BBVA in 2012

opportunities in key markets through sponsorships of specific teams. Staff commitment to thebank has been boosted, paying special attention to talent retention.The organic expansion of BBVA Compass continued in 2012. It opened its first branch in Miami inorder to expand its activities in the business and wealth management segments in South Florida.New loan production offices were also opened in the third and fourth quarters in California, Illinoisand Florida. The Bank has trained new teams specializing in loan origination in strategic sectorssuch as healthcare and public finance.As regards the distribution model, the bank continues to improve its remote distributioncapabilities, as shown by the increase in the percentage of active Internet users over the year,which now amounts to 44% of the total number of customers. In less than one year, there havebeen more than 200,000 downloads of BBVA mobile banking applications for the most popularcell phones and devices. Lastly, the number of active mobile banking users has practicallydoubled over the last twelve months, and now accounts for nearly one third of the customerbase. Part of the increase is related to the release of the new remote banking application forIPhone.In 2013, the focus will clearly be on customers, once the franchise transformation process hasbeen completed. The actions planned in the above strategic areas cover the following:• Risks:– Continue reducing the problem portfolios, particularly those from the construction realestatesector.– Expedite the origination procedures, while maintaining the same quality standards incontrol and monitoring.• BBVA Compass will complete the final phase of the transformation process of the franchise inthe country with:– The migration of debit cards, consumer loans and mortgages to the Alnova platform.– The development and implementation of new technological enhancements to boostaspects such as multi-channel banking and efficiency.• Differentiation, the most relevant information is summed up bellow:– Focus on a differentiated range of products and services adapted to each segment needs,and continue aiming added-value customers.– Improve customer satisfaction levels and staff productivity.– Increase revenue through synergies with other areas and units in the Group.• Lastly, growth:– Increase the diversification of activity and speed up the franchise’s organic expansion.– Explore and execute innovative alternatives to access new markets.The United States189