Translations

A “microcredit” from CREDIT MUTUEL NORD EUROPE to help people out

6. Clients and consumers

Instruction

Sector Finance / Bank / Insurance

Year 2018

Country France

Transmitter

Context

Within the framework of the development of mutual initiatives as regards solidarity economy and the fight against banking exclusion, CMNE, a cooperative bank, has created in 2005 Caisse Solidaire which offers supported personal microcredits to assist people who were refused a bank loan. From year to year, in a dull economic context, the number of microcredit demands never ceases to increase, with over 800 demands per year.

Objectives

Caisse Solidaire aims to:

Grant microcredits in order to gain access to essential capital equipment
Offer a minimum banking service for people facing financial difficulties
Support people in their social, professional and financial reintegration, in partnership with social structures

APPROACH

A microcredit is granted to a beneficiary who must be supported by a social agency (CCAS, non-profit organisations [NPOs], missions locales…). The principle is to grant them loans ranging from €300 to €3,000 which are repayable over a period of 6 to 36 months “at market rate conditions”.

Means implemented:
CMNE’s Caisse Solidaire is run by a general manager, an assistant and a board of directors composed of 11 members (elected representatives from CMNE and external personalities).
A guarantee fund for the solidarity loans is established. It comes from CMNE and the Social Cohesion Fund managed by Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations.

On 31/12/2016, the Caisse Solidaire’s total outstandings reached €1.712 million.

Success due to:

The CMNE Management’s willingness to carry out this action and to assert its mutual values.
The team’s involvement in creating and ensuring the sustainability of the structure.
Support through:

- A network made up of NPOs, companies and local authorities.
- A network of “Ambassadors” composed of Directors of the local Caisses of Crédit Mutuel ensuring an effective coverage of the CMNE network.
The regular organisation of information meetings on microcredits for Ambassadors and Partners

Best Practice spotted by the World Forum for a Responsible Economy in 2014 and updated in 2017.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

Rewarding partnerships with the local voluntary sector. In 2016, 234 partnership agreements were active:
- half with centres communaux d’action sociale (CCAS)
- half with NPOs such as Secours populaire, Restos du cœur, Confédération syndicale des familles rurales, Secours catholique…

Benefits

Since its creation, over 2880 people were assisted; for a global amount of financial aid of €5.783.000 as of 31/12/2016.
Aids for employment and mobility remain the main financing subject (80% of the applications) before access to housing (12%).