Gov. Luis Fortuño appointed former BBVA executive and banking industry veteran Rafael Blanco to head the Office of the Financial Institutions Commissioner, effective Jan. 1. Blanco will succeed current OCIF chief Alfredo Padilla, who will retire after nine years at the agency.
Puerto Rico’s financial sector, one of the island’s key economic components, seems to be rebounding for the first time in four years, reporting $171 billion in combined assets during the second quarter of 2011.
Puerto Rico’s main banks had more than $75.6 billion in combined assets at the end of 2010, reflecting a year-over-year drop of 15.6 percent, according to a report released by the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions.