Citigroup and Operation HOPE Teach Financial Education To Educate and Empower Students in Johns Hopkins Program.

BALTIMORE -- "Banking on Our Future" Program to Focus on Using Credit Wisely Citigroup and The Citigroup Foundation's Commitment to Financial Education Continues

Operation HOPE, Inc. (HOPE), Citigroup and the Citigroup Foundation continued their "Banking on Our Future" financial education awareness tour focusing on the importance of understanding personal finance and practicing wise money management by hosting a session for student interns participating in The Johns Hopkins Hospital Program (JHH) at Johns Hopkins Hospital on July 28.

A recent study commissioned by Operation HOPE, "The State of Financial Literacy Amongst Young African-American Adults in America," and administered by Dr. Lewis Mandell and the Jump$tart Coalition, revealed that many university administrators believe that credit card debt leads to a higher drop out rate than academic failure. HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO, John Bryant, will give tips to students in his "Life 101" seminar designed to teach students how to manage their money effectively. Additionally he will educate attendees on HOPE's growing Silver Rights Movement to promote financial literacy and empowerment.

The JHH internship is sponsored by Johns Hopkins Health System/The Johns Hopkins Hospital and is a career exploration/college preparation internship program for high school students living in Baltimore. This strategic initiative serves to enhance the community and develop the future workforce by helping youth gain job readiness skills and preparing them for post-secondary education/training. The program includes six-weeks of paid work in various areas of the hospital and 12 hours of a mandatory educational component. Over 128 students are expected to participate in the financial literacy seminar.

"Operation HOPE would like to thank Citigroup and the Citigroup Foundation for helping us make this "Banking on Our Future" event happen," Bryant said. "We live in a nation where nearly one-third of high school seniors have credit cards, even more have debit cards, and an average of 1.5 million families file for personal bankruptcy each year. The need for personal financial literacy rings loud and clear."

In February, Citigroup announced a $500,000 grant from the Citigroup Foundation to expand the "Banking on Our Future" program to reach 10,000 students in seven cities, including Washington, DC, Baltimore, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Oakland, CA; and Atlanta. In addition, Citigroup employees volunteer as HOPE Corps banker-teachers to educate students about the basics of earning income, budgeting, saving and investing. Since its inception, "Banking on Our Future" has served over 140,000 individuals nationwide.

"We are pleased to support Operation HOPE and the expansion of a program that empowers so many young people in underserved communities to become more knowledgeable about personal finance," said Mary Louise Preis, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, Citigroup Consumer Finance North America, on behalf of the Citigroup Foundation. "You are never too young to start your financial education and through this program, Citigroup employees will help give young people in Baltimore a head start on a bright financial future and help build strong communities tomorrow."

Recently, Citigroup and the Citigroup Foundation announced a 10-year, $200 million global financial education commitment, the formation of a new Office of Financial Education and a global initiative designed to encourage its 300,000 employees around the world to devote time to support financial education and other charitable causes. Under the new initiative, employees may take a day off from work to volunteer for non-profit organizations in their communities.

"Banking on Our Future" is part of Operation HOPE's Silver Rights Movement to eradicate poverty by empowering the underserved. The Silver Rights Movement is aimed to continue and build upon the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the famed Civil Rights movement, by educating minorities, low-income families and youth on financial empowerment." Bryant continued, "Ambassador Andrew Young, the right arm to the late Dr. King and our national spokesman for HOPE and the Silver Rights Movement, recently told me that he, King and others succeeded in integrating the lunch counter, the public building and even the school house, but never the dollar. This is the work that Dr. King would be doing if he were alive today."

In addition to Bryant's stirring remarks, OHI SVP, Chief of Financial Literacy Initiatives Mary Hagerty delivered welcoming remarks.

About Citigroup

The Citigroup Financial Education Program is a global, company-wide effort to identify, support and implement initiatives that help give individuals, families and communities the tools needed to make sound financial decisions. Citigroup's 10-year; $200 million global financial education commitment is focused in three areas: Personal Financial Education, Small Business Financial Education, and Institutional Financial Education. Additional information about Citigroup's Financial Education Program, including Foundation guidelines, links and resources, including the Citigroup Financial Education Program Curriculum and Facilitator's Guide may be found at: www.citigroup.com/citigroup/financialeducation.

Citigroup (NYSE: C), the leading global financial services company has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Operation HOPE, Inc. (OHI), is America's first nonprofit social investment bank and a national provider of financial literacy and economic empowerment programs. Through ongoing collaborations and long-term partnerships with leading government, private sector, and community interests, OHI works to bring self-sufficiency and a sustained spirit of revitalization to America's inner-city communities. OHI's HOPE Centers, a growing network of inner-city banking centers, have created more than 800 new homeowners and small business owners, more than $125 million in funded loans, and more than $210 million in commitments for homeownership and small business loans from their 250 bank and corporate partners. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a network of private and community partners, OHI's HOPE Coalition America has provided free financial counseling and casework services to Americans affected by natural disasters and national emergencies in 125 cities in 35 states to date. Taken together, these programs make Operation HOPE the national leader in economic empowerment tools and services for the under-served in America. OHI and its programs can be found online at www.operationhope.org, www.bankingonourfuture.org , and www.hopecoalitionamerica.org.