Glossary search

On Ciclade.fr, "account" means all bank accounts and savings products (current accounts, livrets A, home ownership savings schemes, employee savings schemes, etc.) subject to the "Eckert" Act of 13 June 2014 as well as Order no. 2018-95 of 14 February 2018 which extends the "Eckert" Act to overseas collectivities (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna)

Authority responsible for supervising the banking and insurance sectors in France.

https://acpr.banque-france.fr/accueil.html

The AGIRA brings together the insurance companies operating on the French market as well as the professional organisations involved in the sector. It can be contacted free of charge by natural persons or legal entities potentially designated by the beneficiary clause of a life insurance policy whose policyholder died within the last ten years. The AGIRA will pass the request onto insurance companies who are then obliged to make efforts to find beneficiaries.

If you have reason to believe you are the beneficiary of an insurance policy whose policyholder died in the last ten years, get in touch with the AGIRA using the dedicated form : www.formulaireassvie.agira.asso.fr

http://www.agira.asso.fr

Postal address : AGIRA

Recherche contrats Assurance-Vie

1 rue Jules Lefebvre

75431 PARIS CEDEX 09 FRANCE

See "passbook savings account".

The www.ciclade.fr website does not allow searches for bearer bonds. To initiate the examination of your application, contact the financial institution of origin that issued the bearer bond to learn about the procedure for restitution of dormant assets resulting from these contracts (note: the restitution procedure may differ from one institution to another and it is important to follow the instructions that are given to you by the institution to ensure the processing of your application). Once the bearer bond(s) has/have been checked by the insurance organisation, you will be issued with a certificate of authenticity. You may then contact the Caisse des Dépôts to proceed with the examination of your application:

Dedicated line for private customers: 0 809 40 40 41 (calls from landlines and mobiles are charged at the local rate, additional charges depend on your operator), Monday - Friday from 9am – 5pm.

Dedicated line for notaries: 0 809 40 40 46 (calls from landlines and mobiles are charged at the local rate, additional charges depend on your operator), Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Life insurance policy clause in which the policyholder names one or more beneficiaries.

Comprising cash, the cash account is associated with the securities account which, by definition, comprises securities. In order to acquire the securities, deposits must already have been made into the cash account.

When an account or life insurance policy is irrevocably closed down. Under the "Eckert" Act of 13 June 2014, such closure may also be initiated by the bank, insurance company or employee savings body when dormant accounts or unclaimed life insurance policies have reached the statutory timeframes for their balance to be transferred to Caisse des Dépôts.

Policy taken out by a legal entity, or a company manager, called the policyholder, on behalf of a group of members and possibly their beneficiaries. The insurance policy may be amended between the policyholder and the insurance company without having to obtain the permission of each member.

Bank account for people starting up or taking over a company with the aim of borrowing, after a savings period of between two and five years.

Any contact initiated by the customer with the financial institution (call, email, online banking connection, appointment, etc.) which activates an account or life insurance policy.

Credit institutions cover several types of entities accredited by the ACPR (the authority responsible for supervising the banking and insurance sectors in France), notably banks, but also specialist credit institutions which are primarily authorised to receive repayable funds from the public and grant credits.

See "current account".

Authority responsible for supervising the banking and insurance sectors in France.

Sums from dormant bank accounts and unclaimes life insurance poilicies, endowment policies or capitalisation bonds, within the meaning of the "Eckert" Act of 13 June 2014, in addition to Ordre n°.2018-95 of 14 February 2018 wich extends the "Eckert" Act to overseas collectivities (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna).

Investment firm tasked with managing savers' personal accounts. It receives instructions to apply for and buy back shares, processes these and initiates the corresponding payments or transfers.

An endowment policy is a savings product. It makes it possible to capitalise on a sum or sums paid by an investor within a contract which may then be invested in various other schemes. Over the life of the endowment contract, the investor may withdraw all or part of his funds which otherwise are paid out to him when the contract expires, either in the form of an endowment which represents the amount invested increased by the capitalised interest, or else in the form of an annuity paid during his lifetime.

All of the assets in a person's possession at the time of his or her death, which will be redistributed in the context of an inheritance. These assets are made up of tangible or intangible personal or real estate and diverse receivables.

Entity subject to the law on dormant bank accounts and unclaimed life insurance policies, particularly the requirement to transfer unclaimed sums to Caisse des Dépôts: banks, insurance companies and employee savings bodies.

On Ciclade.fr, these refer to accounts (current accounts, Livrets A, home ownership savings schemes, company savings schemes and so on), life insurance and endowment policies, capitalisation bonds and bearer bonds which may be the subject of a search.

Under the "Eckert" Act of 13 June 2014, sums from dormant accounts and unclaimed life insurance policies which, after reaching the statutory dormancy periods, are transferred to Caisse des Dépôts by the financial institutions (monthly for life insurance policies and quarterly for accounts).

Any natural person or legal entity owning a bank account. If the account is held by several different persons, they are called joint account holders.

Savings product making it possible to save with a view to obtaining a loan at the prime rate and a subsidy from the State.

Person who is covered by an insurance policy.

Legal entity, other than a credit institution whose main and usual line of business entails providing an investment service.

Group whose legal status grants it rights and obligations. The group is generally made up of several natural persons (individuals) but can also bring together several legal entities.

There are two different categories of legal entities: public legal entities (the State, public institutions or local authorities) and private legal entities (companies, associations, non-trading companies, unions, etc.).

