Some would argue that the low level of nonperforming loans reflects, in part, the banks’ ultra conservative lending policies, focusing on short-term consumer loans and avoiding more risky lending for business activity and more so for small business. Be that as it may ……  •  Our profitability indicators are also impressive.
In 2008, the profits after tax amounted to $ billion representing a return on equity of 20 percent. For many, the high level of profitability enjoyed by the banks, speaks to the proliferation of charges and commissions levied on most bank transactions, together with the spread between the rates on loans and advances and that paid to depositors.