    Clearly, there has been a gross misrepresentation by

    Citibank, either to its clients or to the U. S.

    Department Wage and Hours Division. It is my position

    that I was unfairly terminated by Citibank. The

    unscrupulous behavior of Citibank and its

    representatives, locally and at the corporate level,

    is unacceptable.

    It is also my opinion that if a corporation as large

    as Citibank is representing itself on a local level,

    the local management and staff should act accordingly.

    A large part of the attraction of the Monterey area is

    the sense of community that is felt here on a day to

    day basis. If Citibank is allowed to misrepresent its

    actions to clients and government agencies, where will

    the corporate takeover end?

    Sincerely,

    Damari Stratford

    dcsbears@aol.com

    dcsbears@aol.com wrote:

    Subject: Re: Your message to the governor was received

    THE GOVERNOR HAS WRITTEN ME TWICE AND SAID HE WOULD

    HELP,, CITIBANK HAS LIED TO THE DFEH AND US LABOR DEPT

    WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION AND TO THEIR CLIENTS ABOUT MY

    STATUS, I NEED HELP, HOW CAN I FIGHT WHEN THIS

    CORPORATION IS TELLING LIES AND HAS ALL THE LAWYERS

    THEY NEED AND I CAN’T AFFORD ONE. HOW MANY TIMES ARE

    THEY GOING TO GET AWAY WITH MISTREATING EMPLOYEES

    ON 8/8/06 RONAN FROM THE US DEPT OF LABOR WAS TOLD BY

    A CITIBANK ATTORNEY THAT THEY WOULD SEND ME A LETTER

    EXPLAINING MY STATUS AS STILL AN EMPLOYEE, I HAVE YET

    TO GET THIS LETTER, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PUT A

    LETTER TOGETHER IF THEY ARE TELLING THE TRUTH?

    YOUR OFFICE AS WELL AS THE FIRST LADY’S OFFICE HAS

    CALLED ME BUT WE AREN’T GETTING ANYWHERE. IT HAS BEEN

    7 MONTHS SINCE I FIRST WROTE THE GOVERNOR. CITIBANK

    ATTORNEYS HAVE CANCELLED 2 DEPOSITIONS AT THE LAST

    MINUTE THE LAST INE THEY CANCELLED WAS AFTER TALKING

    TO THE US LABOR DEPARTMENT,WHY?

    MY JOB WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO MY FAMILY AND I PLEASE

    HELP ME AND MY FAMILY AND ALL THOSE BEFORE ME THAT

    HAVE BEEN WRONGFULLY TERMINATED BY CITIBANK FOR NO

    GOOD REASON

    WHY IS EVERYONE SO AFRAID OF CITIGROUP? WHY CAN’T I

    FIND AN ATTORNEY WILLING TO STAND UP TO THEM ON A

    CONTINGENCY BASIS? I VOTED FOR THE GOVERNOR AND I NEED

    HIM NOW

    PLEASE CALL ANN FROM THE DFEH AT 408-277-1916 THEY

    TOLD HER THAT I HAD CALLED IN ILL ON 11/15/05 AND THAT

    I TOLD THEM I WOULDN’T BE IN, THIS IS A LIE I WORKED

    THAT DAY AND I CAN PROVE THIS WITH MY IME CARD, THEN

    THEY SAY THEY MADE AN ERROR

    PLEASE CALL RONAN AT 415-744-5590 EXT 226 FROM THE US

    LABOR DEPT TO VERIFY WHAT CITIBANK ATTORNEYS SAID. THE

    ONLY REASON THEY OFFERED ME FMLA IS BECAUSE I FILED

    FOR DISABILITY, BEFORE THAT THEY HAD PAID OUT MY FINAL

    PAYCHECK, FIRED ME VIA UPS, SENT ME COBRA INFORMATION.

    PLEASE HELP US PLEASE SEE THAT THE GOVERNOR GETS THIS

    EMAIL AND ASK HIM TO MAKE A CALL ON MY BEHALF

    CORPORATE AMERICA NEEDS TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF THEIR