Financial investment enabling the policyholder to save money with a view to passing it on to a beneficiary when an event directly involving the insured person occurs: either s/he dies or s/he survives. This savings product enables the policyholder to earn interest on his/her policy depending on the capital invested. 

If the policyholder survives, s/he remains the beneficiary and holder of the funds and is free to recover the capital and interests.

If the policyholder dies, the policy is wound up and the capital and interest transferred to the beneficiary(ies) of his/her choice (children, spouse, live-in partner, siblings, other non-family members, legal persons such as associations, etc.).

Formerly called "compte pour le développement industriel" (Codévi), the LDDS is a regulated savings account, exempt from tax and social security contributions, which can be opened by any adult domiciled in France. The sums deposited in LDDS accounts are mainly used to help finance programmes of social benefit or in connection with sustainable development, such as projects aimed at saving energy.

The married name is the surname of your spouse wich you use as your preferred name.

See "Preferred name"

Individual with its own legal personality in its own right. To be able to benefit directly and fully from its legal capacity, a natural person must be of age (except in the case of emancipation before coming of age) and not partially or totally disabled (placed under supervision or guardianship); otherwise this capacity is exercised on its behalf by a legal representative.

The overseas collectivities (COM) are the territorial collectivities of the French Republic governed, since the constitutional reform of 28 March 2003, by Article 74 of the French Constitution (namely, the application of the principle of legislative exception vested in a competent local institution).

They comprise the former overseas territories (TOM), as well as other territorial collectivities with special status. Affairs of state (defence, police, justice, treasury) are administered by the French government.

There are currently five overseas collectivities. These territories vary quite widely in status and internal organisation; some of these details were stipulated in the Organic Law of 21 February 2007:

1. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Canada) which was an overseas department (DOM) from 1976 to 1985.
2. Wallis and Futuna (Pacific Ocean), an archipelago subdivided not into communes, but into three territorial districts, each of which corresponds to a kingdom of customary law which has jurisdiction in some matters (management of traditional public domain, etc.).
3. French Polynesia (Pacific Ocean to the east of Australia), group of five French archipelagos corresponding to five administrative subdivisions (Marquesas Islands, Windward Islands, Tuamotu-Gambier Islands, Austral Islands and Leeward Islands). It has broad political autonomy.
4. Saint Barthélemy, an island in the Lesser Antilles (Caribbean), 
5. Saint Martin, the northern portion of the island of the same name in the Lesser Antilles.

The creation of these two collectivities took effect on 15 July 2007. Prior to that, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy were two communes integrated in the Guadeloupe overseas department (DOM).

Order no. 2018-95 of 14 February 2018: an extension of the "Eckert" Act to the overseas collectivities for implementation in 2020, only to the territories of French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna, with the need to identify the funds and products originating in these three overseas collectivities so the unclaimed sums after the thirty-year forfeiture period can be paid to the territories

See "passbook savings account".

Regulated passbook savings account, exempt from tax and social security contributions. The LEP was created to help low-income households deposit their savings under conditions enabling them to maintain their purchasing power.

Institutions other than credit institutions and e-money institutions accredited by the ACPR (the authority responsible for supervising the banking and insurance sectors in France) to provide payment services (e.g. institutions that enable customers to send money overseas).

Person who signs the form taking out a life insurance policy or capitalisation bond or contract.

All savings products (accounts and passbook schemes) whose operating terms and conditions are determined by the public authorities. e.g.: livret A, livret de développement durable (LDD), livret d’épargne populaire (LEP), livret jeune and so on.

See "life insurance policy".

Anyone who has reason to be believe they are a beneficiary of dormant sums transferred by the financial institutions to Caisse des Dépôts can enter a search on Ciclade.fr. If their search yields results, the claimant must create a personal account to continue with his or her claim.

SEPA transfer

A SEPA transfer is a transfer in Euros which is able to move funds both within France and throughout all of the countries in the Singe Euro Payments Area.

To make SEPA transfers and payments, you must use the new bank details in the IBAN and BIC format. These codes have already been around for several years on the bank statements provided by your bank.

The following are members of the SEPA:

- The 28 member States of the European Union;

- The four member States of the European Free Trade Association: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland;

- The Principality of Monaco and the Republic of San Marino.

In terms of France, the overseas départements and regions (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Reunion and Mayotte), as well as the territories of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of San Marino are part of the SEPA.

Complementary to the share savings plan, the PEA PME-ETI is aimed at facilitating the financing of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps, both listed and unlisted.

Under the "Eckert" Act of 13 June 2014, sums from dormant accounts and unclaimed life insurance policies that have reached the statutory dormancy periods by 1 January 2016 to be transferred to Caisse des Dépôts by the financial institutions.

Stocks of dormant assets were transferred to Caisse des Dépôts between 1 July 2016 and 31 December 2016. Sums that have lain dormant for 30 years or longer have been transferred by the financial institutions to the State directly.

Regulated savings product that could be opened between 1990 and 2003. PEP holders can continue to use them.

See "thirty-year forfeiture period".

Account on which the sums deposited are locked away for a certain period, in return for a rate of interest determined when the account is opened. The rate of interest varies depending on the time deposit account (fixed rate, progressive rate, variable rate, etc.).

Life insurance policy whose capital has not been paid out upon expiry of the term fixed in the policy or upon the death of the insured person.