Financial Sector Advisory Committee (CCSF)
A joint advisory body bringing together representatives of financial institutions and consumers, under the aegis of the Ministry of Economy. In borrower insurance, it publishes the official list of guarantee equivalence criteria (at most 11 out of 18) that banks may use to assess whether an external policy is equivalent to their group contract. It is the mandatory reference for any insurance delegation.
Key points
- Publishes the list of 18 guarantee equivalence criteria in borrower insurance.
- A bank may use at most 11 criteria to assess an insurance delegation request.
- Its recommendations serve as the legal basis for any insurance delegation procedure.
- Its joint composition ensures balanced representation of banks and consumers.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the CCSF list central to any insurance delegation process?
It establishes the common and legally enforceable reference that prevents a bank from imposing arbitrary guarantees or inventing criteria designed to exclude competition. In practice, if an external policy meets the criteria the bank selected from the CCSF list, the bank cannot refuse the delegation simply because it prefers its own contract.
How does a broker practically use CCSF criteria during an insurance delegation?
The broker first asks the bank to disclose the 11 criteria it has selected. They then choose an external policy whose guarantees cover at least those 11 points, and complete the standardised information sheet (FSI) evidencing equivalence. This document is sent to the bank, which then has a regulatory deadline to accept or provide a reasoned refusal.
Is the CCSF list the same for all borrowers?
The list of 18 criteria is unique and national, but each bank freely selects its 11 criteria from those 18. This selection can therefore vary between institutions, and sometimes depending on the type of project financed (primary residence vs. rental investment). The broker must obtain each bank's specific list before selecting a delegated insurance policy.
In practice
A borrower wants to delegate their insurance to an independent insurer; their broker consults the lending bank's list of 11 selected criteria, identifies a competing policy covering all those criteria at a 40% lower premium, and assembles the equivalence file for submission.
Official sources
- Article L519-1 of the Monetary and Financial Code · Légifrance
- Prudential supervision and resolution authority · ACPR (Banque de France)