Citigroup, once again, "cuts against the grain."   Among the 4,500 who will be laid off by Citigroup, 40 are in municipal securities.  The move confused The Bond Buyer because most other firms in municipal finance are expanding their employee ranks. Of the 4,500, around 900 are from Citi's securities and banking section, according to a company source.  Out of those 900, about 40 were involved in municipal securities. Some of the 40 employees have already been let go - the rest will be gone by year's end.  Additionally, there were 9 layoffs of public finance employees. One positive that may come about is that other firms hopefully will consider hiring the ex-Citigroup workers.  This happened during the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, when smaller firms hired some of the then-terminated Citi employees. To see who's been hiring, go to:  [The Bond Buyer - 12/8/11].