    GOOD EMPLOYEES AND NOT ALLOW A MANAGER WITH BAD SKILLS

    TO FIRE SOMEONE JUST BECAUSE HE WANTS TO

    SINCERELY DAMARI STARTFROD

    MOTHER WIFE HUMAN BEING AND I VOTED FOR THE GOVERNOR

    I MATTER TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    CITIBANK IN CARMEL LIES TO CLIENTS ABOUT WHY I AM NOT

    THERE. THEY TELL PEOPLE THAT I AM ON VACATION OR THAT

    I LEFT TO WORK FOR MY HUSBAND INSTEAD OF TELLING THEM

    HAT THEY FIRED ME AFTER MY DOCTOR FAXED IN A NOTE AND

    CALLED IN FOR ME TO PROTECT ME FROM HAVING MY BLOOD

    PRESSRE RISE. JEFF URSINO AND KATHLEEN MUNOZ LIES TO

    ANN AT THE DFEH AND THEIR LAWYERS LIED TO THE US DEPT

    OF LABOR. KATHLEN WAS DOING THE OVERDRAFT ON HER

    DAUGHTERS ACCOUNTS AND REFUNDED HER OWN DAUHGTER MONEY

    WHILE THE MANAGER WAS ON VACATION. SHE LIES ABOUT

    BEING FIRED FROM WELLS FARGO, SHE LIED TO THE WORKERS

    COMP PEOPLE AND WILL LIE TO ANYONE. KATHLEEN HAD

    INSTUCTED THE OTHER TELLERS TO COOK THE BOOKS BY

    HAVING THEM PUT IN FALSE REFEERALS AND JEFF URSINO DID

    NOTHING ABOUT IT BUT I GOT WRITTEN UP FOR MISSING WORK

    WITH A DOCTORS NOTE. THEY STATE TO ONE AGENCY THAT I

    WAS FIRED AND TO THE OTHER THAT I AM STILL EMPLOYED,

    THEY STATE I WAS FIRED FOR NOT CALLING IN YET I WAS

    RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO HAVE MY DOCTOEOR CALL IN AND FAX

    MY NOTE IN DUE TO THE STRESS AND HARRASSMENT BROUGHT

    ON BY JEFF AND CITIBANK, WHERE ARE THE ETHICS IN THIS

    COMPANY

    NOW THEY ARE TELLING MORE LIES TO THE DEPT OF FAIR

    EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING JEFF TELLS THEM WHY I WAS FIRED

    AND THEIR LAWYERS TELL THE US DEPT OF LABOR THAT I AM

    STILL EMPLOYEED

    PLEASE HELP US GET THIS STORY OUT TO THE WORLD IF IT

    ISN’T TOO MUCH TO ASK:) HOW DO YOU FIGHT LIARS, HOW DO

    THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT

    CITIBANK IN CARMEL 831-624-8258 CALL AND ASK THEM

    WHERE I AM ASK FOR KATHLEEN AND ASK HER WHY SHE LIES

    THIS WOMAN WAS HAVING CITIBANK PAY FOR HER DAUGHTER

    OVERDRAFTS AND HER A TELLER REFUND HER OWN DAUGHTER

    MONEY WHILE THE MANAGER WAS OUT ON VACATION SO WHY

    SHOULD ANYONE BELEIVE THIS UNETHICAL PERSON JUST AS

    JEFF URSINO THE MANAGER OF THE CAPITOLA BRANCH LIES TO

    HIS BOSSES TO MAKE HIMSELF LOOK BETTER PLEASE HELP US

    WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME

    HOW DO YOU FIGHT A CORPORATION LIKE THIS

    Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

    DAMARI AND CITIBANK HERE IS THE TRUTH!!

    To set the record straight!

    Damari was fired by Citibank in Carmel!

    Damari did not leave the bank to go work for her

    husband!!!!

    DAMARI HAD NO PLANS TO LEAVE CITIBANK!

    DAMARI PLANNED ON STAYING FOR ANOTHER 16YRS.

    THE BENEFITS WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO HER FAMILY!!

    DAMARI WAS FIRED VIA UPS WHILE AT HOME ILL DUE TO WORK

    RELATED STRESS BROUGHT ON BY THE MANAGER AND THE

    UNFAIR AND UNEQUAL TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES

    ALONG WITH BEING THREATEN AND HARASSED

    BY THE MANAGER FOR JOB ABANDOMENT.

    SEVERAL OF

    Citibank clients have TOLD HER that they have been

    told by the staff at the Carmel branch :

    THAT SHE LEFT TO GO WORK FOR HER HUSBAND!

    THIS IS AN OUTRIGHT LIE!!!!

    What else will they lie about?

    Are they ashamed of what was done??

    WHY DO THEY FEEL THEY NEED TO SAY SHE LEFT TO GO WORK

    WITH HER HUSBAND

    ( I DO NOT WORK FOR MY HUSBAND)

    ( I DO NOT WORK FOR JND PLUMBING)

    (NOR AM I ON VACATION)

    INSTEAD OF JUST TELLING THE TRUTH ?

    IS THERE ANYONE IN THE CARMEL BRANCH THAT COULD SWEAR

    TO THIS? NO!

    You can reach Damari at dcsbears@aol.com

    ENOUGH WITH THE LIES CITIBANK!!!

    IF YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS PLEASE SEND HER AN EMAIL

    CITIBANK TOLD

    THE US LABOR DEPT WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION ,

    ON 08/08/06

    THAT I AM STILL AN EMPLOYEE

    YET I HAVE LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS

    THAT CLEARLY USE THE WORDS

    TERMINATED

    NO LONGER WITH THE COMPANY

    FORMER EMPLOYEE

    AND MY 401K AND PENSION HAVE BEEN SENT TO ME AS OF

    8/24/06 I HAVE YET TO GET THE LETTER FROM CITIBANK

    WHICH EXPLAINS HOW I AM STILL AN EMPLOYEE! HOW LONG

    DOES IT TAKE TO WRITE A LETTER IF YOU ARE TELLING THE

    TRUTH HOW CAN THEY SAY TO THE US DEPT OF LABOR THAT I

    AM STILL AN EMPLOYEE YET THEY TELL THE DFEH THAT THEY

    FIRED ME FOR NOT CALLING IN, WHAT IS THE TRUTH

    CITIBANK??????????

