Major Banks Reinforcing Office Attendance

• Citigroup will require 600 U.S. employees to work from the office every day, while most staff will retain hybrid schedules of at least three days in the office per week.
• Barclays is mandating thousands of its investment bankers globally to return to full-time office work by June 1, except when traveling to see clients.
• HSBC announced that about 530 New York-based employees will need to revert to working in the office, although a full blanket mandate across the board is being avoided.

New FINRA Rules and Misinterpretations

• New FINRA regulations ending COVID-era relief on the disclosure and inspection of home offices are pushing banks to reassess remote work policies.
• Wall Street banks are citing these FINRA rules as a reason for returning to full office work, but FINRA clarifies that their new rules are intended for greater operational flexibility and do not enforce a full-time office requirement.

Wall Street's Broader Return to Office Push

• JPMorgan Chase ended hybrid schedules for managing directors, emphasizing the importance of leadership presence in the office.
• Goldman Sachs insists on a five-day office work week, dismissing remote work as an "aberration."
• Other banks like Bank of America and UBS require in-office presence for specific sectors, whereas institutions like Santander, Deutsche Bank, and Morgan Stanley maintain hybrid work options.