MEXICO CITY, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Mexican lender Banorte

expects growth in its loan book to slow down this

year as it tightens costs, the firm's finance chief said on

Wednesday, after a "challenging" 2024.

Macroeconomic challenges, as well as uncertainties related

to the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, could

make Banorte's operating environment rocky, executives of the

bank told analysts in a call.

Banorte expects its loan book to grow 8% to 11% this year,

down from the 14% loan growth seen in 2024.

CFO Rafael Arana later said that the lender could only

commit to the mid-to-lower end of the guidance, though corporate

and government loans could pick up toward the end of the year.

The consumer loan book has shown resilience and pickup is

also possible, Arana added.

"When I say challenging, I'm not saying bad," Arana said.

"Challenging means executing, and I think we are very good at

executing."

Shares in the company were down more than 1% in mid-morning

trading.

Banorte also expects to trim its spending in 2025 after

recurring expense growth last year came in above estimates. The

firm estimates, as it had last year, for recurring expenses to

grow between 6% to 7% in the year. It landed at 7.4% last year.

"There will be an aggressive reduction on the expense line

into 2025," Arana said.