300 General prefects and Treasurerspayers

During the 2007 presidential election, French banks had, already widely shown the finger by the two leading candidates. Ségolène Royal, the Socialist Party, had accused them of "make the profit on the backs of the poor" and Nicolas Sarkozy, to the UMP, against some practice "of still overly expensive pricing policies. Eighteen months later, French bankers are still, to their chagrin, under fire from critics. At issue this time: their role in the financial crisis.

"Too much risk yesterday, too cautious today: both are guilty (...).". "When banks take the pretext of an exceedence of discovered of 20 euros to cut a line of cash, are intolerable behaviour which will also not be tolerated," told Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of the Republic, before patterns six large banks gathered at the Elysee Palace with some... 300 General prefects and Treasurers-payers. "It is questioned if it was not going to out chained to this meeting, it felt like the Burghers of Calais", rit today one of the six patterns... with a hint of bitterness.

Divorce with the view also appears to its height after the announcement of the plan of support to the banks of 360 billion euros. Agencies, employees suffer more than to the usual verbal assaults on the part of clients who are denied a loan. "Client advisors are that apply the new recommendations of the headquarters," defending Régis Dos Santos, President of the SNB - CGC Union. Until last year, banks are delivered a war without mercy on the front of a mortgage, not ceasing to lower their rates and lengthen the duration. The change is that most brutal. Flipping more difficult to understand by clients.

"It is a return to the fundamentals of the business that should have never actually been leaving, says the unionist." Banks gave the greed in recent years, seeking to sell the more remunerative products regardless of the actual needs of customers. Now that they have become much more selective, are consultants who are faced with the frustration of the clients. "And declarations of the public authorities, sometimes reassuring, sometimes threatening, did not help the image of banks. "When we need to resolve a problem, the is often on the back of the banks", sighs a professional of the sector.

Bitter pill

Even if they do not deny their share of responsibility in the financial crisis, the pill is bitter for French banks. First, think, they were among the least affected in Europe, no with the exception of the Franco-Belgian Dexia was threatened with filing of balance. Then, they consider play the game with the public authorities, agreeing to grow at least 3 to 4 of their stock of credit until the end of 2009 in exchange for the support plan which "is not a subsidy", held to remember the pattern of BNP Paribas, Baudouin Prot, last week, but "a loan provided market." Finally, banks do not want to be forced to earn new risks for the financing of the economy: "Should not be credit under conditions where it is known that it will not be refunded, this is what happened with the"sub-prime"," warns Baudouin Prot. "This is not the credit which is growth, but growth that the credit", indicate as many professionals.

Between threat of nationalization and management imperatives, French banks are therefore today to view pending first balance sheet of the mediator of the credit they hope positive. And, recalling the passage that four years ago, the Ministry of the economy, then led by Nicolas Sarkozy, had grown, despite their reluctance, the expansion of the mortgage credit in France... One of the products originally in the United States for the crisis of the "subprime".