Citi paid ex-JPMorgan banker $52M despite allegations of bullying, abusive behavior: report

A star banker was handed a staggering $52 million pay package by Citigroup just three days after being told he was out of a job at rival JPMorgan Chase — where he had faced years of complaints accusing him of abusive behavior, according to a bombshell report.Viswas Raghavan was hired by Citigroup in February 2024 as its head of banking, just days after JPMorgan Chase told him he had no long-term future at the firm, according to the Financial Times.Raghavan was not immediately available for comment.Raghavan’s hiring by Citigroup followed years of complaints that he berated JPMorgan staff as “a waste of calories,” “ignorant” and “inadequate,” and was prone to explosive outbursts in the office, according to the report.In one incident recounted by colleagues, Raghavan allegedly made inappropriate remarks to a group of junior bankers on their first day — telling a story about a woman he once found attractive before adding that “now, she was fat,” comments that drew complaints and were later denied when HR got involved, according to the report.Some colleagues described him as a “bully” whose conduct was out of place even by Wall Street standards, citing repeated incidents of intimidation and offensive language, the report said.His conduct had been the subject of multiple internal reviews at JPMorgan Chase over the years, with the bank at one point cutting his pay over behavioral issues, according to the report.Raghavan allegedly described his leadership style in crude terms (“grab them by the balls”) — though his spokesperson denied that characterization.JPMorgan declined to comment.“The process for how Vis joined Citi has been mischaracterized by the FT,” Citigroup told The Post in a statement.“It began in January 2024, lasted more than a month and included internal and external diligence as well as direct participation from Citi’s senior leadership and board of directors.”The bank said that Raghavan “is a proven leader with a...