Markets Magazine

The Alchemist Who Turned Toxic Assets Into Gold at Citigroup

Mark Tsesarsky, who fled the Soviet Union with $90, has made the bank billions by doubling down on the same subprime mortgage bonds that nearly sank the global financial system.

How Citigroup Turned Toxic Assets Into Gold

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By Dakin Campbell and Donal Griffin

June 7, 2016 at 4:01 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

This article is part of the July 1, 2016 issue of Markets.

The memo landed on a Sunday in November. It was 2007, and securities backed by subprime mortgages were roiling markets and imperiling banks. Merrill Lynch Chief Executive Officer Stan O’Neal had just resigned under pressure, and Citigroup CEO Chuck Prince was rumored to be on his way out.

So the Nov. 4 memo to employees in Citigroup’s markets division seems bold in hindsight. While other banks were looking to unload the toxic securities and Citigroup was taking an $11 billion writedown on its holdings, then-trading chief Jamie Forese and fixed-income head Paco Ybarra had other plans. They announced they’d turn the bank’s souring mortgage debt over to a new team and chart a course for the future. It was, they said, a “great opportunity.”