# CA



## saffron_gin

Is CA a national bank or a collection of different regional ones?

Can a CA account from one region be transferred to a branch in another region? Or is it a start all over again process?

Thx.


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## BackinFrance

A CA account can be transferred to another region though your IBAN will change. I think they help you with that these days, and certainly for existing regular virements.


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## BackinFrance

And there is management at a national level, though not all regional banks implement changes in policy at the same time.


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## saffron_gin

Thanks BiF...My account isn't fully activated yet...and I was wondering if it is worth the trouble to go and pick up the carte bancaire that seems to have finally arrived...as I am moving to another region very shortly.


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## EuroTrash

You will find that the CAs in different regions have different names.
Mind is Crédit Agricole Normandie and I log into the CA Normandie website for my online banking.
Each region has its own name and its own website.
I once looked into this and discovered that occasionally there are very slight variations in fees.
But for instance if you have a CA account you get free ATM withdrawals from all CA machines throughout France.


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## saffron_gin

virements is direct deposit?


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## saffron_gin

EuroTrash said:


> You will find that the CAs in different regions have different names.
> Mind is Crédit Agricole Normandie and I log into the CA Normandie website for my online banking.
> Each region has its own name and its own website.
> I once looked into this and discovered that occasionally there are very slight variations in fees.
> But for instance if you have a CA account you get free ATM withdrawals from all CA machines throughout France.



Right that is what I just realized...and hence wondering if I should go through the trouble of activating this account here whilst moving shortly to another...


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## BackinFrance

saffron_gin said:


> virements is direct deposit?


Direct debit and deposit. I would suggest you pick up your card (and that you ask them how it all works, they won't take offense because you are moving to a new area and you might just need your existing card before your new branch can create one).


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## BackinFrance

Activate your card.


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## Poloss

I moved my Crédit Agricole accounts from one region to another in September.
Result that all my automatic withdrawals (regular bills) were transferred to the new account within 15 days as announced
but several months later the money still hasn't been transferred as agreed so I quickly started getting 
unpleasant mail from my new agency who were charging me fees for refused withdrawals.
Also electricity, water, phone & internet companies were yelling at me for their money...

The responsibility for the transfer is with the new agency, so they now pay all fees to the old agency 
for my empty accounts which continue to descend into negative territory because of monthly fees.

I transfered the money myself.

Was I surprised to learn that this transfer protocol was called the "Macron law"?
Stay vigilant!


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## BackinFrance

With all French banks you have to be super careful, I shall not go into the issues encountered by neighbors, but 6 months later the very nice lady who rents my garage cannot get either of her banks to do it effectively and so is still paying me by cheque. She is not with CA. God only knows how she deals with her electricity payments.


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## BackinFrance

Someone else I know told all her suppliers and tenants by registered mail, she is not with CA either. She then phoned everyone to check they were paying or charging to the correct account.


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## BackinFrance

Last time I moved my CA account was around 20 years ago and it was as smooth as you could possibly imagine - that was CA to CA. Maybe they should have left the banks alone on this one? 
Poloss, did you get it sorted yet? If not have you taken it up with your assurance juridique or taken any other action?


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## Bevdeforges

As I have mentioned many times here, banking here in France is pretty much on a branch basis. Heck, it isn't that long ago that, to change from one branch to another you had to close out your old account (and there used to be a charge of about 20€ for closing an account) and then open a whole new account in the other branch. Now, the account closing charge no longer exists (thank goodness!) and at least a couple of the French banks will actually move your account to another branch, allowing you to retain the same account number (though some parts of your RIB identification will change to indicate the new branch). It used to be a big selling point with Banque Populaire, though by now they are not the only bank that allows this.

If in doubt, go in and pick up your card and all, and ask what, if anything, they can or will do to help you. You can always keep your account in the original branch for a while until you get yourself settled and then change branches (or banks). The banks are now supposed to offer a service that will transfer your standing orders and other automatic payments to your new bank account - in whatever French bank you move to. It only works for French payments, but it takes lots of the hassle out of changing banks.


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## Befuddled

I would take the opportunity to dump CA altogether and find a different bank. Speaking from experience.


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## EuroTrash

Befuddled said:


> I would take the opportunity to dump CA altogether and find a different bank. Speaking from experience.


We just went round this same loop on another thread though.
Personally my CA experience has been positive.


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## BackinFrance

I changed my CA account in Marseille to here many years ago. I do not recall whether there was a fee, but I certainly did not have to close the Marseille account before it was moved. Oh and you couldn't just look up the account on the internet back then, you waited for your paper statement to arrive.


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## Bevdeforges

I just checked and it was 2017 that the law on moving your regular payments (in and out) from one bank account to a new one came into effect. Basically, you set up the new bank account and then put in the request to your old bank (or branch) to move your regular payments to the new account. It takes two or three months for everything to take effect, and any regular deposits or payments from outside France you'll have to transfer yourself (like US Social Security). 

But you can keep both accounts open as long as you like. You do usually have to go into the bank to close an account - or all your accounts in that bank - but it's just a formality. Lots of papers to sign and they need to verify that it's really you closing the accounts.


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## Poloss

BackinFrance said:


> Poloss, did you get it sorted yet?
> If not have you taken it up with your assurance juridique or taken any other action?


I was led to believe that CA were transfering my accounts from there to here.
In fact, they open new accounts here with the same terms and conditions
But banks don't like closing accounts so the old accounts stay active ...

That was handy a couple of times when I had to transfer cash rapidly or buy plane tickets online
and I remembered there was still cash in the old accounts.

*One disadvantage with the new account is that I had to re-create my list of beneficiaries for "virements"* (what's that in English?)
My new CA gave me a "basic" account where the possibility to add new IBANS was desactivated
I went to my new agency to sort that out and also check that they would exempt me from any undue fees
which they did.

I checked today and there's still one monthly payment for a phone subscription on my old account.
It doesn't worry me much because one day I'll go and see my bank to sort out the last little problems
and they've been very good up to now.


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