It is the first stone of an already long fight. The senator of the centrist Union (UC) of Eure, Hervé Maurey, saw his amendment aiming to regulate, or even eliminate, the bank charges of inheritance, voted in first reading by the Senate within the framework of a text of law which aims to strengthen the protection of savers. He explains his approach to MoneyVox.
Herve Maurey
Senator Centrist Union (UC) of Eure
Hervé Maurey, you had already defended the reform of bank charges in the context of a succession in the columns of MoneyVox in January 2022. This amendment has only just been validated by the Senate but will still have to be passed by the National Assembly. When do you expect to see it implemented?
HM: “The amendment proposes to regulate inheritance bank charges by purely and simply eliminating them for a lower amount of 5,000 euros in the context of an inheritance without the intervention of the notary. It also proposes a cap on these fees at 1% of the total estate, whatever the value. These measures go in the direction of the customer and I welcome the unanimous vote of my fellow senators, against the advice of the government. A position that nothing justifies since during the debate, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire said to share my concerns. He had already done so in the past and promised measures for the fall of 2022. We are still waiting.
“We have to deal with the powerful banking and insurance lobby and its direct access to the minister’s office”
I hope that this amendment, like the entire law for the protection of savers, will be on the agenda of the National Assembly for the month of June, even if we have to face the powerful lobby of banks and insurance companies and his direct access to the minister’s office. »
What are these lobbies asking for?
HM: “I have already experienced this situation in 2010 when I defended a text on unclaimed life insurance. The banking and insurance sector avoids legislation on matters that affect it. He prefers, as the government now suggests, to go through a report and medium and long-term commitments. And, in general, nothing happens.
If the banks adjust their fees according to our requests by the spring, the amendment will no longer be necessary, but I don’t really believe in it because at the podium, the minister mentioned a report in February and we are already. »
You also defended improved information and transparency on life insurance products. The text for the defense of savers also aims to facilitate the change of insurance company for a life contract from 2025 after eight years of detention and to guarantee the portability of tax precedence if all the savings are transferred. Positions that tense insurers. Will the text go to the end without being distorted?
HM: “The contractor’s level of information is an essential element that must be guaranteed. In particular on the use made of the deposited funds. We are not stubborn. But, as with inheritance fees, we will not remove anything from our requests. against empty commitments from insurers or banks. »
Inheritance bank charges: how much does it cost?
Banks often levy a “processing fee” to handle the termination of the deceased’s accounts. Actions invoiced on average 216 euros for a “small” estate of 15,000 euros, according to calculations by MoneyVox in 2022. An amount down by 8 euros over one year but this typical profile will for example be invoiced 75 euros to Crédit Agricole Nord Is… against 390 euros at Crédit Agricole Languedoc. Or 125 euros at the Caisse d’Epargne Midi-Pyrénées against 273 euros on the side of the Ecureuil in Normandy.
In 2021, the consumer defense association UFC-Que Choisir also pointed out that inheritance costs “are twice those charged in Belgium or Italy” (respectively 107 euros and 112 euros) and even three times higher than in Spain (80 euros). These are even illegal in Germany.
COMPARATIVE. Inheritance fees levied by the 127 banks studied in detail