    CITIBANK STATES THAT I WAS FIRED FOR NOT CALLING IN

    YET MY DOCTOR CALLED IN FOR ME THE DAY BEFORE AND ALSO

    FAXED IN A NOTE FOR ME WHICH THE MANAGER RETURNED TO

    ME WITH MY LETTER OF TERMINATION. THEY KNEW THE DAY

    BEFORE THAT I WASN’T COMING IN SO WHY WOULD HE CALL TO

    ASK IF I WAS COMING IN IF IT WAS CLEARLY STATED ON THE

    NOTE AND TOLD TO THEM BY MY DOCTOR TO PROTECT MY

    HEALTH

    JUST MORE LIES BY THE CITIBANK STAFF IN CARMEL

    DCSbears…

    I whole heartedly understand you delemma, and my heart goes

    out to you.

    a few years back, I worked for citibank/corp. for one full year.

    It was without doubt the worst job, and the worst nightmare I have

    ever lived. The treatment of employees was abominable, among many

    other things. .

    I worked with people that had been there for years. They were not treated

    any better, than I was.

    I quit in the middle of the day. I sat in my car for a good twenty minutes

    breathing in what was for me, the most fresh air I had in one year.

    In the following year, at least six people I had worked with, and had been there

    for years, were let go, with the very worst excuses ever. Of course the lost all

    benifits, and retirments.

    Needless to say, I have never again banked with them, or used one of their credit

    cards, or have done any other business with them, whatsoever, and when asked I inform orher companies why.

    I have always…and to this day, informed everyone within earshot, of that disgusting thing, know as “citibank/corp.

    I am sorry they got you. I hope you get them.

    FROM AOL BLOG THANK YOU FOR YOU THOUGHTS

    CITIBANK FIRES ME FOR NOT “FOLLOWING POLICY ” YET THEY DIDN’T FOLLOW THEIR OWN POLICY CITIBANK IS UN FAIR AND UNEQUAL TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES

    WHAT KIND OF MAN FIRES YOU WHILE YOU ARE ILL KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE WORK RELATED STRESS AND YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IS UP? HOW HEARTLESS IS THIS CITIBANK MANAGER WHO COULDN’T WAIT FOR ME TO GET WELL?

    CITIBANK MADE THE LIST OF THE 100 BEST COMPANIES FOR WORKING MOTHERS BUT AS I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PUT MY DAUGHTER FIRST THEY FIRED ME!!!

    I WASN’T GIVEN AN EXIT INTERVIEW NOR WERE MY KEYS ASK FOR BUT THAT IS THEIR POLICY! HE DIDN’T EVEN HAVE MY FINAL PAYCHECK WITH MY LETTER OF TERMINATION AND THEY DEPOSITED IT INTO MY ACCOUNT WHICH IS NOT CALIF CODE

    My heart goes out for you, just know that things happen for a resound and what go around must come around!! I myself am having my own issue with Citibank!!! I was approved for a lone and used my car as collateral which later I contacted them to hand me over the Title for renewal and it’s been now 3 ßΩ months I have been waiting for it and now have to deal with my vehicle parked without insurance and Citibank’s excuse is that Motor Vehicle can not locate my title and the most frustrating thing is that all the time I call I must have gave my # over 20 times and never get a call back regarding the status of my situation I would have to repeat myself all over again to a new rep….How frustrating!!! Well that is the story of life…Drama….Good Luck.

    To OCC office

    Thank you for your reply and for requesting information form Citibank. Citibank states that I was fired for not following policy but yet they didn’t follow their own policy and guide lines nor were they equal and fair in how they treated each employee.

    Citibank states that I was fired for not calling in, but I did have my doctor call in at the end of my doctors appointment on 12/12/05 and my doctor also faxed on a note. Contact was made with the bank. My doctor called in to protect my health.

    I have copies of some of Citibank policy which are in the employee hand book and from what I have read Citibank and the manager didn’t follow proper procedure. Before firing they are to consider your work performance and take that into consideration and my reviews were very good. I never got a verbal warning just written up and the write up was not correct with errors. Citibank gives an exit interview which I didn’t get nor was I asked to send in my keys.

    Citibank sent me my Cobra papers and never offered me FMLA, when they find put that I was applying for disability or that I was disabled they reinstated my benefits and made them retro to 01/01/06

    Citibank then sends me a check for about six weeks worth of pay with no deductions for benefits then all of a sudden they start deducting for medical and dental and now I have to pay for these benefits out of my pocket.

    Many if Citibank clients have told me they have been told that I left to work for my husband or that I am on vacation.

    Lisa Austin of Citigroup mentioned that when I go back to work they would set up payments for some of these benefits but she couldn’t explain how this would happened after I explained that I had been fired. Is Citibank going to fire me again via UPS when my doctor feels that I am well enough to look for work?

