12:40 PM EDT, 03/27/2026 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with more details in the second paragraph and Citigroup's ( C/PN ) response in the third paragraph.)

Citigroup ( C/PN ) (C) executives have had preliminary talks in recent months about trying to acquire a major US regional bank in order to ramp up deposits, which would help fuel its trading and lending operations, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Discussions are still in the early stages, and Citigroup ( C/PN ) must get regulatory approval before any acquisition due to existing consent orders, the report said, adding that there's no certainty the bank will make a formal offer.

"The suggestion that Citi is planning to buy a regional bank, wealth brokerage - or any other financial services firm - is baseless speculation," a Citi spokesperson said via email to MT Newswires. "At this time, we are solely focused on growing organically by executing our strategy and completing our transformation."

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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