The bank for a chaging world

Crisis and the Second World War

1929 - 1945 Comptoir National d'Escompte de Paris

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The Underwood
adding machine.

Coping with crises

CNEP, like all financial institutions, was heavily impacted by the global economic crisis following the crash of 1929. However, due to its prudent risk diversification policy, the Comptoir was never in danger of failure.

while the crisis reduced the number of private issues and financial operations, CNEP was still a preferred partner for such public security issues as the "Emprunt des Grand Travaux" (major public works loan) in 1932, and various treasury bond issues.

In 1929, CNEP once again increased its capital, this time to 400 million francs. It also steadily increased the number of branches in France from less than 200 in 1909 to over 530 in 1945.

Despite the international turmoil caused by the crash of 1929 and the two world wars, the CNEP had become by 1945 the third leading commercial bank in France.

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