    Citibank didn’t; follow policy to the tee and fires me for not following policy to the tee but had no heart about me being ill and my doctor helping me out.

    Citibank made the list of the best 100 companies for working mother to work at but as I try to put my daughter first they started harassing me with abandonment and corrective action.

    My seniority didn’t matter to them.

    Ronon at the US Dept of labor, wage and hour division ( 1-415-744-5590 ext 226 ) was told by Citigroup attorney that I was still employed and they would send a letter to explain but the letter never came.

    Citibank fired me while in the middle of a workers comp pending case.

    Ann at the DFEH ( 1-408-277-1916 ) was lied to by Jeff Ursino and Kathleen Munoz, they explain to the DFEH how and why they fired me.

    Again Citibank violated state labor codes and more.

    Employees which are unethical are still working there and I get fired for having my doctor call in, these employees broke company policy and still have jobs.

    Citibank recently sent me a letter thanking me for my five years of service and it states looking forward to another five years but I was fired on 12/13/05 a few days later a get another letter stating that yes I had been terminated and the stocks that were issued to me for being a good employee had been taken back due to an error in their system. I believe the only error is that I was wrongfully terminated and Citibank is back tracking trying to cover up their mistakes.

    My pension and 401k have been sent to me due to termination and then I get the letter saying looking forward to another five years.

    Jeff Ursino knew that the tellers were cooking the books and none of them were written up or fired. Kathleen was refunding her daughter money and having Citibank pay for her overdrafts and she still has a job and Jeff knew about this. Unfair unequal treatment of employees.

    Why did it take Citibank a few weeks to give me a clear reason as to why I was fired? Why was my final check deposited into my account, why was I fired via UPS, Why was my final check not ordered until 12/14/05? Why did Chrys Smith call workers comp on 12/14/05 to see if my case was going to be denied but yet didn’t bother telling them that they had already fired me? This is violation of code 132A.

    Why doesn’t the staff at Citibank in Carmel simply say “she is no longer with us” instead of all the lies?

    Why was Citibank so strict with me and the policy and yet not the other employees?

    Why was it ok for Andrea to change her schedule but not me and I had the seniority over her?

    Citibank told the Office of Thrift Supervision that they were dealing with it internally and the office asked them to send me a letter of explanation yet they never did.

    How many other state codes have they ignored and violated?

    Jeff Ursino states that he was calling to see if I was coming in yet he returns to me the faxed in note by my doctor with my letter of termination which clearly stated that I would be out for a few more days? Jeff knew I wasn’t coming in he just fired me because I wanted to communicate via email to protect my blood pressure and stress level. Is it against the law to protect yourself? They wamt to hold me to the letter of theit policy but don’t follow their policy or state codes to the letter of policy.

  3. DAMARI says:

    ON SATURDAY I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM CITIGROUP THANKING ME FOR MY FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE YET THEY JUST EXPLAINED TO THE DFEH WHY THEY FIRED ME

    PLEASE HELP US GET TO THE TRUTH

    GETTTING THIS LETTER WAS VERY DISTURBING SINCE I FEEL I WAS WRONGFULLY TERMINATED

    I HAD NO PLANS TO LEAVE CITIBANK IN CARMEL

    THE LETTER EVEN STATES TO ANOTHER 5 YEARS BUT THEY FIRED ME!!!!!

    Subject: IS IT LEGAL TO LIE TO THE DFEH & US DEPT OF LABOR? CITIGROUP DID & THEY LIE TO CLIENTS IN CARMEL PLEASE READ THIS LETTER SENT TO THE MONTEREY HERALD

    The Monterey County Herald

    Attn: Herald Executive Editor, Carolina Garcia

    8 Upper Ragsdale

    Monterey, CA 93940

    cgarcia@montereyherald.com

    (831) 646-4306

    Ms. Garcia,

    I have attempted through several sources to clarify my

    position regarding my unfair treatment by my previous

    employer, Citibank. I had no previous plans to leave

    my position as Head Teller at the Citibank branch in

    Carmel. After 4 years of employment with the company,

    the unfair and unequal treatment of employees led to

    medically supervised work-related stress. The manager

    of the branch then accused me of job abandonment which

    led to my termination via UPS delivery on December 15,

    2005, while I was at home on medical leave.

    Subsequent to my termination, I received numerous

    correspondences that referenced me as terminated, no

    longer with the company, and as a former employee. My

    401K and pension have both been forwarded to me.

    However, when interviewed by the Department of Fair

    Employment and Housing, Citibank representatives

    reported that I was terminated due to not personally

    reporting my absence, but rather having medical

    documentation reported by my physician. When

    interviewed by the U. S. Department Wage and Hours

    Division, Citibank representatives reported on August

    8, 2006, that I was still an employee of the company

    and that a letter indicating such would be forwarded

    to me. To date, this letter has not been received.

