Citibank Sponsors Home Ownership Finance Course for Community Nonprofits in Chicago on August 16-18.

CHICAGO -- --Note to Editors: Members of the media are invited to stop by at any time during our NDC training programs.

More than 40 representatives from Chicago area nonprofit and community development organizations are planning to attend a three-day training course on home ownership finance being sponsored by Citibank and facilitated by the National Development Council (NDC). The course is complimentary and will be held August 16-18, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM, at the Citibank Citicorp Center's 3rd Floor Conference Room at 500 W. Madison St., Chicago. Organizations that have not signed up to attend and would like to should contact: Veronica Velazquez at [phone] or [e-mail]. Organizations that need additional information should contact Oboi Reed at [phone].

Developed and conducted by NDC, the Home Ownership Finance course explores the skills required to successfully develop affordable, owner-occupied, single family housing. The focus is on the role of financing in affecting affordability - both of the unit's sale price and the buyer's monthly mortgage payment.

"Nonprofit organizations are key to the success of revitalizing our communities and we are committed to helping them build capacity," said Darryl Hendricks, President of Citibank Illinois. "We are pleased to bring NDC's fine training courses to nonprofits and are confident that those attending will gain valuable new insights into how they can make even greater impacts in their communities."

Stephanie Dugan, field director for National Development Council's Western Region, will be the instructor for the course. Dugan has managed projects in the western region, such as low-income housing developments and the Grow Sacramento Fund.

Course participants will be given the opportunity to take NDC's HD 410 - Home Ownership Finance examination. Successful completion of the training course and examination will satisfy the requirement for NDC's HD 410 course, the first class in NDC's four-course Housing Development Finance Professional (HDFP) certification program.

About the National Development Council

The National Development Council (NDC) is one of the nation's oldest and most respected 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations dedicated to affordable housing and economic development finance. For nearly thirty years, NDC has provided technical assistance, training, and development services to local and state governments and nonprofit organizations. NDC works in hundreds of communities in almost all 50 states and Puerto Rico to evaluate and structure local economic development and affordable housing projects, leverage private investment, create local development finance programs, and bridge the gap between public sector and private sector investment. With experience about what makes programs work and what makes projects happen, and by providing "hands on" assistance in communities, NDC helps client communities achieve economic development and affordable housing goals.

About Citibank

Citibank is a member of Citigroup (NYSE: C), the preeminent global financial services company which has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries and provides 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 and Banamex. The Citigroup Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: financial education, educating the next generation, and building communities and entrepreneurs. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.