Compartamos Banco Announcement

MEXICO CITY, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Banco Compartamos, S.A. ("Compartamos" or "the Company") (BMV:COMPART) announced that in reference to rule 151/13313/2008, reference number 151.112.32, by which the Mexican Securities and Exchange Commission, via the Trade Monitoring Division and Market Monitoring Division, requested information regarding Banco Compartamos' financial derivatives operations, for the purposes of increasing profitability or to hedge certain risk, we state the following:

1. On October 9, the Company published an announcement entitled "Compartamos Confirms its Sound Financial Structure" which included the following points which we reiterate today: -- Compartamos has sufficient funding sources for its estimated 2009 growth. -- Compartamos does not have any derivatives exposure. -- Compartamos does not have any U.S. dollar-denominated liabilities. 2. Additionally, the Company's policy regarding financial derivative instruments is the following: -- In the case it is needed, Compartamos will only use financial derivative instruments for hedging purposes.

Banco Compartamos, S.A., a Mexican bank specialized in microfinance, is the largest lender to microbusiness owners in Latin America. Established in 1990 and headquartered in Mexico City, Compartamos provides small loans to low-income Mexican individuals and business owners, such as craft manufacturers, food vendors and other small businesses. With coverage in over 90% of Mexico, Compartamos works with local and international lenders to secure financing to these market segments, which are currently underserved.

Banco Compartamos' shares began trading on the Mexican Stock Exchange on April 25, 2007 under the ticker symbol "COMPART".

Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are statements that are not historical facts, and are based on management's current view and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results. The words "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "plans" and similar expressions, as they relate to the company, are intended to identify forward- looking statements. Statements regarding the declaration or payment of dividends, the implementation of principal operating and financing strategies and capital expenditure plans, the direction of future operations and the factors or trends affecting financial condition, liquidity or results of operations are examples of forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. There is no guarantee that the expected events, trends or results will actually occur. The statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, and operating factors. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

For addtional information, visit: http://www.compartamos.com/ or contact: Patricio Diez de Bonilla, Investor Relations Maria Teresa Chavira, Investor Relations Compartamos Banco S.A. Insurgentes Sur 553, Mexico City, Mexico T: [phone] / 7327 / 7256 / [e-mail]