Vikram Pandit, CEO of Citigroup, announced today that the company would be split after reporting a net loss for 2008 of $18.72 billion. He also promised to put the money from the $700 bailout to work by extending credit to consumers and businesses… responsibly.

“Today, we announced that we would separate the company, for management purposes, into two separate businesses—Citicorp and Citi Holdings. We are setting out a clear roadmap to restore profitability and enable us to focus on maximizing the value of Citi and strengthening TCE.

“We are committed to helping the financial markets recover as quickly as possible. To accelerate that recovery Citi is putting the TARP capital it has received to work to support the U.S. economy and consumers – expanding the flow of credit to U.S. households and businesses responsibly and on competitive terms.

Citi Reports Fourth Quarter Net Loss of $8.29 Billion, Loss Per Share of $1.72 [Citigroup]
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