2008 Société Générale trading loss 2008 Société Générale trading loss In January 2008, the bank Société Générale lost approximately €4.9 billion closing out positions over three days of trading beginning January 21, 2008, a period in which the market was experiencing a large drop in equity indices. The bank states these positions were fraudulent transactions created by Jérôme Kerviel, a trader with the company. The police stated they lacked evidence to charge him with fraud and charged him with breach of trust and illegally accessing computers. Kerviel states his actions were known to his superiors and that the losses were caused by panic selling by
Livret A offered by La Banque Postale and the Groupe Caisse d'Épargne as of 2008. Since January 2009, it has been offered by all French banks. As of 2015, only one account may be held by an individual, with an amount from 10 Euros to 22,950 Euros. During the French presidential election, 2012, François Hollande, who was elected as the President of France, announced his intention to raise the individual amount to 30,600 Euros to build 150,000 new HLMs. In 2008, 46 million French citizens or residents owned a Livret A, for a total amount of 128,1 billion Euros in late 2007.