Citigroup shakes up consumer bank and card chief leaves

By David Henry

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc restructured its consumer bank on Monday, elevating one executive and triggering the departure of another, as the third-biggest U.S. bank moved to improve results.

The changes will "harmonize" Citigroup's consumer business with operating models of units in Asia and Mexico that have produced better results, Stephen Bird, chief executive of Citigroup's global consumer banking business, said in a memo seen by Reuters.

With the new structure, Jud Linville, who had been head of global cards and consumer services and a member of Citigroup's operating committee, will leave and David Chubak will become head of retail banking and consumer lending globally, overseeing products, strategies and investments.

Some of those responsibilities in cards had previously been handled by Linville.

Anand Selva, the current head of consumer banking in Asia, will become head the regional head for North America. Selva has been with Citigroup for 26 years, during which time he has overseen consumer business in 17 countries and advanced digital offerings, Bird said.

The moves come as Citigroup is trying to improve performance of its card business and reconnect with U.S. consumers, despite having few branches, through a new mobile app and partnerships with ATM providers.

Citi-branded cards in the United States are an area of particular concern to Wall Street.

Executives had targeted 3 percent annualised revenue growth from branded cards when the company set profit goals for 2020 at an Investor Day conference in July 2017. But early this year Chief Financial Officer John Gerspach reduced that goal to 2 percent.

"U.S. Cards has consistently missed our expectations, so we believe change could be a positive longer term," KBW analysts said in a report on Monday.

Citigroup expects to get a bump in branded-card income as promotions that offered customers little or no interest for a fixed time come to an end. Nearly half of those accounts have been converting to paying full rates, Gerspach has said.

Linville, 60, had been at Citigroup for eight years, and received credit for streamlining the company's roster of card offerings. But stiff competition for premium card customers from rivals like JPMorgan Chase & Co have weighed on results. He declined to comment on his departure.

Citigroup shares fell 1.6 percent to close at $69.16 on Monday.

(Reporting by David Henry in New York; Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Matthew Lewis)