    I have continued to be in contact with several clients

    that have stated that Citibank representatives

    indicated that I was either on vacation, or that I

    voluntarily resigned in order to work with my husband

    in his new business. This is absolutely untrue. It was

    my intention to continue my employment as the benefits

    were extremely important to me, as well as to my

    family.

    Clearly, there has been a gross misrepresentation by

    Citibank, either to its clients or to the U. S.

    Department Wage and Hours Division. It is my position

    that I was unfairly terminated by Citibank. The

    unscrupulous behavior of Citibank and its

    representatives, locally and at the corporate level,

    is unacceptable.

    It is also my opinion that if a corporation as large

    as Citibank is representing itself on a local level,

    the local management and staff should act accordingly.

    A large part of the attraction of the Monterey area is

    the sense of community that is felt here on a day to

    day basis. If Citibank is allowed to misrepresent its

    actions to clients and government agencies, where will

    the corporate takeover end?

    Sincerely,

    Damari Stratford

    dcsbears@aol.com

    dcsbears@aol.com wrote:

    Subject: Re: Your message to the governor was received

    THE GOVERNOR HAS WRITTEN ME TWICE AND SAID HE WOULD

    HELP,, CITIBANK HAS LIED TO THE DFEH AND US LABOR DEPT

    WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION AND TO THEIR CLIENTS ABOUT MY

    STATUS, I NEED HELP, HOW CAN I FIGHT WHEN THIS

    CORPORATION IS TELLING LIES AND HAS ALL THE LAWYERS

    THEY NEED AND I CAN’T AFFORD ONE. HOW MANY TIMES ARE

    THEY GOING TO GET AWAY WITH MISTREATING EMPLOYEES

    ON 8/8/06 RONAN FROM THE US DEPT OF LABOR WAS TOLD BY

    A CITIBANK ATTORNEY THAT THEY WOULD SEND ME A LETTER

    EXPLAINING MY STATUS AS STILL AN EMPLOYEE, I HAVE YET

    TO GET THIS LETTER, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PUT A

    LETTER TOGETHER IF THEY ARE TELLING THE TRUTH?

    YOUR OFFICE AS WELL AS THE FIRST LADY’S OFFICE HAS

    CALLED ME BUT WE AREN’T GETTING ANYWHERE. IT HAS BEEN

    7 MONTHS SINCE I FIRST WROTE THE GOVERNOR. CITIBANK

    ATTORNEYS HAVE CANCELLED 2 DEPOSITIONS AT THE LAST

    MINUTE THE LAST INE THEY CANCELLED WAS AFTER TALKING

    TO THE US LABOR DEPARTMENT,WHY?

    MY JOB WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO MY FAMILY AND I PLEASE

    HELP ME AND MY FAMILY AND ALL THOSE BEFORE ME THAT

    HAVE BEEN WRONGFULLY TERMINATED BY CITIBANK FOR NO

    GOOD REASON

    WHY IS EVERYONE SO AFRAID OF CITIGROUP? WHY CAN’T I

    FIND AN ATTORNEY WILLING TO STAND UP TO THEM ON A

    CONTINGENCY BASIS? I VOTED FOR THE GOVERNOR AND I NEED

    HIM NOW

    PLEASE CALL ANN FROM THE DFEH AT 408-277-1916 THEY

    TOLD HER THAT I HAD CALLED IN ILL ON 11/15/05 AND THAT

    I TOLD THEM I WOULDN’T BE IN, THIS IS A LIE I WORKED

    THAT DAY AND I CAN PROVE THIS WITH MY IME CARD, THEN

    THEY SAY THEY MADE AN ERROR

    PLEASE CALL RONAN AT 415-744-5590 EXT 226 FROM THE US

    LABOR DEPT TO VERIFY WHAT CITIBANK ATTORNEYS SAID. THE

    ONLY REASON THEY OFFERED ME FMLA IS BECAUSE I FILED

    FOR DISABILITY, BEFORE THAT THEY HAD PAID OUT MY FINAL

    PAYCHECK, FIRED ME VIA UPS, SENT ME COBRA INFORMATION.

    PLEASE HELP US PLEASE SEE THAT THE GOVERNOR GETS THIS

    EMAIL AND ASK HIM TO MAKE A CALL ON MY BEHALF

    CORPORATE AMERICA NEEDS TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF THEIR

