DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Carlos Segura Foster, the former administrator of Banco Agrícola, has raised an alarm over what he describes as a severe institutional and financial decline at the state-owned agricultural bank. Speaking on the news program El Despertador, Segura Foster characterized the current state of the bank’s loan portfolio as “scandalous,” claiming delinquency rates have soared to between 15% and 25%.

The former official alleged that this deterioration is the result of “premeditated decisions” that have distorted the bank’s credit policies. According to Segura Foster, the “Zero Rate” loan program—originally designed to support small-scale farmers—was mismanaged, with significant funds allegedly diverted to large-scale entrepreneurs and institutions that did not meet the program’s requirements.

Segura Foster detailed a series of irregular accounting practices used to mask the bank’s true financial health. He claimed that many loans were reclassified as “managed portfolios” to bypass...