Rio, 8/29/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - As of now, low-income Brazilians will have access to banking facilities, including micro-financing, at the state-run Federal Mortgage and Savings Bank (Caixa Econômica Federal). According to the Rio de Janeiro superintendency, micro-financing is now available at all Caixa branches. The program makes it possible to get loans of up to R$200 at monthly interest rates of 2%.

The Caixa also announced that retirees who receive benefit payments or pensions of up to R$480 per month are eligible for the micro-financing program. (AB)