    GOOD EMPLOYEES AND NOT ALLOW A MANAGER WITH BAD SKILLS

    TO FIRE SOMEONE JUST BECAUSE HE WANTS TO

    SINCERELY DAMARI STARTFROD

    MOTHER WIFE HUMAN BEING AND I VOTED FOR THE GOVERNOR

    I MATTER TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    CITIBANK IN CARMEL LIES TO CLIENTS ABOUT WHY I AM NOT

    THERE. THEY TELL PEOPLE THAT I AM ON VACATION OR THAT

    I LEFT TO WORK FOR MY HUSBAND INSTEAD OF TELLING THEM

    HAT THEY FIRED ME AFTER MY DOCTOR FAXED IN A NOTE AND

    CALLED IN FOR ME TO PROTECT ME FROM HAVING MY BLOOD

    PRESSRE RISE. JEFF URSINO AND KATHLEEN MUNOZ LIES TO

    ANN AT THE DFEH AND THEIR LAWYERS LIED TO THE US DEPT

    OF LABOR. KATHLEN WAS DOING THE OVERDRAFT ON HER

    DAUGHTERS ACCOUNTS AND REFUNDED HER OWN DAUHGTER MONEY

    WHILE THE MANAGER WAS ON VACATION. SHE LIES ABOUT

    BEING FIRED FROM WELLS FARGO, SHE LIED TO THE WORKERS

    COMP PEOPLE AND WILL LIE TO ANYONE. KATHLEEN HAD

    INSTUCTED THE OTHER TELLERS TO COOK THE BOOKS BY

    HAVING THEM PUT IN FALSE REFEERALS AND JEFF URSINO DID

    NOTHING ABOUT IT BUT I GOT WRITTEN UP FOR MISSING WORK

    WITH A DOCTORS NOTE. THEY STATE TO ONE AGENCY THAT I

    WAS FIRED AND TO THE OTHER THAT I AM STILL EMPLOYED,

    THEY STATE I WAS FIRED FOR NOT CALLING IN YET I WAS

    RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO HAVE MY DOCTOEOR CALL IN AND FAX

    MY NOTE IN DUE TO THE STRESS AND HARRASSMENT BROUGHT

    ON BY JEFF AND CITIBANK, WHERE ARE THE ETHICS IN THIS

    COMPANY

    NOW THEY ARE TELLING MORE LIES TO THE DEPT OF FAIR

    EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING JEFF TELLS THEM WHY I WAS FIRED

    AND THEIR LAWYERS TELL THE US DEPT OF LABOR THAT I AM

    STILL EMPLOYEED

    PLEASE HELP US GET THIS STORY OUT TO THE WORLD IF IT

    ISN’T TOO MUCH TO ASK:) HOW DO YOU FIGHT LIARS, HOW DO

    THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT

    CITIBANK IN CARMEL 831-624-8258 CALL AND ASK THEM

    WHERE I AM ASK FOR KATHLEEN AND ASK HER WHY SHE LIES

    THIS WOMAN WAS HAVING CITIBANK PAY FOR HER DAUGHTER

    OVERDRAFTS AND HER A TELLER REFUND HER OWN DAUGHTER

    MONEY WHILE THE MANAGER WAS OUT ON VACATION SO WHY

    SHOULD ANYONE BELEIVE THIS UNETHICAL PERSON JUST AS

    JEFF URSINO THE MANAGER OF THE CAPITOLA BRANCH LIES TO

    HIS BOSSES TO MAKE HIMSELF LOOK BETTER PLEASE HELP US

    WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME

    HOW DO YOU FIGHT A CORPORATION LIKE THIS

    Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

    DAMARI AND CITIBANK HERE IS THE TRUTH!!

    To set the record straight!

    Damari was fired by Citibank in Carmel!

    Damari did not leave the bank to go work for her

    husband!!!!

    DAMARI HAD NO PLANS TO LEAVE CITIBANK!

    DAMARI PLANNED ON STAYING FOR ANOTHER 16YRS.

    THE BENEFITS WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO HER FAMILY!!

    DAMARI WAS FIRED VIA UPS WHILE AT HOME ILL DUE TO WORK

    RELATED STRESS BROUGHT ON BY THE MANAGER AND THE

    UNFAIR AND UNEQUAL TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES

    ALONG WITH BEING THREATEN AND HARASSED

    BY THE MANAGER FOR JOB ABANDOMENT.

    SEVERAL OF

    Citibank clients have TOLD HER that they have been

    told by the staff at the Carmel branch :

    THAT SHE LEFT TO GO WORK FOR HER HUSBAND!

    THIS IS AN OUTRIGHT LIE!!!!

    What else will they lie about?

    Are they ashamed of what was done??

    WHY DO THEY FEEL THEY NEED TO SAY SHE LEFT TO GO WORK

    WITH HER HUSBAND

    ( I DO NOT WORK FOR MY HUSBAND)

    ( I DO NOT WORK FOR JND PLUMBING)

    (NOR AM I ON VACATION)

    INSTEAD OF JUST TELLING THE TRUTH ?

    IS THERE ANYONE IN THE CARMEL BRANCH THAT COULD SWEAR

    TO THIS? NO!

    You can reach Damari at dcsbears@aol.com

    ENOUGH WITH THE LIES CITIBANK!!!

    IF YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS PLEASE SEND HER AN EMAIL

    CITIBANK TOLD

    THE US LABOR DEPT WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION ,

    ON 08/08/06

    THAT I AM STILL AN EMPLOYEE

    YET I HAVE LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS

    THAT CLEARLY USE THE WORDS

    TERMINATED

    NO LONGER WITH THE COMPANY

    FORMER EMPLOYEE

    AND MY 401K AND PENSION HAVE BEEN SENT TO ME AS OF

    8/24/06 I HAVE YET TO GET THE LETTER FROM CITIBANK

    WHICH EXPLAINS HOW I AM STILL AN EMPLOYEE! HOW LONG

    DOES IT TAKE TO WRITE A LETTER IF YOU ARE TELLING THE

    TRUTH HOW CAN THEY SAY TO THE US DEPT OF LABOR THAT I

    AM STILL AN EMPLOYEE YET THEY TELL THE DFEH THAT THEY

    FIRED ME FOR NOT CALLING IN, WHAT IS THE TRUTH

    CITIBANK??????????

