Increased operating costs because of risk controls imposed by the US have led to correspondent banks avoiding working with small banks.
Maintaining small structures at the same time as paying high costs in order to meet the standards required internationally, primarily in the United States, is no longer viable for banks who want to remain profitable.
After the bank was taken over because of its inclusion in the Clinton List drawn up by the U.S. Treasury Department, the Superintendency of Banks has ordered its reorganization and sale to another bank.
From a statement issued by the Superintendency of Banks in Panama:
Through Resolution SBP-0116-2016 of July 1, 2016, the Superintendency of Banks has ordered the reorganization of Balboa Bank & Trust Corp., effective from the date July 4, 2016 at 2:30 pm, taking into consideration the recommendations of the Interim Administrator.The reorganization of the bank aims to fulfill three basic objectives:• To protect the best interests of depositors;• To minimize any loss of value of the bank to the detriment of depositors and•Reduce any adverse impact on the banking system. The decision to reorganize the bank will allow choices to be made that aim to give greater security to depositors and creditors of Balboa Bank & Trust Corp. for an early normalization of the situation in the bank and access to all of its funds.
The sale of Citibank operations in El Salvador to Honduras' Grupo Terra has been formalized, with the insurer SISA included in the transaction.
From a statement issued by the Stock Exchange of El Salvador:
It was reported that subject to regulatory approvals from the competent Salvadoran authorities, Inversiones Financieras Citibank, S.A. has sold to the company designated by the Terra Group, all of its shares in Citi Tarjetas de El Salvador, S.A. de C.V.and Banco Citibank de El Salvador, SA and that Citibank Overseas Investment Corporation and Citibank Investments, SA, sold the company designated by the Terra Group its minority stake in Cuscatlán Valores, SA de CV Casa de Corredores de Bolsa.
Atlantis Group is negotiating with Citigroup to acquire the insurer SISA and the consumer banking portfolio in El Salvador, where it will seek to operate a management and stock brokerage fund.
The group, from Honduras, has operated in El Salvador since it bought Citigroup's 75% stake in the pension fund manager AFP Confia. Now it aims to consolidate its participation in the Salvadoran financial market with a brokerage and investment fund management company.
The business group chaired by the Panamanian Stanley Motta may be interested in acquiring units of Citi's consumer banking operations in Panama and Costa Rica.
It is not yet been revealed which of Citibank' consumer banking companies in Panama and Costa Rica they may be interested in acquiring. However, potential stakeholders include the General Bank of Panama and Grupo ASSA, which in addition to being insurers, also runs La Hipotecaria.
The transaction involves the acquisition of all of Citi's operations in the country, including commercial loans, personal loans, deposits and credit cards.
From a statement issued by Ficohsa Group:
The company has been consolidated among the 10 largest financial groups in Central America
* The transaction involves the acquisition of all of Citi's operations in Nicaragua: commercial loans, personal loans, deposits and credit cards.
It has been reported that the Spanish firm Banco Popular has abandoned the negotiations for the purchase of Citigroup's consumer banking unit in the region.
Reports published by Bloomberg.com indicate that a purchase of consumer banking operations in the region would not be aligned to the strategic plan of the Spanish Banco Popular SA, who for weeks had been holding negotiations with Citigroup.
Citigroup could be soon finalizing the sale of its consumer banking operations in Central America with Bank of Spain, which could be paying $1.5 billion.
A report on Bloomberg.com noted that negotiations between the US bank and the Spanish bank are very advanced, and only the only thing left is to define the final value of the transaction, which could amount to $1.5 billion, according to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg.
Aside from the Colombian Grupo Aval, the Spanish company Banco Popular may also be in negotiations to acquire Citi's entire consumer banking operation in Central America.
The sixth largest bank in Spain, which at the moment has no presence in Central America, could be interested in acquiring the consumer banking operation that Citi has put up for sale in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama.
The banks Davivienda and Grupo Aval, already present in Central America, could be in talks with Citi to acquire its consumer banking operations in the region.
The sale of assets of Citigroup in 7 countries in Latin America represents an expansion opportunity for Colombian banks. Bloomberg reports cited by Elfinancierocr.com note that in the case of Banco Davivienda, it's interest is soley in the consumer banking units in Peru and Guatemala.
Local financial groups are interested in negotiating with the U.S. company in order to acquire the consumer banking operation in Nicaragua.
The consumer banking business that will be left behind by Citigroup could return to the hands of Central American companies, as some have expressed interest in acquiring the operation in Nicaragua, although it is not yet known who the interested parties are.
The group has announced that as part of its long-term strategy it will withdraw from the consumer banking business in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
Extract from a statement issued by Citigroup:
Citigroup today announced strategic actions to accelerate the transformation of its Global Consumer Banking (GCB) to focusing on those markets where it has the largest scale and growth potential.
The Honduran bank has concluded the operation for the purchase and transfer of shares of the companies Citibank and Cititarjetas of Honduras.
From a press release issued by Bank Ficohsa:
Ficohsa Bank announced that the purchase and transfer of shares of Banco Citibank de Honduras, SA and Cititarjetas of Honduras, SA, in its favor is already effective, after the National Banking and Insurance Commission (CNBS) and the Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Competition authorized the transaction. The transaction does not include Banco de Honduras, SA which manages the Corporate Banking products at Citibank in Honduras.
The Honduran group Ficohsa has completed negotiations to buy shares in Citibank and Cititarjetas in Honduras.
With these two purchases Ficohsa group becomes the country's largest bank and consolidates itself in the area of personal and consumer banking, leaving the business of corporate and investment banking to Citi.
According to an article in Laprensa.hn: "During the period of regulatory approval, the operations of the two banks will continue to operate independently and in the same way that they have been doing. Ficohsa Bank reported that once the agreement is approved by regulators, and the transaction completed, customers of the acquired entities will not lose any of the points, miles or awards they have acquired. "