Rodriguez plans to focus FIBA efforts on trade finance

John Rodriguez

Wells Fargo Senior Vice President

John Rodriguez, a senior vice president in Wells Fargo’s trade group, is the new president of the Florida International Bankers Association for the 2009-2010 term.

“Bridging the gap on trade finance” is the theme Rodriguez is adopting for his year at the helm of the organization, the group’s 30th anniversary year and one which includes the every-other-year hosting of Feleban, which will draw as many as 1,500 bankers from 50 nations through the Western Hemisphere to Miami in November.

With import-export trade in the dumps in South Florida as well as around the nation (related story), Rodriguez believes the banking community has the opportunity to do more to let shippers know that trade finance is available and that is can help them grow their businesses by extending the reach of their capital.

“We think — and the anecdotal evidence is out there — we say that 20 percent is the percentage of export financing touched (by trade finance), meaning the rest is supplier financed,” Rodriguez said in an interview.

What Rodriguez also understands is that the 70 banks that are members of FIBA don’t seem to be aggressively chasing trade finance business. In an informal survey done with Enterprise Florida, the state’s economic development organization, only 15 of those banks indicated they are involved in trade finance by responding.

“We weren’t happy that it wasn’t a full response,” Rodriguez said.

But things might be changing, if the popularity of a class held last week by FIBA and the Export-Import Bank of the United States, or Ex-Im Bank, is any indication. Beginning about a decade ago, the two partnered once a year to let Miami-area bankers know about the opportunities of government-insured financing.

In the first years, the class was always packed, according to Patricia Roth, the veteran executive director of FIBA. The last several years it has been sparsely attended. Last year, for the first time, it wasn’t even held. Last week, it was packed again, “over-subscribed” with more than 40 attendees.

Rodriguez has been with Wells Fargo since 2006, after 13 years at Wachovia Bank. He has also worked at Dresdner Bank, Bank of America and Bank of New York. In his current position, his territory includes Mexico, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean as well as managing the regional office in Coral Gables.

Other officers for the 2009-2010 year are:

First Vice President: Dario Fuentes, Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo, Miami Agency

Vice President: Frank D. Robleto, BAC Florida Bank

Vice President: George Crosby, HSBC Private Banking International

Vice President / Secretary: Grisel Vega, Banco de Credito e Inversiones, Miami Branch

Treasurer: Alejandro Pereyra, Bank of America

Immediate Past President: Ramon Usategui, BankUnited

General Counsel: Clemente Vazquez-Bello, Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart