Roundup: Leopard seeks IFC loan, credit history law, remittances recipients decline

Caymans-based private equity fund Leopard Haiti has asked the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for a US$10mn loan. Leopard is looking to raise US$75mn in total to help recapitalize Haiti's private sector following the January 2010 earthquake. The fund will invest in SMEs in sectors such as affordable housing, renewable energy, food production and tourism. *** El Salvador's new law on credit history information may see changes during its implementation, a spokesperson for local financial regulator SSF told BNamericas. Under the current proposal, from October 25 credit history information agencies will not be able to hold negative personal credit information for more than three years. The law will take six months to be fully implemented, the spokesperson said. *** The number of Mexican households receiving remittances has fallen 27% between 2006 and 2010 due to the financial crisis, according to research by economists at bank BBVA Bancomer. The fall has had a noticeable impact on the financial fortunes of Mexicans residing in the states most dependent on foreign transfers, such as Puebla, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala. "Even though the proportion of people that receive remittances is low, at 4% in 2010, it is likely that the fall in remittances has contributed to the rise in poverty," Bancomer said.