Remember the outcry that doomed Wal-Mart's attempt to open an industrial bank in Utah? The giant retailer was forced to give up its efforts. But it found a way into the market after all--in Mexico. Fortune reports that Wal-Mart de México opened its first consumer bank in November, Banco Wal-Mart, in Toluca, a town near Mexico City. The company plans to open 80 more by the end of the year. Whew! South of the border, the reception has been much nicer. The rationale is obvious, remittances, early relationships with big future customers. For now it is being cautious. Consumer loans carry an annual rate of 75 percent, according to Fortune. No usury laws in Mexico? All this is a big bet on the future. Other banks have eyed this market as well, but this is a very aggressive move.  

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