
Please try another search
In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Citigroup (NYSE:C) is temporarily closing 15% of its branches to help contain the virus spread. The lender is expected to execute the move by this weekend. The news was first reported by Reuters.
About 100 branches are to be affected by the move, whereas the remaining branches will continue to operate but with reduced working hours. Also, the company seeks to keep providing essential services to its customers by redeploying employees.
As banking is an essential service, the government has not imposed a complete shutdown on the industry. However, banks have made extensive plans for non-customer-facing staff to work from home.
Citigroup is not the only Wall Street biggie to take branch closure action. Last week, JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) made plans to close 20% of its branches temporarily as a precautionary measure to combat the crisis.
Further, Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) seeks to reduce operating hours at its branches. Wells Fargo (NYSE:C) is also temporarily shuttering branches in North Carolina to slow down the spread of COVID-19. Per Charlotte Business Journal’s article, about 20 branches in the greater Charlotte region will start to close from Wednesday.
Though temporarily shut down of branches will not have any significant impact on its financials, Citigroup’s top line is likely to be affected by lower interest rates and fewer business activities during the quarter. Also, in the light of the coronavirus outbreak, the lender announced plans to suspend stock repurchase programs to maintain liquidity.
Shares of Citigroup have lost 41.2% over the past six months compared with 33.2% decline recorded by the industry.
The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!
It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.
Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.
Click here for the 6 trades >>
Shares of Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR), a leading gambling stock, traded around 3% higher on Wednesday morning, though the stock was trading around 1.5% lower shortly before...
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is making a significant push into the future with a robust investment in robotics and artificial intelligence. The company has earmarked $35 billion for...
Home Depot’s (NYSE:HD) Q4 2024 report and guidance for 2025 have plenty to be unhappy about, but the simple truth is that this company turned a corner in 2024. It is on track for...
Are you sure you want to block %USER_NAME%?
By doing so, you and %USER_NAME% will not be able to see any of each other's Investing.com's posts.
%USER_NAME% was successfully added to your Block List
Since you’ve just unblocked this person, you must wait 48 hours before renewing the block.
I feel that this comment is:
Thank You!
Your report has been sent to our moderators for review
Add a Comment
We encourage you to use comments to engage with other users, share your perspective and ask questions of authors and each other. However, in order to maintain the high level of discourse we’ve all come to value and expect, please keep the following criteria in mind:
Enrich the conversation, don’t trash it.
Stay focused and on track. Only post material that’s relevant to the topic being discussed.
Be respectful. Even negative opinions can be framed positively and diplomatically. Avoid profanity, slander or personal attacks directed at an author or another user. Racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination will not be tolerated.
Perpetrators of spam or abuse will be deleted from the site and prohibited from future registration at Investing.com’s discretion.