[ by Melanie Gretchen ] Citigroup, a New York-based institution - a commercial and investment bank whose roots are squarely based in New York City.  Citigroup, whose name adorns Citifield, a sports stadium in Queens, NY, where the 4-1 New York Mets play.  Citigroup, a public company that has held every one of its annual shareholder meetings in New York City. Until now.  In 2012, Ccitigroup broke tradition by taking its annual affair on the road show to Dallas, Texas.  Yes, Dallas - the home of the football Cowboys, the baseball Rangers, in a state governed by Rick Perry, a one-time, short-time, Republican Presidential candidate. Yes, Citigroup convened out of the fanfare, the glare and noise of the financial capital of the world, to a location with few, if any, Occupy Wall Street protestors or Wall Street analysts, where the streets do not teem with millions of tourists, residents, commuters, and crazies who are drawn to the notoriety of the Big Apple. Following a Trend? Citi is good company, whose chief executive recently was financially rewarded for restoring some sense and sensibilities and profits to this beleaguered institution.  Of course, much of Pandit's luster faded when Citi failed the Fed's Stress Test - akin to failing an "open book" test.  It simply should not have happened. That aside, Citi's departure follows JPMorgan Chase, a rival bank that left its New York roots and traditions for Columbus, Ohio.  Morgan Stanley will hold court at its campus in Westchester County.  Lazard is holding a tropical meeting in Bermuda.  And Bank of New York Mellon is stepping out of New York for Pittsburgh, the home of BNY's smaller half - Mellon. And, It's Not As If Citi and Others Are Trying to Hide Something. None of these banks are faced with a something as devastating as the phone-hacking scandal at News Corp. - a growing issue that threatens to very foundations of the company.  After all, it has already lost James Murdoch, the heir apparent to the throne. A Citi spokesperson attributed the change in venue to a desire of the the board to reinforce the bank's standing in cities where it has a large presence - and not to concerns about apples, oranges, protestors, and other detractors. Click to access the referenced story:   [Crain's, 4/8/12]