Richard Banziger leads the U.S. Commercial Bank for Citigroup. Prior to this assignment, he led the global corporate credit risk team for Citigroup’s Institutional Clients Group (ICG), following the financial crisis, from 2010 – 2014.
Richard joined Citibank in 1984 as a Summer Intern in the Private Bank. In 1985, he became a Management Associate for the Leveraged Finance team in Chicago. In 1990, Richard joined Citibank’s Risk Management team, in the bank’s corporate recovery team (IRM) in New York. In 1994, he moved to Los Angeles to lead the syndications team for Citibank on the west coast. In 1997, Richard moved to London, where he led non-investment grade syndicate in Europe, specializing in Leveraged Finance.
Richard returned to the US in 1999, where he developed and led the Restructuring Finance business as a part of the ICG’s Capital Markets Organization. At the time, this was a new initiative, which grew significantly under his leadership. Today, this business remains a major product offering for Leveraged Finance and ICG clients. In 2003, he moved to Hong Kong as a part of the Citigroup Principal Investments team, focused primarily on restructuring opportunities in the Asian Pacific region.
In 2004, Richard returned to the US to lead Citi’s Asset Based Finance business. Under his leadership, the ABF team grew revenue significantly, greatly improving the unit’s operating efficiency. At the same time, he kept the portfolio quality stable and avoided any significant credit losses through the financial crisis of 2007 – 2009.
Richard Banziger received an MBA in Finance from Columbia University, and a BA in Economics from the Catholic University of America. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Catholic University of America from 2001 through 2013, serving as Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Trusteeship Committee and member of the Executive Committee (2010 - 2013), chair of the Finance Committee (2006 - 2012), and inaugural chair of the Investments Subcommittee (2002 - 2008), with responsibility for the University’s endowment.
He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Plantronics, Inc. a NYSE listed company and Citicorp Venture Capital investment, from 1994 through 1997. He is a frequent speaker and panelist for industry groups such as the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Turnaround Management Association. He currently resides in New York City and Chatham, Massachusetts.