Banco Santander Chile: Star Performer

BY CHRONICLE STAFF

First quarter figures for Banco Santander Chile - released today - show net income of $136.5 million, a 12.0 percent increase from the same quarter last year. That follows on the heels of a solid 2006, when net income grew by 19.1 percent to $534.4 million.

"Santander had a very good year," says Santiago Gallo, the Buenos Aires-based director of Latin American financial institutions at Fitch Ratings. "They are very focused on...