[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23424]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HONORING CITIGROUP

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 20, 2005

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Citigroup and 
commend them on their leadership in aiding Hurricane Katrina and Rita 
relief efforts during the recovery and rebuilding of the affected area.
  Citigroup and Citigroup Foundation donated $2 million to Habitat for 
Humanity International in support of ``Operation Home Delivery.'' In 
addition to a $1 million immediate donation, the Citigroup Foundation 
is matching eligible Citigroup employee donations dollar for dollar to 
the American Red Cross up to $3 million, for a potential total of $7 
million.
  Hundreds of Citigroup volunteers are building and helping to organize 
the Habitat for Humanity build in Humanity Plaza where NBC News' 
``Today'' show hosted the construction of Habitat homes as part of Make 
a Difference Today. In addition, to help the Red Cross in its 
nationwide telethon on September 9th, calls were routed to Citigroup 
call centers in St. Louis, Dallas and Jacksonville. Over 900 Citigroup 
employees answered more than 8,500 calls and helped to raise over 
$900,000.
  Citigroup is committed to working with affected customers to 
alleviate the temporary financial impact of this disaster. They are 
implementing business-specific initiatives for customers in FEMA 
designated Individual Assistance Areas including deferred and 
eliminated interest and payments, elimination of interest and fees on 
current and delinquent accounts, suspension of collection calls and 
negative credit bureau reporting, implementation of disaster credit 
line increases, no foreclosures on mortgages, and other solutions as 
appropriate.
  At the Citi Cards site in Boise, Idaho, where I recently visited, 
employees donated more than $139,000 to the United Way of Treasure 
Valley during their 2006 pacesetter campaign in July. Site President 
Tod Wingfield said, ``The strength of an organization comes from the 
people within it. The same holds true for the health of a community. We 
are so proud to have employees who demonstrate their passion and 
generosity for others by contributing to programs that benefit so many 
people in our valley. This sense of community and sincere desire to 
help others is part of what makes Citi a great place to work.'' Citi 
Cards presented a check to United Way and recognized employees at the 
United Way Community Campaign Kick-off event in August.
  I want to thank and congratulate Citigroup and employees for their 
commitment to building strong communities.

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