Questions & Answers (Q&A)

Individuals

What Is the process for submitting an over-indebtedness application ?

If you are no longer able to meet your financial obligations, this procedure may be able to help restore your financial situation. This procedure is only available to residents of French Polynesia and New Caledonia.

You can submit your file :

• By mail : Send your completed application to the IEOM office in either French Polynesia or in New Caledonia.
• In person : Submit your completed application directly to the relevant agency during the opening hours specified on the IEOM website.
  Submitting your application offers immediate relief: interest charges stop, seizures are suspended and penalty fees are frozen.

Discover the full list of required documents and the step-by-step procedure in our Over-indebtedness section

How can I find out if I am listed in a payment incident file and, if so, why ?

Would you like to know about your banking situation? IEOM can provide you with information about any incidents that may have been recorded under your name, free of charge.

There are several types of incidents that can lead to you being listed :

• Issuing a cheque without sufficient funds in your account
• Misusing your bank card, resulting in it being withdrawn.
• A court-ordered ban on issuing cheques
• Difficulties in repaying loans
• Acceptance of an over-indebtedness application by the relevant commission

To obtain this information, you have two options:

• Visit your local IEOM office in person.
• Send a written request to your local IEOM office

In both cases, you must provide a valid form of identification (e.g. an identity card or passport).

To learn more, you can check our page about Payment incident files

How can I be removed from a banking incident file ?

In order to regularise your situation and be removed from the file, you must :

• For an unpaid cheque : pay the beneficiary or block the corresponding amount in your bank account.
• For a credit incident : fully repay the amounts owed.
• For a card withdrawal : contact your bank to find out the conditions for reinstatement.

If you do not regularise your situation, the listing will remain in effect.

• During 5 years for bounced cheques and credit incidents (up to 7 years if an over-indebtedness procedure is involved).
• During 2 years for bank card withdrawals.

Find full details of the procedures in our Payment incident files section.

I don’t have a bank account – how can IEOM help ?

If a bank refuses to open an account for you, IEOM can help you exercise your right to a bank account.

To benefit from this procedure, you must provide :

• Proof that a bank has refused to open an account in your name (or that your request has gone unanswered for more than 15 days).
• A valid form of identification..
• Proof of residence dated within the last three months.

Once your application has been approved, the IEOM will appoint a bank to open an account for you.

Learn more in our Right to a bank account section.

I have a question about a banking matter. Who should I contact ?

The Infobanque service of IEOM provides objective and reliable answers to any questions related to your banking operations.

We can help you :

• better understand your rights.
• navigate banking regulations.
• identify the appropriate procedures.
• find the right contacts..

Please note that while we can provide you with information on your rights, we are unable to intervene in disputes relating to banking or insurance.

You can access this information in three ways:

• By post to your local IEOM office votre agence IEOM.
• By visiting one of our offices in person.

Le portail « Mes Questions d’Argent » propose également de nombreuses ressources pour vous aider à mieux gérer votre argent au quotidien.

For more details, visit our Infobanque section

What should I do in case of identity theft ?

If you become a victim of identity theft, there are some urgent steps you should take :

• File a complaint with the police or gendarmerie in person or online via the Ministry of the Interior’s website. For internet fraud, use the official Pharos reporting platform.
• Notify your banks immediately so they can secure your accounts and block any suspicious activity.
• Request access to FICOM to check whether any accounts have been fraudulently opened in your name :
  – By email : requisitions-ficom@iedom-ieom.fr
  – Through your local IEOM office
  – Via the IEOM headquarters in Paris
• Contact the IEOM agency in your area, which will help you regularise your situation and have the incorrect information removed.

More information is available in our Payment Methods/Scams and Identity Theft

Having trouble getting a loan ? You may be eligible for microcredit.

If you’re struggling to access traditional credit, accompanied microcredit could be a suitable solution. This programme enables you to finance your projects at reduced interest rates while receiving personalised support.

Microcredit can be used to finance :

• Personal projects: repairs, medical expenses, training
• Professional projects, such as starting or developing a business

Learn more about our financial inclusion programmes

I am a joint account holder. I do not have an individual account in my own name. If a bank refuses to open an individual account for me, can I use the right to an account procedure?