    CITIBANK STATES THAT I WAS FIRED FOR NOT CALLING IN

    YET MY DOCTOR CALLED IN FOR ME THE DAY BEFORE AND ALSO

    FAXED IN A NOTE FOR ME WHICH THE MANAGER RETURNED TO

    ME WITH MY LETTER OF TERMINATION. THEY KNEW THE DAY

    BEFORE THAT I WASN’T COMING IN SO WHY WOULD HE CALL TO

    ASK IF I WAS COMING IN IF IT WAS CLEARLY STATED ON THE

    NOTE AND TOLD TO THEM BY MY DOCTOR TO PROTECT MY

    HEALTH

    JUST MORE LIES BY THE CITIBANK STAFF IN CARMEL

    DCSbears…

    I whole heartedly understand you delemma, and my heart goes

    out to you.

    a few years back, I worked for citibank/corp. for one full year.

    It was without doubt the worst job, and the worst nightmare I have

    ever lived. The treatment of employees was abominable, among many

    other things. .

    I worked with people that had been there for years. They were not treated

    any better, than I was.

    I quit in the middle of the day. I sat in my car for a good twenty minutes

    breathing in what was for me, the most fresh air I had in one year.

    In the following year, at least six people I had worked with, and had been there

    for years, were let go, with the very worst excuses ever. Of course the lost all

    benifits, and retirments.

    Needless to say, I have never again banked with them, or used one of their credit

    cards, or have done any other business with them, whatsoever, and when asked I inform orher companies why.

    I have always…and to this day, informed everyone within earshot, of that disgusting thing, know as “citibank/corp.

    I am sorry they got you. I hope you get them.

    FROM AOL BLOG THANK YOU FOR YOU THOUGHTS

    CITIBANK FIRES ME FOR NOT “FOLLOWING POLICY ” YET THEY DIDN’T FOLLOW THEIR OWN POLICY CITIBANK IS UN FAIR AND UNEQUAL TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES

    WHAT KIND OF MAN FIRES YOU WHILE YOU ARE ILL KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE WORK RELATED STRESS AND YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IS UP? HOW HEARTLESS IS THIS CITIBANK MANAGER WHO COULDN’T WAIT FOR ME TO GET WELL?

    CITIBANK MADE THE LIST OF THE 100 BEST COMPANIES FOR WORKING MOTHERS BUT AS I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PUT MY DAUGHTER FIRST THEY FIRED ME!!!

    I WASN’T GIVEN AN EXIT INTERVIEW NOR WERE MY KEYS ASK FOR BUT THAT IS THEIR POLICY! HE DIDN’T EVEN HAVE MY FINAL PAYCHECK WITH MY LETTER OF TERMINATION AND THEY DEPOSITED IT INTO MY ACCOUNT WHICH IS NOT CALIF CODE

    My heart goes out for you, just know that things happen for a resound and what go around must come around!! I myself am having my own issue with Citibank!!! I was approved for a lone and used my car as collateral which later I contacted them to hand me over the Title for renewal and it’s been now 3 ßΩ months I have been waiting for it and now have to deal with my vehicle parked without insurance and Citibank’s excuse is that Motor Vehicle can not locate my title and the most frustrating thing is that all the time I call I must have gave my # over 20 times and never get a call back regarding the status of my situation I would have to repeat myself all over again to a new rep…….How frustrating!!! Well that is the story of life………………Drama……………….Good Luck.

    To OCC office

    Thank you for your reply and for requesting information form Citibank. Citibank states that I was fired for not following policy but yet they didn’t follow their own policy and guide lines nor were they equal and fair in how they treated each employee.

    Citibank states that I was fired for not calling in, but I did have my doctor call in at the end of my doctors appointment on 12/12/05 and my doctor also faxed on a note. Contact was made with the bank. My doctor called in to protect my health.

    I have copies of some of Citibank policy which are in the employee hand book and from what I have read Citibank and the manager didn’t follow proper procedure. Before firing they are to consider your work performance and take that into consideration and my reviews were very good. I never got a verbal warning just written up and the write up was not correct with errors. Citibank gives an exit interview which I didn’t get nor was I asked to send in my keys.

    Citibank sent me my Cobra papers and never offered me FMLA, when they find put that I was applying for disability or that I was disabled they reinstated my benefits and made them retro to 01/01/06

    Citibank then sends me a check for about six weeks worth of pay with no deductions for benefits then all of a sudden they start deducting for medical and dental and now I have to pay for these benefits out of my pocket.

    Many if Citibank clients have told me they have been told that I left to work for my husband or that I am on vacation.

