CitiFinancial to Sponsor NASCAR Busch Series Race Car in 2005

BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 2004--CitiFinancial today announced that it will expand its partnership with Robert Yates Racing (RYR) by sponsoring 19 NASCAR Busch Series races in 2005 - the first time the company has taken the primary sponsorship on a NASCAR racing car. CitiFinancial will continue the associate sponsorship deals that it initiated this year with RYR on its No. 88 UPS Ford and No. 38 M&M Ford, which compete in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

"We're excited about taking this great partnership with Robert Yates Racing and NASCAR to the next level," said Kevin Kessinger, Executive Vice President of Citigroup's Global Consumer Group and President of Consumer Finance North America. "This is a big step for CitiFinancial, and we couldn't be happier that we're taking it with these exceptional organizations."

The NASCAR Busch Series, the second highest-rated motor sport in the United States, offers a great mix of rising young stars and established veterans competing week in and week out. All 34 of its events are broadcast live on FOX/NBC or FX/TNT.

Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler will share seat time in the CitiFinancial car, which will make its debut on Feb. 26 at the California Speedway. The 19-race deal also includes NASCAR's debut in Mexico, where the Banamex logo will be added to the CitiFinancial car for the March 6 event at the historic Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course.

"We could not be more pleased to enhance this relationship," said Harry Goff, President and CEO of CitiFinancial. "Many of us at CitiFinancial - our employees and our customers - are huge NASCAR fans. The first year of our partnership was a tremendous success, and we look forward to a long relationship with Robert Yates Racing and this great sport."

"We are excited to be a part of CitiFinancial's first ever primary sponsorship and proud to be associated with a company that values teams on and off the track," said Robert Yates, owner of Robert Yates Racing. "Together we make a very successful team."

CitiFinancial's car will be unveiled today in New York City at an annual Street & Smith NASCAR Motorsports forum, part of NASCAR's Champion's Week in the Big Apple. The company will hold a press conference today at 7:45 am at the Westin Times Square.

About CitiFinancial

CitiFinancial, a member of Citigroup, is the leading community-based lender in North America, serving more than 8 million customers through more than 2100 offices in 48 states and Canada. CitiFinancial offers a wide variety of loan products and services, including personals loans, auto loans, real estate loans and loans to finance consumer goods. CitiFinancial Mortgage and the CitiFinancial Auto Division, which is comprised of Arcadia Financial, Ltd, Auto One Acceptance Corporation and TranSouth Financial Corporation, are also members of the CitiFinancial family of businesses. Additional information may be found at www.citifinancial.com.

About Citigroup

Citigroup (NYSE: C), the preeminent 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