YES

If you already have a join account (For example : if you are a joint holder of a joint account or an undivided account) and you do not have an individual account, i.e. an account for which you are the sole holder, and a bank refuses to open an individual account for you, you may exercise your right to a bank account.

Is my bank allowed to close my bank account?

YES

A bank account may be closed either at the initiative of the bank, which is not required to justify its decision, or at your own initiative (relocation, choice of another banking partner, etc.).

• If the closure is initiated by the bank, , it must inform you in writing and comply with a notice period of at least two months. If the account balance is positive and there is no outstanding debt, the funds will be returned to you. If the balance is negative, the bank will request repayment.
• If the closure is initiated by you : you may close your bank account at any time, unless the contract provides for a notice period, which may not exceed 30 days. The procedure is free of charge. Sending a closure letter is mandatory to formalise the request. The account must be sufficiently funded to allow settlement of any pending transactions (cheques, card transactions, direct debits). All means of payment must be returned to the bank or destroyed.
• In the case of a joint or undivided account, all joint holders must request the closure.

How long is the designation letter issued by IEOM valid for?

The designation letter appointing a banking institution, which is required to open an account for the applicantis valid for 6 months from the date of issue by IEOM.

It is recommended to contact the designated bank without delay. In addition, keep proof of any documents submitted to the bank.

Following a phone call from someone impersonating my bank adviser, I validated a fraudulent transaction. What should I do?

This is a fraudulent technique known as ‘spoofing’’, whereby the fraudster contacts you while impersonating your bank’s telephone number in order to obtain confidential information.

If, following this phone scam, you notice one or more fraudulent transactions on your account, you must report them to your bank no later than 13 months after the debit date. This period is reduced to 70 days (the card agreement may provide for a longer period, not exceeding 120 days) when the payee’s payment service provider is located outside the European Union or the European Economic Area (EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).

The bank must then refund the debited amount and restore the account to the position it would have been in had the transaction not occurred. It is not necessary to have taken out specific insurance to benefit from this legal provision.

In the event of a dispute, the burden of proof lies with the credit institution. To refuse reimbursement, the institution must demonstrate that you were grossly negligent in safeguarding your banking data.

We also recommend that you file a complaint as soon as possible, contact INFO ESCROQUERIES on 0805 805 817 and submit a report via PHAROS (the official online reporting platform for illegal content).

Following a fraudulent transaction, my bank refuses to reimburse me because the transaction was validated using strong customer authentication. What should I do?

Strong customer authentication aims to enhance the security of online payments and access to online banking by verifying that you are indeed the originator of the payment or the login, using at least two of the following three elements:

• something only you know: password, PIN, secret question, etc.
• something you possess: mobile phone, smart card, connected watch, etc.
• something you are: facial recognition, voice recognition, fingerprint, etc.

According to the recommendations of the Observatory for the Security of Payment Means (16 May 2023), payment using strong customer authentication enables the bank to verify that you are the originator of the payment. However, strong customer authentication does not mean that you authorised the transaction and does not in itself justify refusal of reimbursement. In order to decide, the bank must analyse a broader set of criteria.

Can a credit institution close an account opened under the right to a bank account procedure after being designated by IEOM?

No, except in specific cases.

A bank designated by IEOM under the right to an account procedure may close the account in the following situations:

• If you have deliberately used the account for transactions that the institution has reason to suspect are for illegal purposes ;
• If you have provided inaccurate information ;
• If you no longer meet the domicile or residence conditions (domiciled in France or resident in another EU Member State).
• If you have opened a second account in France allowing access to basic banking services.
• If you display repeated incivility towards the institution’s staff.
• When the institution is unable to fulfil its customer due diligence obligations.

In these cases only, the account may be closed:

• After a two-month notice period prior to the effective closure ;
• After notification of the reasoned closure decision sent to the account holder and to the Banque de France, which carried out the designation.

IEOM must be informed, by the banking institution, as soon as possible, of the reasons for the account closure.

Can a credit institution refuse to open an account even though it has been designated by the IEOM under the right to bank account procedure?

NO, except in specific cases.

A bank may refuse to open an account for you, even if it has been designated by the IEOM under the right to bank account procedure, in the following situations :

• If you already have a deposit account with the designated institution or with another institution;

• If you do not provide the supporting documents requested by the bank as part of the Anti‑Money Laundering and Counter‑Terrorist Financing requirements.