BCR to Up Investment In Low-Income Housing
Along with its year-end results, the Banco de Costa Rica announced plans to increase the availability of credit to low-income households, starting with mortgages.
Carlos Fernández, CEO for Banco de Costa Rica, said the bank’s goal for 2008 is to grant 1,800 home loans to households making less than $2,000. The Banco de Costa Rica is a public bank, wholly owned by the government.
Fernández said he expects the bank to loan $141 million more for homes, a 50% increase over the $286 million in home loans the bank gave out in 2007.
As for the bank’s year-end results, Banco de Costa Rica ended 2007 with a 15.9% increase in its asset portfolio, to a value of about $3.38 billion.
The bank continued to be focused mainly on serving the business sector, though it saw a healthy jump in all lending categories. Most notably, the bank’s lending to the service, retail and industrial sectors – already the bank’s biggest loan recipients -jumped by 84.6%, 68% and 36.1%, respectively.
You may be interested

Central America begins ban to protect lobster
AFP and The Tico Times - February 27, 2021Countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic on Monday will begin a ban to protect the Caribbean spiny lobster…

Costa Rica authorizes AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19
The Tico Times - February 27, 2021Costa Rican health authorities on Friday authorized the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19, based on the endorsement of…

Nearly 100 locations now offer antigen tests for travelers in Costa Rica
Alejandro Zúñiga - February 26, 2021Several countries, including the United States, require that returning travelers test negative for the coronavirus. More than 100 labs in…