Revenue of $17.8 billion dropped 9 per cent from the third quarter of 2014 and is essentially flat year-on-year.

The firm said legal and related expenses, and repositioning charges, totaled $3.5 billion in the current quarter, compared to $1.0 billion in the prior-year period.

Citigroup full-year 2014 net income was $7.3 billion on $76.9 billion in revenue, compared to net income of $13.7 billion on $76.4 billion in revenue for the full-year 2013.

The picture is brighter at Citi Private Bank, where revenue rose 11 per cent year-on-year from $599 million to $666 million in the final quarter of 2014.

Private banking revenue is also up from $663 million in the third quarter of 2014.