Crédit du Nord

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Crédit du Nord is a French retail banking network. It consists of the followings banks:

• Banque Courtois, Toulouse, Aquitaine (oldest existing bank in France, founded in 1760)
• Banque Kolb, Alsace, Lorraine
• Banque Laydernier, Savoy
• Banque Nuger, Massif Central
• Banque Rhône-Alpes, Lyon
• Banque Tarneaud, Limoges
• Crédit du Nord itself in the rest of France
• Gilbert Dupont, a stock broker

Crédit du Nord is mainly owned by Société Générale but run separately from Société Générale's own French retail banking network. Crédit du Nord specialises on professionals and small business. It serves about 1.5 million customers in more than 700 stores (2006).

[edit] History

Crédit du Nord started in Lille in 1848. After buying a number of small banks it was acquired itself by Paribas between 1972 (35% owned) and 1988 (100% owned) but remained run as a separate network. In the following years several regional French banks where brought in the group while retaining their names.

In 1997 the whole network Crédit du Nord and the associated banks was acquired by Société Générale from Paribas. Since 2000 Crédit du Nord is 80% owned by Société Générale and 20% by Dexia.