    Lisa Austin of Citigroup mentioned that when I go back to work they would set up payments for some of these benefits but she couldn’t explain how this would happened after I explained that I had been fired. Is Citibank going to fire me again via UPS when my doctor feels that I am well enough to look for work?

    Citibank didn’t; follow policy to the tee and fires me for not following policy to the tee but had no heart about me being ill and my doctor helping me out.

    Citibank made the list of the best 100 companies for working mother to work at but as I try to put my daughter first they started harassing me with abandonment and corrective action.

    My seniority didn’t matter to them.

    Ronon at the US Dept of labor, wage and hour division ( 1-415-744-5590 ext 226 ) was told by Citigroup attorney that I was still employed and they would send a letter to explain but the letter never came.

    Citibank fired me while in the middle of a workers comp pending case.

    Ann at the DFEH ( 1-408-277-1916 ) was lied to by Jeff Ursino and Kathleen Munoz, they explain to the DFEH how and why they fired me.

    Again Citibank violated state labor codes and more.

    Employees which are unethical are still working there and I get fired for having my doctor call in, these employees broke company policy and still have jobs.

    Citibank recently sent me a letter thanking me for my five years of service and it states looking forward to another five years but I was fired on 12/13/05 a few days later a get another letter stating that yes I had been terminated and the stocks that were issued to me for being a good employee had been taken back due to an error in their system. I believe the only error is that I was wrongfully terminated and Citibank is back tracking trying to cover up their mistakes.

    My pension and 401k have been sent to me due to termination and then I get the letter saying looking forward to another five years.

    Jeff Ursino knew that the tellers were cooking the books and none of them were written up or fired. Kathleen was refunding her daughter money and having Citibank pay for her overdrafts and she still has a job and Jeff knew about this. Unfair unequal treatment of employees.

    Why did it take Citibank a few weeks to give me a clear reason as to why I was fired? Why was my final check deposited into my account, why was I fired via UPS, Why was my final check not ordered until 12/14/05? Why did Chrys Smith call workers comp on 12/14/05 to see if my case was going to be denied but yet didn’t bother telling them that they had already fired me? This is violation of code 132A.

    Why doesn’t the staff at Citibank in Carmel simply say “she is no longer with us” instead of all the lies?

    Why was Citibank so strict with me and the policy and yet not the other employees?

    Why was it ok for Andrea to change her schedule but not me and I had the seniority over her?

    Citibank told the Office of Thrift Supervision that they were dealing with it internally and the office asked them to send me a letter of explanation yet they never did.

    How many other state codes have they ignored and violated?

    Jeff Ursino states that he was calling to see if I was coming in yet he returns to me the faxed in note by my doctor with my letter of termination which clearly stated that I would be out for a few more days? Jeff knew I wasn’t coming in he just fired me because I wanted to communicate via email to protect my blood pressure and stress level. Is it against the law to protect yourself? They wamt to hold me to the letter of theit policy but don’t follow their policy or state codes to the letter of policy.

  4. Damari says:

    To whom it may concern, 10/03/2007

    A CRY FOR HELP

    Please help the little person fight corporate America and their lies and false statements

    On, Feb. 16, 2006 someone representing Citigroup Inc at One Court Square, 14th Floor, Long Island City, NY 11120, submitted a rebuttal to Ann Luekeman, Consultant for the Department of Fair Employment and Housing at 111 N Market Street, Suite 810, San Jose Ca 95112, and the statement entered is false and full of lies . Ann Luekeman also conducted the interviews for the investigation and was also lied to by Jeff Ursino and Kathleen Munoz during their interviews. I feel that the case needs to be investigated due to the fact that the DFEH made their decision with false statements submitted by Citigroup attorney and their employees. Sheri Paulo, the Employee Relations director for Citigroup was aware of the false information submitted yet even though they/she said they would submit a new statement they did not and stood by the lies knowing they were lies. I was wrongfully termination, harassed, by Jeff Ursino, and I can’t understand how an attorney lies to the DFEH and then they aren’t held accountable. This is unethical behavior on all those whom lied and I have to pay for their lies. Citigroup violated several Ca labor codes in the process of firing me nor did Citibank follow their own firing procedures. I was not offered FMLA until months later.

    I am begging that someone out there will help a mother who was simply trying to work be a mom and a wife making a honest living yet the manager and supervisor both lied as well as the Citigroup lawyers. Their lawyers requested more time to answer the DFEH yet submitted false information and this is unethical, please help us. I have been on disability since I was fired on 12/13/05 via UPS, I did not know I had lost my job until 12/15/05 because I was out on a workers comp pending case when I was fired. Violation 132A.My last pay check was direct deposited into my checking account, it was not included with my letter of termination. I would like to know who submitted these false statements for Citicorp and or Citibank and Citigroup. I don’t have a team of attorneys as they do or the funds to hire the right attorney to get to the truth. Please help us.

    Sincerely,

    Damari Stratford

    1291 Ord Grove Ave

    Seaside, Ca 93955

    831-236-0112

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