“The Bank, My Mother and Me” or the story of Crédit Martiniquais aka békés bank

This month of April 2024, the TV program “Tout En Doc” on Martinique La 1ere, presented by Stephanie Octavia, takes a look at the collapse that occurred a quarter of a century ago at Credit Martiniquais, a bank whose shareholders constituted the majority, and members of about Twenty Becky family.

The younger generation does not know the existence of this well-established bank in the economic life of Martinique.

For 77 years, Crédit Martiniquais has been the bank of Martinique, and at times the only banking institution serving certain municipalities on the island.

Over the years, it has expanded into Guyana, Guadeloupe and Paris.

In the 1990s, problems began and scandals broke out. Paris sends inspectors who check the accounts and find a hole worth hundreds of millions of euros. Customer savings disappear. It's bankruptcy.

Bred-Banque Populaire buys the bank. Forget the existence of Crédit Martiniquais.

To write his film, Olivier Osier La Fontaine draws on film archives Covidiumthe major shareholder of Crédit Martiniquais.

He has difficulty finding witnesses from that time. It is difficult to convince them to speak in front of the camera. For some people, this is the first time they've talked about this topic.

The main subject of the film is the mother of Olivier Osier Lafontaine, a former executive at Crédit Martiniques for over 25 years.

Several years ago I called my mother and I don't know why but I asked her if she had kept her papers from her Credit Martinico days. She told me she was cleaning the laundry room and was about to throw it out but changed her mind saying maybe I could make a movie with them.

Olivier Osier La Fontaine, director

Journalist Edelia Eugene Mormin co-wrote the film. She doesn't know that Credit Martiniquais exists. Through her research, she discovers unexpected information about the bank.

It was a great research work and we found almost all the necessary documents in the Schölcher Library which contains fairly complete records. We were able to dismantle the preconceived notion that Credit Martiniquais was an offshoot of the colonial bank. This is not true at all.

Idelia Eugene Mormin, co-author of The Bank, Mom and Me.

The story of Crédit Martinique and its bankruptcy, even 25 years after it happened, still disturbs the people of Martinique.

“La Banque, Maman et Moi” is broadcast on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 8 pm on Martinique La 1ere.