Banks can again charge succession fees on minor heirs' accounts
Executive summary: The Constitutional Council struck down part of a 2025 law that removed succession fees for inheritances of deceased minors, allowing banks to re-impose those fees. Restoring fees can increase bank revenue and affect families' inheritance costs, prompting consumer protection considerations.
Who is involved: The French Constitutional Council, Parliament, banking institutions, and affected families.
Likely next: Potential legislative response or public backlash, and possible adjustments by banks to fee structures.
The French Constitutional Council partially overturned a 2025 law that had eliminated succession fees on inheritances of minor heirs, restoring the ability of banks to levy such fees. The ruling reverses a consumer-protective measure and may increase revenue for financial institutions. It raises consumer-protection concerns and could trigger parliamentary debate.
Timeline
- — Banks can again charge succession fees on accounts of deceased minors (Le Figaro — Économie)
Analysis — what this means
Likely next events
- Legislative debate on revising inheritance fee rules
- Consumer advocacy campaigns
- Bank adjustments to succession-fee pricing
Sectors affected
- Banking
- Estate Planning
Regulatory implications
- Increased regulatory monitoring of succession-fee practices
- Risk of legal challenges from affected families
Historical parallels
- 2022 reversal of a similar fee exemption
- 2018 reinstatement of death-related banking fees
Sources
- Banks can again charge succession fees on accounts of deceased minors — Le Figaro — Économie