Citigroup, the largest U.S. bank, said it is absorbing seven off-balance-sheet structured investment vehicles, taking responsibility for their $49 billion in assets to avoid a fire sale. The SIVs were worth $87 billion in August. ( MarkeWatch ) Citi's bailout of its SIVs is the largest of several similar moves by other banks, and it likely spells an end to a planned "SuperSIV" rescue fund coordinated by the U.S. Treasury. "That was really the last major outstanding piece of the SIV problem," said analyst Peter Crane of Crane Data. ( Bloomberg ) Moody's cut Citi's credit rating last night, saying probable "sizable writedowns" ahead will weigh on the bank's already-strained capital levels. ( Reuters )