Citi, Teacher Chang Foundation to Kick off Credit Counseling Program in 10 Cities

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1 Joint press release by Citi Foundation and Teacher Chang Foundation s Taipei branch Sept. 15, 2008 Citi, Teacher Chang Foundation to Kick off Credit Counseling Program in 10 Cities As the financial environment becomes more complex and Consumer Debt Clearance Regulations take effect, Citi and the Teacher Chang Foundation unveiled today (Sept. 15) a series of cooperative plans to promote credit counseling for adults and family finance management courses nationwide. Citi spokesperson Michelle Liao, the secretary-general of Teacher Chang Foundation s Taipei branch Wang Hsin-tung, and Financial Supervisory Commission commissioner Yang Ya-hui attended the press event, calling on the public to attend to their daily finances and lay solid foundations for their financial health. The press conference started with a short play performed by volunteers from the Teacher Chang Foundation, showing the importance of family finance management. The humorous skit conveyed key concepts regarding household financial management ---- (a) to stay in credit, (b) to keep accounts, and (c) to spend rationally. At a time when the world is experiencing economic slowdown, Citi joins hands with the Teacher Chang Foundation and, by combining both sides expertise, hope to help more disadvantaged people deal with financial issues. Survey: 94 percent of public have little knowledge of financial planning; 60 percent need to learn keeping accounts, budgeting First of all, we hope to help the individuals with loan defaults return to normal life as soon as possible. Michelle Liao, Citi spokesperson and head of the corporate affairs department, said according to a financial health survey Citi conducted early this year, 74 percent of the 1,110 respondents said they did not know the existence of the Consumer Debt Clearance Regulations, or the so-called "personal bankruptcy law." The survey also found that 94 percent of the public had

2 little knowledge about bankruptcy and financial planning. Soon after the regulations took effect in April, the Legal Aid Foundation has received over 30,000 people s phone calls to make appointments for consultation, showing that the public is in urgent need of relevant information. Now thanks to Citi s cooperation with the foundation, consumers with loan problems can just dial the service hot line at 1980 and Teacher Chang volunteers would offer psychological counseling. The foundation also provides assistance in law, medical treatment, job training and information to help resolve their problems in daily life. After analyzing Taiwanese people s needs in the survey, Citi designed the financial education courses targeting adults Be the Master of Your Wallet. The financial health survey found that over 95 percent of those with credit card loan defaults did not have a habit of keeping accounts and planning and sticking to budgets, compared with 60 percent of the general public who failed to do the same. As a leading company in Taiwan s financial industry, Citi is willing to contribute its expertise in credit risk management and educate the public about personal finance to prevent a credit crisis, Liao said. This initiative once again demonstrates Citi s continued commitment to serve the Taiwanese market following its merger with Bank of Overseas Chinese (BOOC) last year, she stressed. With its first-hand consultation experiences, the Teacher Chang Foundation has made consistent efforts to help the public deal with their finance-induced psychological and daily life problems. It started cooperating with the National Youth Commission and Financial Supervisory Commission in Oct to launch a three-grade counseling mechanism targeting young cash cardholders. Youngsters in financial difficulty can dial the program s special line at to obtain assistance on making feasible debt repayment plans. The service has, so far, successfully helped 2,681 people, including 1,036 people who accepted professional psychological counseling and 249 people who were transferred to the Bankers Association of the ROC to enter its negotiation mechanism. In 2006, the Teacher Chang Foundation worked with the National Credit Card Center of ROC to set up a consumer finance counseling hot line, serving a total of 5,787 people. After these programs concluded, many people were still calling to enquire about their finance related problems. Through these experiences, the foundation found out that many card debt problems are caused by a lack of knowledge about money and credit cards, hence leading to over

