Citigroup

Banks

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Summary:

Citigroup has fired employees for political beliefs and led the financial industry in canceling business relationships with the firearm industry. Citigroup has used its corporate image and dollars to support leftist agendas and groups hostile to freedom of expression. Citigroup does not have viewpoint protections for its employees. The bank has used its PAC to donate to ideological causes despite a previous record of bipartisan giving. For these reasons, Citi receives a "High Risk" rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Citigroup has led the financial industry in cutting off business with the firearm industry. For this, it received the highest grade of any bank from “Is Your Bank Loaded,” a partisan gun control pressure group (1). Citigroup does little business with the firearm industry and will fire any retail customers who sell guns to those under 21 (2). Citi also has a written policy requiring suppliers not to discriminate on the basis of LGBTQ identity and received a score of 100 from the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index (3).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Citigroup permits giving to religious groups as long as the said organization is “engaged in a project benefiting an entire community,” a restriction that does not require other entities with ideological interests (1).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Citigroup does not protect its employees from viewpoint discrimination (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Citigroup signed public letters endorsing the Equality Act and opposes protecting women’s sports (1)(2). The bank also opposed the GA voting integrity bill (3). Citigroup opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (4).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Citigroup is a Silver Corporate Partner of the HRC (1). Citigroup makes other charitable contributions to apolitical nonprofits (2)(3). However, in 2020, the bank designated $100 million over three years to “change agents” working on racial equity (4). In 2022, Citigroup announced that it would fund interstate employee travel in order to seek an abortion (5). Citi also funded the Boise Pride event, which featured a children’s drag show for children as young as 11 years old (6).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Citigroup has donated to ideological PACs such as the Equality PAC (1).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
February 11, 2023

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