Within Banco Interacciones' loan portfolio, a total of 2.21 billion pesos in loans were settled by government agencies, backed by Highway Indemnification Notes (PICs) and by the Concessioned Highway Relief Trust Fund, which accounted for 57% of the bank's total loan portfolio at the close of 1999.

This substantially reduced the bank's net interest income and obliged us to redefine our strategies for placing resources through market niches with the potential for volume, credit quality and yield that could better balance the loan portfolio and reduce the institution's vulnerability to the vagaries of the market.

To attain these goals, the bank had to redefine its credit products and develop new formulas to support key segments of the market like construction, public works, retailers, government agencies and rural farmers.

These formulas, in addition to insuring credit quality, helped customers more efficiently define their financial needs and gave them a chance to improve procedures for managing their treasuries: another added-value service offered by Interacciones.

This creative task, of course, required tremendous organizational efforts on the part of the bank's promotion team, and a significant improvement in its operating systems.