Citigroup Says U.S. Equities Head Rick Bartlett on Medical Leave

Citigroup Inc. (C), the third-biggest U.S. bank, said North American equities head Richard “Rick” Bartlett has taken a medical leave of absence.

Bartlett took the leave earlier this month, according to Scott Helfman, a spokesman for the New York-based lender, who declined to comment further. Bartlett couldn’t be reached at his office and didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

He joined Citigroup in 1990, according to records from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and helps oversee a business that posted global revenue of $1.96 billion for the first nine months of 2012.

Global equities head Derek Bandeen and Suni Harford, head of markets for North America, will assume Bartlett’s duties on on an interim basis, according to a person familiar with the arrangement who requested anonymity because the details aren’t public.

Wall Street equities units are responsible for the trading of shares as well as equity derivatives, contracts whose values are based on underlying securities, such as common stock. They deal with some of the firms’ biggest clients, including hedge funds, pension funds and asset managers.

To contact the reporter on this story: Donal Griffin in New York at dgriffin10@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Scheer at dscheer@bloomberg.net