Card Briefs: Societe Generale to AddAccess to Cirrus ATMs

Societe Generale, one of the top commercial banks in France and a leading Visa card issuer, said it will offer cardholders access to MasterCard's Cirrus automated teller machine network. Beginning in May, with an initial issuance of 500,000 cards, Societe Generale's Service Eclair debit cards will be usable in 21,200 French Cirrus ATMs and 345,000 Cirrus terminals worldwide.

Service Eclair cards have been accepted only in Societe Generale's 2,000-machine Caisse Eclair network and at ATMs in the Sogenal system.

Louis-Noel Joly, chief executive officer of Europay International, which is affiliated with MasterCard, said the French bank's decision reflects the growing strength of Europay-MasterCard. He said it is also strategically important in that Societe Generale is the seventh of the 10 largest French banks to opt for Cirrus and will be "the first of the three traditional blue (Visa) banks to issue products from the Europay family."

Mr. Joly, a former top retail executive at Societe Generale, had retired from the Paris bank before becoming CEO of Waterloo, Belgium-based Europay in 1996.