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Best Bank: Banco Popular Dominicano |
It was another good year for Banco Popular Dominicano, whose retail and small companies business increased. Assets were up by 12% over 2008, and the net loans portfolio rose by 10.5% mainly as a result of increased interest payments from small and medium-sized companies, and from home equity loans.
At points over the past year, assets even exceeded those at government-backed Banco de Reservas. Non-performing loans are at a minimum compared with its local peers. Fitch positively re-rated the bank last July to a long-term AA– because of its superior risk culture. At the end of fiscal year 2008, its capital adequacy ratio was 14.5%.