Changing banks: What is bank mobility?

Verified 27 September 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Do you want to change your bank and simplify the procedure related to the transfer of your account? You can use the bank mobility assistance service. The banks make all the formalities for you free of charge. To do this, you must give your written consent to your new bank. If you have a problem transferring your account, you can contact the Supervisory and Resolution Advisory Authority (ACPR).

The Bank Mobility Assistance Service facilitates the change of bank. The banks do all the work for you. In particular, they shall inform all bodies making direct debits or automatic transfers to your account of your change of bank address.

The bank mobility assistance service is free of charge.

Banks are required to provide you with an information brochure on this service. The brochure should be available on the bank's website. It must also be made available on a self-service basis in the agency on paper or on another package durable support.

This leaflet should contain the following information:

  • Role of the arrival and departure institutions at each stage of the bank mobility procedure
  • Time limits for completion of the various stages
  • Information that the account holder may need to provide
  • Conditions for sending any complaints to the customer relations department
  • Possibility of recourse to mediation

The bank mobility service only concerns deposit accounts (current accounts) or payments held by private individuals in France, and not acting for professional purposes. The other accounts (on booklet, term...) are excluded from this service.

Written agreement

When you have chosen your new bank, you must give your written consent for it to carry out the procedures related to the change of bank address on your behalf.

In this agreement, you must request the cancelation of all standing transfer orders on your original account. The end date of the issue of permanent transfers by the institution of departure shall also be indicated.

You must also specify your choice of whether or not to request closure of the account opened at the institution of departure. If you are requesting the closing of the original account, you specify the date from which the positive balance of this account is to be transferred to the new account.

Deadlines

From the date your complete file is received by the bank of arrival, both institutions have 22 working days to take the necessary steps to transfer your account.

Your bank of arrival has 2 working days to ask your bank of departure for information about your account usage for the last 13 months.

Upon receipt of the request from the bank of arrival, your bank of departure has 5 working days to answer him.

Your bank of arrival then 5 working days to inform issuers of direct debits and transfers to your account.

Finally, the debtors and creditors bridge 10 working days to take this information into account.

If your bank does not follow the procedure for transferring your accounts, contact the Supervisory and Resolution Authority's (ACPR) Commercial Practices Control Directorate. They will tell you what to do to make your claim.

Make a claim to a professional with the ACPR

If your bank has not followed the bank mobility procedure and this has caused you harm, it must compensate you without delay.

However, if the bank proves that the non-compliance is due to circumstances beyond its control, it should not compensate you.

FYI  

the bank that did not comply with the procedure cannot ask you to pay any fees related to this breach (including fees for rejecting a direct debit).

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