In France, if no transaction has taken place on a current account for 12 months while the holder is alive, then it can be considered inactive and then closed. For savings accounts, this period is five years. Sometimes we forget the existence of an account, for example, when it comes to a company savings plan. It is therefore better to regularly check that you don’t have money lying around somewhere. Don’t panic, after closing the accounts, the money will not evaporate! It is transferred to the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations.
How do I know if I am the beneficiary of a sum of money kept at the Caisse des Dépôts?
“Banks, insurance companies and organizations employee savings are required to identify inactive accounts and unclaimed life insurance opened in their establishments each year“, indicates the French administration website. Once an account is declared inactive, the bank must do everything possible to contact its owner and inform them that the account will be closed. In the absence of a response, the Money is transferred to the Caisse des Dépôts. This is when everyone can see if they are a beneficiary because a specific service has been created. It is called “Ciclade” and allows, based on some information, to search for forgotten amounts.
To carry out the search, you must be asked for your name, your date of birth and your nationality. You can also indicate, even if it is optional, your other first names, your town of birth, your address, postal code and city. You are also asked whether you have information on the account concerned or not.
How to recover the money kept at the Caisse des Dépôts?
If you learn that you are the beneficiary of a sum of money which is kept at the Caisse des Dépôts, then you will need to create a personal space on the Ciclade website. Then, you will just have to let yourself be guided on the site: you will need to provide supporting documents to prove that you are indeed the person requested. In particular, you must provide an identity document, the RIB, but also supporting documents which prove the death in the event of death, proof of inheritance, in the event of inheritance, for example.
Once the restitution request has been made, you can follow it directly in your personal space. Processing may take several weeks as the number of requests is quite large. Attention, “during processing, additional information may be necessary“, specifies the Ciclade site. Visit your space regularly to be sure that all the necessary documents are present. If, following study of the file, it turns out that you are indeed the beneficiary, then the money will be transferred to you by bank transfer.
For more information, visit the Ciclade site.