...Back to Basics: The three major French cooperative banking groups (CrTdit Agricole, Groupe BPCE and CM11-CIC) are now all focused on their core domestic retail businesses. This has been confirmed by recently published strategic plans. Dominating French Retail Market: These three cooperative banking groups have the largest domestic retail market shares, together representing roughly 60% of total domestic customer deposits. The two other large French banks, BNP Paribas and SociTtT GTnTrale, are big international players with significant corporate and investment banking and international retail banking businesses, but they remain smaller players in the domestic retail market. Economy Affects Revenue, Not Impairments: The greatest impact from the slow economic growth is on the revenue line, which is affected by low policy interest rates and low investment appetite. Deleveraging by companies and banks is resulting in low loan growth, but also in higher savings. Domestic loan impairment charges...
