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.

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:

http://www.agira.asso.fr

Association pour la Gestion des Informations sur le Risque en Assurance (AGIRA)

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 for the recovery of dormant assets, make contact with the financial institution of origin (bank branch or general insurance agent) in order to deposit your original bearer bond(s).

Once the bearer bond(s) has/have been checked by the insurance organisation, you will be issued with a certificate. You may then contact the Caisse des Dépôts to proceed with the examination of your application, on 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.

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.

An employee savings product enabling employees to build up savings in the form of a portfolio of securities (shares and/or bonds) with the help of their company. The sums are unavailable for a minimum of five years, save in the event of withdrawals allowed in exceptional circumstances (such as marriage or civil partnership, birth of a third child or divorce) and come from voluntary contributions on the part of employees and a supplement from their company. Profit-sharing incentives and participation bonuses may also be deposited into a company savings scheme.

A correspondence exists when there is a possible correlation between the data entered into the search form and that sent by the financial institutions.

A correspondence does not necessarily mean the repayment of amounts.

Examples of a rejection:

• A homonym: you have the same surname and first name as another person, after verification of other personal information like the date and place of birth, you are not the beneficiary of the account. It is important to get as much precise information as possible during your search (preferred name in addition to the surname, other first names on the registry)

• In the personal area you have not properly identified yourself (example: notary, beneficiary or account holder, etc.). Don't forget to position yourself according to your situation during your request.

Ordinary individual account used for depositing and managing one's own money and having payment means. Also called a bank account or checking account.

Bank account or savings product in the meaning of the Monetary and Financial Code for which no transaction initiated by the customer, his/her legal representative or duly authorised person to act on his/her behalf has occurred, and the customer has not made any contact, over a 12-month period. This 12-month period is extended to five years for fixed-term accounts. An account is only dormant if all of the other accounts held in the same institution are also dormant.

Collective savings scheme set up within certain companies. The principle entails paying each employee a share of the company's earnings (profit-sharing incentive) or its profits (participation bonus). The sums attributed are deposited in a company savings scheme (PEE). They may also be paid directly to the employee if requested by the latter.

On Ciclade.fr it is possible to search for a dormant company savings scheme (PEE). Profit-sharing incentives and participation bonuses which have not been paid into a company savings scheme and were deposited at Caisse des Dépôts before 2016 do not come within the scope of the Eckert Act. This means that they cannot be accessed from this website. To find out more, have a look at http://consignations.caissedesdepots.fr/participation-des-salaries.html.

See "Company savings scheme (PEE)".

Corporate proxy, legal proxy or proxy by agreement (in terms of legal proceedings), legal representative, heirs, creditors and solicitor/notary in charge of the holder's or policyholder's estate.

Date on which the life insurance policy ends. This date is set by the policy signed between the insurance company and the insured person.

See "security".

Period during which an account cannot be considered dormant insofar as its dormancy is a result of the application of legal or regulatory provisions or of a judicial ruling.

See "collective insurance policy".

Regulated savings product whose funds can be accessed at any time.

On Ciclade.fr, insurance companies refer to insurance firms, insurance businesses, mutual companies, unions and personal protection institutions.

See "insurance company".

Collective account opened on behalf of two or more people, who do not have to be related or united in any way, known as joint account holders. When a joint account is opened an account agreement must be signed by all the joint account holders. Each of the joint account holders can use the account alone, just as if s/he was the sole account holder.

Person legally designated to represent and defend the interests of another person, be they natural (such as a minor's mother or father) or legal (a company for example).

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, etc.).

Formerly called "compte pour le développement industriel" (Codévi), the LDD 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 LDD accounts are mainly used to help finance programmes of social benefit or in connection with sustainable development, such as projects aimed at saving energy.

Held by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) since 1946, the RNIPP displays birth, marriage and death records. It is kept up-to-date at regular intervals through civil registration reports forwarded to Insee by parishes following births, deaths, acknowledgements and indications made in the margin of birth certificates for people born in mainland France and its overseas départements (DOM).

A participation bonus is one whose amount is determined by rules as set out in the participation bonus agreement. Out of principle, it is deposited in a company savings scheme (PEE) which, under the "Eckert" Act of 13 June 2014, can become dormant and any sums transferred to Caisse des Dépôts.

Passbook savings accounts can be opened in banks for depositing cash over the short term, in preparation for an investment or purchase. The bank is free to determine their interest rate.

Passbook savings scheme for 12-25 year olds living in France. Banks are free to determine their interest rate.

On Ciclade.fr, a password-protected space where a claimant whose initial search has yielded results can continue his or her claim. S/he then enters the information required and attaches the documents supporting the account or policy being sought as well as his/her identity. Once his/her claim has been submitted, it is processed by a Caisse des Dépôts operator. All of this data is compared with the information forwarded by the financial institutions to Caisse des Dépôts. If the claimant is identified as a legitimate beneficiary of the sums s/he is claiming, they will be returned to him/her.

A profit-sharing incentive is a bonus whose amount and payment conditions are set out in the profit-sharing incentive agreement. Out of principle, it is deposited in a company savings scheme (PEE) which, under the "Eckert" Act of 13 June 2014, can become dormant and any sums transferred to Caisse des Dépôts.

Under the "Eckert" Act of 13 June 2014, return of sums from a dormant account or unclaimed life insurance policy to their legitimate beneficiary. Restitution may be carried out by the original financial institution when it is still in possession of such sums. If the sums have lain dormant for so long that they have been transferred to Caisse des Dépôts, their beneficiaries must search for them on Ciclade.fr. Caisse des Dépôts examines their claim and, if approved, the sums are returned to their beneficiary(ies).

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.