miércoles, 25 de febrero de 2009

CITI, Banamex y los Canales Diplomáticos

De acuerdo a una nota del WSJ, Citi Confronts Global Fallout as U.S. Nears Deal on Stake, aparnetemnte estaría a un paso el acuerdo mediante el cual el gobierno norteamericano aumentaría su porpiedad en Citi en un 40%, y probablemente se anuncia mañana.

Pero esto traerá problemas con algunos paíse, en particular con México en donde la ley no permite este porcentaje de participación de un gobierno en un banco en el país, en este caso BANAMEX.

Though Citigroup is loath to shed Banamex, which is seen as a crown jewel of the bank's operations, executives have concluded that the issue will probably have to be resolved through diplomatic channels between the U.S. and Mexico, people familiar with the matter said.
Anticipating friction over Banamex, a group led by two top Banamex officials recently has talked with investment bankers about helping to lay the groundwork for a possible bid to buy the Citigroup unit, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Manuel Medina Mora, Banamex's chief executive and the head of Citigroup's Latin American operations, and Roberto Hernandez, a Citigroup board member who was a co-owner of Banamex before it was acquired by Citigroup, also have lobbied Mexican government officials to press for Banamex to return to local hands, these people said.

Citigroup is likely to fight any outside effort to shed Banamex. Chief Executive Vikram Pandit views Banamex as the heart of the company's global empire. Citigroup executives this year have weighed a sale of Banamex, but regard that as a last-ditch option if the company's financial condition worsens, according to people familiar with the matter.
A Citi spokesman said the company "has no intentions of selling Banamex." Mr. Medina Mora said, "Neither Banamex nor I have retained any advisors to explore options for Banamex." He also said it is "outrageous" to allege that he has lobbied to return Banamex to Mexican ownership. Mr. Hernandez earlier this month denied trying to raise funds for a bid.
Parece que de concretarse esto, tendremos un tema interesante.... espero no se modifique la ley mexicana para ajustarse a esto o se encuentre una salida "legal" no deseable. Recordemos que cuando Citi compró a Banamex hubo un escándalo porque, amparándose en la ley, no se pagó ningún tipo de impuesto por esta operación....

No hay comentarios: