I seem to have slipped in long ago and out and back into this despite always trying to keep my personal Citi current account low too (and going lower over time, as 20 years ago it would have way more than it does now). I am suspecting that in my case it has to do with a branch management decision or a referral to former branch management that has been reassigned but was involved at a prior point.

Sort of ironic that my Citi account requirements/costs have dropped again and yet I am getting more benefits from Citi personal banking now than before. But it also seems like Citi is currently in a phase to boost up new depositor accounts in parts and making offers that would come with Citi 1099s at that. In such an environment, they may not want to see long-time accounts walk away completely, and Citi has become a bit more generous than usual to that end.