There are several ways to put their finger on what researchers and essayists call the geographical divide, or even “the France of the forgotten”, of the “dispossessed”. The stations that are closing, the trains that don’t stop, the young doctors who flee… In general: the drying up of public services. But sometimes, the thing is even more trivial, and does not even concern “the mission of the State”. Think of the simple “zippers”. Yes, ATMs. It’s not much, it’s not even human. Just a machine, which makes it possible to obtain cash (it is still necessary in an economy which has not completely dematerialized). In the metropolises, you have them on almost every street corner.
But here it is… Between 2015 and 2020, nearly 8,000 cash dispensers were uninstalled, according to the Banque de France. Not profitable enough. And according to a study by Infostat Marketing for the MoneyVox media, 3,700 bank branches also closed between 2010 and 2020, which represents the equivalent of 9% of the network. The phenomenon has accelerated in recent years, with the closure of 2,900 branches in five years. To partially remedy this situation – and reduce their costs – BNP Paribas, Crédit Mutuel and Société Générale indicated in October that they were studying a “project to pool their network of ATMs”, which should begin in the during the year 2023.
A way for banks to respond to the decline of the currency, affected by 68% of transactions in 2016 compared to 59% in 2019 according to the Bank of France. “This project will make it possible to adapt to new banking practices, while guaranteeing long-term access to cash”, we are told at BNP Paribas: “This pooling is intended to rationalize the number of ATMs in the cities. A range of services for communities wishing to install automatic machines is also planned.” But this change is far from being to everyone’s taste. The mayors of small municipalities, especially rural ones, warn of the disappearance of these devices. In some cases, ATMs are so essential to local life that some villages, such as Aigre (1,595 inhabitants) in Charente, have decided to install them at their own expense…
“For the elderly and those without a car, it’s simple: the bank no longer exists”, plague Alain Castang, mayor of Rouffignac-de-Sigoulès (331 inhabitants), in Dordogne, and president of the Association of Mayors rural areas of the department since 2016. The city councilor knows the situation well. In his department, more than half of the municipalities do not benefit from a withdrawal point, due to the disappearance of an ATM… Or the clear and clear closure of a banking establishment. The inhabitants of his village have been confronted with it since the agency closed in the neighboring town, Sigoulès-et-Flaugeac, a year and a half ago. “It’s dramatic for a town of 1,500 inhabitants,” he regrets. Now the first distributor is seven kilometers away. The first branch opened, at 14. A short distance, a priori, but which quickly becomes disabling in a region where there is little or no public transport. “The lack of ATMs poses a huge problem for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable people in general,” he sighs.
Michel Fournier, mayor of Les Voivres and president of the Association of Rural Mayors of France, is faced with a similar case in his department, the Vosges. Since January 1, the last agency and the ATM have closed, leaving the small spa town of Bains-les-Bains without recourse. In this village of 1,700 year-round residents, which quadruples in size during the cure season, this disappearance will have consequences. “Nearly 5,000 people circulate there during the high season, from March, describes Michel Fournier. Most of these tourists will no longer be able to withdraw cash, unless they drive 12 kilometers. is not yet to pay for his baguette with a credit card.”
The National Federation of Banks (FNB), however, ensures that the closings of ATMs “take place in their vast majority in areas where there are several ATMs”. “When banks close an ATM, it is, in the vast majority of cases, because it is not used and because there is another one at a close distance,” it says. . According to figures from the FNB, nearly 200 distributors have also opened in recent years in municipalities with less than 500 inhabitants. That is a slight general increase at the national level. In total, the number of ATMs throughout the territory is estimated at nearly 48,000 by the Banque de France. “At the same time, in 2021 there were nearly 26,000 private access points to cash, compared to just over 25,000 in 2020”, advances the FNB.
Some areas appear worse off than others. In the Vosges, three municipalities are in the same configuration: the ATMs and bank branches that existed until now have all closed their doors. “The method used is detestable, regrets Michel Fournier. One could wish that there is a minimum banking service: it would be imposed on certain agencies to stay when they are the last in a municipality. But this is not the case.”
To remedy this situation, town halls are tempted to install an ATM at their expense. “Providers know this: we are receiving more and more visits from salespeople selling this type of service.” But they have a price. “Operating costs range between 15,000 and 20,000 euros per year,” he continues. A burden for rural municipalities whose budget is already often very constrained. “When service stations close, some villages and towns decide to open one at their expense, so that their inhabitants do not travel 30 or 40 kilometers to refuel. Now, they also have to do it for the bank, observes Cédric Szabo, director of the Association of Rural Mayors. This is one of those processions of actors who have decided to prefer economic rationality to the detriment of territorial development.”
Banks, service stations, pharmacies, electricians… The cases are multiple, and contribute to a growing feeling of abandonment among the rural population. In 2018, a survey carried out by Ifop for Rural Families showed that 51% of the inhabitants of rural areas questioned believed that they had been abandoned by the State. “It is not the disappearance of a public service, but that of a service to the public”, summarizes the senator from Puy-de-Dôme Eric Gold, author of a bill on banking desertification in the territories rural. So many places far from the big cities massively tempted by a vote in favor of Marine Le Pen in the last presidential election. According to the Ministry of the Interior, in the rural communes, the candidate of the National Rally collected some 49.8% of the votes in the second round. Almost equal game with Emmanuel Macron.
Difficult, however, to ask a private actor to act as a public service. In the case of the bank, a “minimum service” is still provided with, since 1990, the law relating to the organization of the public service of La Poste. This text allows at least 90% of the population of each department to access La Poste services less than five kilometers from their home. “This means that, regularly, the Postal Bank agencies are often the last to open in a territory, notes Cédric Szabo. But they do not exist everywhere.” The rest of the time, you have to take your car, pending the generalization of payment by credit card.
