NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Citigroup Inc. said on Wednesday it will pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit brought by investors over its role in the collapse of telecommunications network provider Global Crossing Ltd..

Citigroup, which was one of Global Crossing?s bankers, was accused in the three-year-old class-action lawsuit of issuing inflated research reports and failing to disclose conflicts of interest.

It said the settlement, equal to $46 million after taxes, covers investors in Global Crossing and its Asia Global Crossing Ltd. affiliate from February 1, 1999 to December 8, 2003.