3 spending and failed investments. Therefore, promoting family finance management is a genuine solution, said Wang Hsin-tung, secretary-general of the Teacher Chang Foundation s Taipei branch. Citi donates over NT$3.6 million, proposes five plans for adult financial education This represents another landmark in Citi s promotion of comprehensive financial education in Taiwan. Starting 2004, Citi has invested over NT$50 million in Taiwan, deploying more than 100 Citi volunteers a year, to launch financial education sessions on campuses and in communities. The campaign provides various courses and activities for students in elementary, junior high, senior high schools and universities, as well as their parents, to help the public acquire important concepts and knowledge about their personal finances. As the financial environment becomes ever more complex, it is hoped the public, when equipped with sufficient information, can make responsible decisions to attain financial independence and health. Citi s initiative has benefited over 200,000 people so far. Citi s cooperation with the Teacher Chang Foundation extends Citi s expertise to adult education, allowing residents in resource-scarce and remote areas an opportunity to experience financial education. Citi Foundation and Citi Taiwan have sponsored the Teacher Chang Foundation to the tune of NT$3.6 million in order to hold the following events: 1. To host 45 sessions of Be the Master of Your Wallet Family Finance Management Workshops in 10 cities, including Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, Ilan, Keelung City, Hsinchu, Changhua, Chiayi and Tainan City. Each session is expected to serve 50 people, or a total of 2,250 adults nationwide. Citi will introduce its global financial education materials to Taiwan in order to promote family finance management among adults, including ways of saving, how to calculate interest and the idea of opportunity cost. The workshops will use simple examples to help the public employ financial concepts they have learned in daily life. It is hoped consumers can attach importance to money management and become masters of their money! 2. To provide professional counseling services to 360 indebted consumers through the Teacher Chang Foundation s hot line at The services include addressing the pressure and emotional problems caused by financial issues, consultations on spending habits and mental

4 health problems, changing consumption values and behaviors, legal counseling, job training and information. It aims to help resolve debt-induced problems at a psychological, family and social level so that the struggling people can return to normal life as soon as possible. 3. To train 120 volunteer lecturers at Citi and the Teacher Chang Foundation to deliver courses of Be the Master of Your Wallet Family Finance Management Workshops nationwide. 4. To print and publish Be the Master of Your Wallet Family Finance Management Booklet and Be the Master of Your Wallet Family Finance Management Guides, 3,000 copies each, for distribution at the workshops. 5. To cooperate with the Chinese-language magazine CommonWealth s website to launch personal financial health checkups at where consumers can obtain useful advices right away. Online courses on family finance management will also be offered for three months in September, October and November, in the hope of boosting financial literacy among a wider range of people. # # # About Citi Foundation The Citi Foundation is committed to enhancing economic opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and families in the communities where we work throughout the world. Globally, the Citi Foundation is focusing its giving on Microfinance and Microentrepreneurship, which help individuals become economically self-sufficient; on Small and Growing Businesses to help with economic expansion and job creation; on Education to help young people attain personal and professional success; on Financial Education to help individuals make informed financial decisions; and on Environment, with a focus on sustainable enterprises that can generate jobs and stimulate economic growth while conserving the environment. More information is available at the website at About Citi

5 Citi, 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 Citi's trademark red arc include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex and Nikko. Additional information may be found at or About Teacher Chang Foundation The Teacher Chang Foundation has operated for nearly 40 years with the goal of soothing the public s frustration and improving people s mental health. It serves an average of 60,000 to 70,000 people per year. Aside from the counseling hot line at 1980, the foundation has set up counseling guidance centers to provide professional consultation and psychological tests. To promote mental health education, it continues to organize courses, training, seminars and activities, and launch specific services targeting different groups, such as young people, children from transnational families, and counselors. Its three-grade counseling mechanism targeting young cash cardholders in 2005 and the consumer finance counseling hot line launched in 2006 offer a platform where struggling people can seek assistance to ease their psychological pressures and negotiate with banks to repay debts. More information is available on the foundation s website at Media Contact: Citi Maxine Yang Teacher Chang Foundation Liu Su-fang #22 Lin Yi-chen #27