Getting started
Being prepared |
 |
French banksFrance has eight main banks which are:
The Credit Agricole bank is perhaps the most well known of French banks, in the UK at least. Operating on a mutual basis with a total of 41 other regional banks, the Credit Agricole is the major shareholder. Yet despite being united in the same group with these regional banks, the Credit Agricole stands apart as it is not a national branch network and there are no uniform charging policies. When you withdraw and pay in money at ATMs and Credit Agricole branches throughout France there are no extra charges but there are slight regional variations. BNP Paribas is one of the main banks of Europe and France and is the product of the merge between Banqu National de Paris and Paribas. In France this particular bank is very active in retail banking and it managed to escape the 2007-09 crisis relatively unscathed. This bank is divided into three individual business units – retail banking, corporate and investment banking, and investment solutions, which is where you will find real estate services. LCL is the bank formerly known as Credit Lyonnais but since 2003 it has been owned by Credit Agricole. It hasn’t, however, ceased to operate as a separate branch network. Another recent merge was between the Caisse d’Epargne and the Banque Populaire who now go by the name of ‘Groupe BPCE’. You can still find their own individual retail branch networks, which are still operating under their former names as separate bodies. The Caisse d’Eparge is of particular interest to prospective French property buyers as it has a specialist mortgage division called Credit Foncier, which has an office based in London. It is also the second largest co-operative banking group in the world. The bank that has the largest number of customers and the furthest reaching branch network, is in fact the French post office ‘La Banque Postale.’ It has the highest number of banks throughout France and generally offers the best rates. In addition, one minor detail that in this day and age can actually be quite important is that La Poste is now open on Saturday mornings, which is something of a rarity in France. However it is not all positive when it comes to La Poste, as unfortunately their international money transfer system is not on a par with other banks, and transferring money within the EU will cost you more than with other banks. Sextant French Mortgages works with a selected panel of eight major French banks with a dedicated English speaking team to provide the perfect mortgage for you. With our unique knowledge of each bank and the special relationship that we have with them, we have access to special rates that aren’t available with High street banks. We match each customer to a selection of banks best fitting their personal criteria. Here are the major banks we work with:         Sextant Mortgages provide bespoke solutions to each of our clients in order to offer second to none customer service.
About us | French Mortgage rates | French mortgage quote | French banks | Mortgage calculator | French Mortgage FAQ's | Contact us © 2012 Sextant French Mortgages is a trading name of Sextant Properties Ltd Terms & conditions Site map Registered in England & Wales. No. 5583408 Vat No. 867 7664 58 Designed & Powered by Gnomen Estate Suite |
