Citigroup Pledges to Support South Carolina's Effort to Provide Personal Finance Education...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- In support of the Financial Literacy Instruction Act, which recently passed in South Carolina, Citigroup's Office of Financial Education today announced plans to share Citigroup's free Financial Education Curriculum, provide Citigroup guest speakers in schools, and encourage

local employee volunteers to conduct "Get Smart About Credit" lessons in schools during the 2005-2006 school year in conjunction with the SC Bankers Association. The Act instructs the State Board of Education to develop or adopt curricula, materials and guidelines for local school boards to use in implementing a program of instruction on financial literacy within courses offered in high schools. South Carolina has now joined the eight states already mandating personal finance education in schools.

"The momentum for adding financial literacy curricula in schools is clearly growing," said Dara Duguay, Director of Citigroup's Office of Financial Education. "According to the Jump$tart Coalition, only 19 percent of high school graduates nationally have taken a course covering personal finance basics. We are pleased to provide our curricula to schools, non-profit organizations and state agencies in any state that passes personal finance legislation, to help reverse this shortfall."

2005 has seen a surge in financial education legislation as a variety of federal and state sponsored bills have been introduced in 30 states. The eight states that currently make personal finance a requirement for high school graduation, include: Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Georgia, Utah, Alabama, and Louisiana. In Kansas, Mississippi and Arkansas, personal finance classes are required to be offered, however enrollment is not mandated.

Already this year, Texas, West Virginia, Virginia, Missouri, and Washington have passed personal finance legislation, including:

--Texas: Act requires the State Board of Education to adopt personal financial literacy instruction in one or more courses required for high school graduation. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools shall include personal financial literacy in the economics curriculum in the 2006-2007 school year.

--West Virginia: Act requires the State Board of Education to develop a program of instruction on personal finance, which may be integrated into the curriculum of an appropriate existing course or courses for students in secondary schools.

--Virginia: Act requires instruction in the principles of economics and financial literacy for public middle and high schools in the Commonwealth by July 1, 2006.

--Missouri: Bill encourages a mandated high school course in personal finance economics.

--Washington: Bill encourages each school district Board of Directors to adopt a curriculum developed by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction or its own with input from the community that shall include financial education.

"In the wake of this surge of legislation, Citigroup is optimistic that a significantly higher number of high school students will graduate in the coming years with an exposure to basic financial skills," Duguay added.

Recently, Citigroup and the Citigroup Foundation announced a 10-year, $200 million global financial education commitment, the formation of a new Office of Financial Education and a global initiative designed to encourage its 300,000 employees around the world to devote time to support financial education and other charitable causes. Under the new initiative, employees may take a day off from work to volunteer for non-profit organizations in their communities.

The Citigroup Financial Education Program Curriculum and Facilitator's Guide are free, available in English and Spanish, and may be found at: http://financialeducation.citigroup.com.

Citigroup (NYSE:C), the leading 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.

The Citigroup Financial Education Program is a global, company-wide effort to identify, support and implement initiatives that help give individuals, families and communities the tools needed to make sound financial decisions. Citigroup's 10-year, $200 million global financial education commitment is focused in three areas: Personal Financial Education, Small Business Financial Education, and Institutional Financial Education. Additional information about Citigroup's Financial Education Program, including Foundation guidelines, links and resources, including the Citigroup Financial Education Program Curriculum and Facilitator's Guide may be found at: financialeducation.citigroup.com.