
Goldman Called Citi About Merger: Report
Goldman Sachs
(GS) - Get Report
CEO Lloyd Blankfein called
Citigroup's
(C) - Get Report
Vikram Pandit in September about a possible merger, but the Citigroup CEO immediately rejected the proposal, the
Financial Times
reported on its Web site.
Blankfein's call, placed not long after
Lehman Brothers
filed for bankruptcy protection on Sept. 15, was made with the knowledge of regulators but the conversation was brief as Pandit turned it down, the
Financial Times
reported, citing sources.
The call also was made shortly after Goldman received approval to convert itself into a commercial bank from a securities firm, the report added.
At the end of the month, the
Treasury Department
announced a $700 billion rescue package for the ailing U.S. banking system.
This article was written by a staff member of TheStreet.com.