Haiti Earthquake Aid Offered by U.S. Banks

Updated to add information on Deutsche Bank.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Wall Street opened its heart and its till for victims of the Haiti earthquake, with the country's six major banks pledging at least $6.85 million in support.

Searchers comb through the devastation in Haiti.

The banks urged employees to contribute as well, with some offering to match additional donations dollar-for-dollar.

The donations come after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck 15 miles outside the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince, killing tens if not hundreds of thousands of people. The disaster savaged the small Caribbean nation, destroying hospitals, homes and schools, and led to chaos in the streets in as survivors scavenged for food and medical aid.

>>Photo Gallery: The Earthquake In Haiti

They also come in tandem with a PR-offensive, as banks face grilling in Washington for excessive greed that contributed to the financial crisis. Some Wall Street firms are about to report record profits and bonuses in 2009, after shedding bailout shackles, while average Americans continue to cope with unemployment and financial strife.

Citigroup (C) extended the most in no-strings-attached support to Haiti, offering $2 million. It's giving $250,000 to the American Red Cross for immediate relief. The firm has extensive global operations, and has been focused on building up emerging market divisions as it restructures and whittles down problematic U.S. businesses.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti and the families and friends of Citi employees in Port-au-Prince," CEO Vikram Pandit said.

Bank of America (BAC), Morgan Stanley (MS) and Goldman Sachs (GS) each pledged at least $1 million. Bank of America could end up providing much more, offering to match all employee pledges without limit. It is donating $500,000 to the Red Cross for immediate relief.

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