Continental is the third largest private bank in Panama with assets of $1.8 billion and equity of $191 million as of December 2002 with return on average equity of 13.7% and return on average assets of 1.4%. Traditionally characterized as the premier corporate bank in Panama, Continental has evolved into a fully integrated universal bank offering comprehensive products through its four business lines: corporate banking, consumer banking, private and investment banking and treasury and correspondent banking. With the recent acquisition of BIPAN Holdings, the fifth largest Panamanian commercial bank, Continental will also service small and medium clients, which comprise BIPAN’s loyal customer base. In addition, with the acquisition of Banco Aleman Platina, another Panamanian commercial bank specialized in trade financing with representative offices in Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico and Colombia, Continental hopes to embark on a regional strategy of providing traditional banking products and services through an existing and recognized network. The project is to provide a financing package of $40 million to Banco Continental de Panamá S.A. (Continental, bank or the company) to address the bank’s maturity mismatch resulting from long term lending for housing and project finance and short term liabilities that fund such loans, and to provide long-term funding to productive enterprises.