Chapter II: Protection of debtors and borrowers

It is forbidden for an intermediary to take on or offer to take on for remuneration:1° Examining the situation of a debtor with a view to drawing up a repayment plan;2° Seeking on behalf of a debtor to obtain payment deadlines or a debt remission.3° Intervening on behalf of the debtor, in any form whatsoever, for the purposes of the over-indebtedness procedure.

Any advertising disseminated by or on behalf of a natural or legal person who provides assistance, in any capacity whatsoever and in any manner whatsoever, directly or indirectly, in obtaining one or more loans of money by an individual, with the exception of the credit transactions mentioned in Article L. 312-1, prominently features the following statement: “No payment of any kind whatsoever may be required from a private individual prior…

All advertising and documents intended for borrowers and distributed by or on behalf of a credit intermediary within the meaning of 3° of Article L. 311-1 indicate, in an apparent manner, the extent of the intermediary’s powers, and in particular whether he works on an exclusive basis with one or more lenders or as an independent broker.

Prior to the conclusion of a credit agreement relating to one of the transactions mentioned in Article L. 312-1, the credit intermediary and the borrower shall agree in writing or on another durable medium any fees payable by the borrower to the credit intermediary for its services. The credit intermediary shall inform the creditor of these charges, for the purposes of calculating the annual percentage rate of charge.