Find the response of the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty to my question on administrative management fees for French nationals living abroad:
The Government is attentive to the question of bank charges for all consumers (whether they are residents in France or expatriated French nationals) at establishments operating on the national territory. It wishes to recall that in accordance with the principle of free determination of prices set by Article L. 410-2 of the Commercial Code, credit and payment institutions remain in principle free to establish, depending on their commercial strategy, the prices and pricing conditions applicable to their services. However, the duty of information owed by banking institutions to their customers is set, depending on the products concerned (account, credit, payment instrument, etc.), by various provisions of the monetary and financial code and the consumer code, themselves taken over for a large part of the European regulations that govern these services. These provisions aim to harmonise the conditions for making available and presenting information material at both national and European level. These texts have notably made it possible to establish harmonized terminologies for the denomination of services or fees applied by banking institutions, which facilitate the comparison of rates between institutions for consumers. In this context, it should be remembered that expatriates are free to apply competition and search among all market players for the banking offers that would best suit their needs. In case of misunderstanding, a client can always contact their customer advisor, who has the obligation to provide them with relevant and loyal advice. Clients who would like to have additional information can also consult the ABE Info Service website (www.abe-infoservice.fr) maintained by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution, the Autorité des marchés financiers and the Banque de France, or the website of the Financial Sector Advisory Committee (www.ccsfin.fr), whose function is to help inform consumers in the fields of banking, insurance, and financial investments. If expatriates consider themselves victims of poor bank account management, they would initially be able to contact the bank’s customer relations department to report the situation. If the problem persisted, they would have the opportunity to approach the mediation service with the bank. The contact details of these services can be found on banks' websites. In case of suspicion of discrimination, several possibilities are offered to people who consider themselves victims of such practices, it is possible to contact the Defender of Rights of the French Republic (https://www.defenseurdesdroits.fr) and if necessary to make a report to the prudential control and resolution authority via the Banque de France (by mail TSA 50120, 75035 Paris cedex 01, by phone 3414 or by online form https://accueil.banque-france.fr/uti/#/accueil) which monitors the compliance of the commercial practices of credit institutions and sanctions their failures where appropriate. Moreover, the jurisprudence has developed a broad understanding of facts relating to discriminatory practices. This interpretation, combined with the adjustments to the burden of proof as they result from the law, are protective for the victims, who remain free to take legal action against their banking institution if they consider that the mismanagement of a bank account constitutes a discriminatory practice.
The link to the question and answer: https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/17/questions/QANR5L17QE4207
