Everything comes to point to who knows wait

Everything comes to point to who knows wait. "The President of the Caisse d'Epargne group, Charles Milhaud, took a year to reflect the maxim. But surprise, should succeed this summer to Baudouin Prot, CEO of BNP Paribas, the head of the French Banking Federation (FBF). His appointment should be endorsed this morning by the Executive Committee of the common house banks, for making effective function in early September. Charles Milhaud is assigned this mandate a year after a first refusal of his peers.

Last year, the Presidency was to accrue to Etienne Pflimlin, President of the National Confederation of Crédit Mutuel. But he had refused to take his turn, relying on a too busy job... without the known precisely the real motives of a visibly prior decision in strong differences emerged on certain issues between commercial bankers mutual benefit in the winter of 2004-2005 ("Les Echos" on June 13, 2005). Charles Milhaud was ready to take up the slack, but his candidacy had aroused the opposition of some bankers, who were reluctant to entrust to the Chairman of a group benefiting from exclusive distribution of the Livret A, and coming in addition to break the taboo of the remuneration of deposits, the task to the voice of the profession.

In these circumstances, it is finally Baudouin Prot, who had taken the succession of the President of the Société Générale, Daniel Bouton, the head of the Federation. Despite the tacit rule providing for alternating between commercial bankers and mutual position (read here).

In keeping with the spirit of this unwritten rule, it is Daniel button, specifically, which should take the Vice-Presidency of the FBF for the year traditionally the Vice-Presidents after another to their President at the end of their mandate.

Arms of iron with Brussels

The year ends Baudouin Prot at the head of the Federation will be punctuated by the adoption of the directive the adequacy of own funds, on which European banks worked for more than three years, or by the signature of the convention Aeras, intended to facilitate access to the credit of the people at risk of aggravated health (ex-convention Belorgey). It was also that of the implementation of music of the commitments made by the profession on tariff transparency and an arm of the railway with the Government on the terms of the dissolution of the FGAS, the guarantee fund of loans that banks social cofinançaient with the State.

Among the outstanding records, Charles Milhaud must particularly tackle the draft directive establishing the regulatory framework for payments in Europe, widely criticized by the FBF when it was published by the Commission last year. A record even more thorny than the direction of the is currently domestic market pressure on the banks that they harmonize at the earliest means of payment in Europe (transfers, debits, maps), threatening to legislate if necessary. The pattern of the Group Caisse d'Epargne should therefore have bread on the plate. So at the same time, he will have to complete the creation of NatIxis, he will then Chair the Supervisory Board by the end of the year.