Citigroup and Prudential Financial, which were among the potential terrorist targets cited Sunday, have a lot in common.
They are two of the world’s largest financial services companies, and two of the largest private-sector employers in the New York-New Jersey area.
They also boast two of the country’s most recognizable icons: Citigroup’s trademark red umbrella and Prudential’s reproduction of the Rock of Gibraltar.
More than 5,000 people work at the Citigroup Center, the company’s distinctive midtown Manhattan skyscraper, identified by its aluminum and reflective glass facade and angled roof. The building is the city’s third highest, and since the Sept. 11 attacks it has been considered a likely terrorist target.
In Long Island City, Queens, about 5,000 people work at Court Square One, Citigroup’s 48-story tower, the tallest building in New York City outside of Manhattan.
Across the Hudson River about 10 miles west of Manhattan, Prudential Financial operates out of three buildings in downtown Newark, N.J. About 1,000 employees work out of the 24-story Prudential Plaza, home of The Prudential Insurance Co. of America. Another 1,000 Prudential employees work in a nearby building.
With assets of more than $1 trillion, Citigroup is the world’s largest financial group, holding more than 200 million customer accounts in 100 countries. Citigroup has more than 250,00 employees worldwide. Along with its retail banking unit, Citibank, the company also operates under the trademark of Smith Barney, Primerica and Travelers, its insurance arm. Its 2003 revenues totaled $77.4 billion.
Earlier this month, Citigroup announced plans to build a 12-story building across the street from its Long Island City tower.
With about $454 billion in total assets, Prudential is a conglomerate with a range of financial services, including securities brokerage, banking and trust services and asset management. A year ago, Prudential Financial and Wachovia Corp. combined their retail securities brokerage and clearing operations. Last year, Prudential acquired American Skandia, the largest distributor of variable annuities in the United States. Prudential has about 54,000 employees worldwide.
