Citi equities executive Bitton leaves firm

By Olivia Oran (Reuters) - Michael Bitton, the global head of delta one and head of North American prime finance at Citigroup Inc , has left the firm, according to a person familiar with the matter. Bitton, who joined Citi in 2012 from UniCredit, departed Citi in June, the person said. A spokesman for Citi declined to comment. Citi has been looking to strengthen its equities franchise by hiring talent from other banks and building up its prime brokerage and bespoke equity derivatives businesses to cater more to hedge fund clients. Equities trading chief Derek Bandeen, who had been helping to spearhead Citi's equities push, retired from the bank in April. (Reporting by Olivia Oran in New York; Editing by Bill Rigby)