Citi swallows its qualms on risk retention as banks tool up for UKAR sales

Citigroup has won a prestigious mandate to help Pimco buy £4.8bn of mortgages from the British government’s bad bank, UK Asset Resolution. It was victorious partly because it was able to get comfortable with holding the ‘risk retention’ in the deal, something only Barclays and Goldman Sachs have done so far. With UKAR gearing up to sell its last £8bn of assets and shut up shop, other banks may need to follow suit. Owen Sanderson reports.