Analysis 8 min read
Two information days on Swiss franc mortgages, in Ferney‑Voltaire.
On 28 October and 3 November in Ferney‑Voltaire: talks on Swiss franc mortgages and one‑to‑one meetings with a lawyer.
Hello Justice, editorial team
Contents
On Wednesday 28 October and on Tuesday 3 November, in Ferney‑Voltaire, Hello Justice and ACTIVE AVOCATS, a firm of the COGEP group, welcome borrowers who took out a mortgage in Swiss francs. Each day has five talks of forty‑five minutes, at 12:15, 13:15, 17:00, 18:00 and 19:00, and one‑to‑one meetings with a lawyer. Entry is free, on registration.
Who this concerns.
Between 2002 and 2015, banks offered French borrowers, cross‑border workers and buy‑to‑let investors in particular, mortgages denominated in or indexed to Swiss francs. Your loan can be reviewed even if it has been repaid, restructured by amendment or transferred to another lender.
In these loans, each instalment is converted at the rate of the day it is debited. According to the European Central Bank’s reference rates, it took 1.6706 francs to get €1 in October 2007 (monthly average). On 14 September 2026, 0.9431 francs was enough.
In other words, the franc that was worth about €0.60 at signing was worth €1.06 on that day. For a loan signed in October 2007, each franc repaid at that rate therefore costs 77% more in euros than at signing.
What the Cour de cassation held on 9 July 2025.
On that day, the First Civil Chamber handed down two published rulings, with different outcomes.
The first (no. 24-19.647) holds that exchange‑rate risk is assessed over the whole term of the loan. A borrower paid in Swiss francs remains exposed to it when the financed property is located in France, and the protection against unfair terms is therefore open to that borrower. The Court thereby abandons its 2023 position.
The second (no. 24-18.018) dismisses the appeal of a borrower to whom the bank had given clear information on the effects of a change in the exchange rate.
This case law is recent and liable to change. The outcome of each claim remains a matter for the judge, on its own documents. Our analysis of the 9 July 2025 rulings covers them in detail.
The organisers.
Hello Justice and ACTIVE AVOCATS jointly lead a programme dedicated to Swiss franc mortgages. The firm runs the proceedings, independently. Hello Justice funds them. These days are there to review the case law and to present your loan to one of the firm’s lawyers.
ACTIVE AVOCATS. A Lyon law firm founded in 2002 by Vincent DURAND, a member of the Lyon Bar since 1996, which joined the COGEP group in 2024. The firm reviews each borrower’s loan offer, sends the fee agreement when the claim is accepted, then argues the case in court.
Hello Justice. A Lyon litigation funding company, founded in 2024 by an entrepreneur and two lawyers. Its purpose is to narrow the gap between the rights the law recognises and those people actually manage to enforce. That gap comes first from the cost and length of proceedings.
In this programme, it covers the lawyer’s fee according to the capital borrowed, and the borrower repays it nothing if the claim fails. It has more than 500 live cases, taken on since 2024. Backed by Bpifrance under the France 2030 plan, it is a winner of the Lyon Bar’s 2024 Innovation Competition.
Hello Justice is not a law firm and gives no legal advice: the one‑to‑one meetings are held by the firm’s lawyers. Our company page introduces its founding partners.
The talk and its speakers.
The same talk is given at 12:15, 13:15, 17:00, 18:00 and 19:00, in French. It lasts forty‑five minutes, is given by two speakers and leaves time for questions from the floor.
Vincent DURAND, a member of the Lyon Bar and managing partner of ACTIVE AVOCATS, goes back over the two rulings of 9 July 2025, recent case law liable to change: what each one decides, and why a claim is examined on the documents handed over when the loan was signed.
Valentin PETITCLERC, president and founder of Hello Justice, explains the principle of litigation funding, then how it applies to Swiss franc mortgages: what Hello Justice covers according to the capital borrowed, what remains payable by the borrower and what is owed when the proceedings end.
The programme for both days.
Both days follow the same programme. The one‑to‑one meetings are by appointment.
| Time | What is on |
|---|---|
| From 11:00 to 12:00 | One‑to‑one meetings with a lawyer |
| From 12:15 to 13:00 | Information talk (doors open at 12:00) |
| From 13:15 to 14:00 | Information talk (doors open at 13:00) |
| From 14:00 to 16:45 | One‑to‑one meetings with a lawyer |
| From 17:00 to 17:45 | Information talk (doors open at 16:45) |
| From 18:00 to 18:45 | Information talk (doors open at 17:45) |
| From 19:00 to 19:45 | Information talk (doors open at 18:45) |
| From 20:00 to 21:00 | One‑to‑one meetings with a lawyer |
The one‑to‑one meeting.
The meeting lasts fifteen minutes. A lawyer from ACTIVE AVOCATS (Vincent DURAND, Marie FAYET or Julie BERMOND) reviews your loan offer and its supporting documents with you, then answers your questions about your loan. Free and confidential, it is booked when you register. Meetings are held outside the talk times: you can choose a talk, a meeting, or both.
No amount of loss is announced at the meeting: a claim is quantified on its documents, after submission.
The documents to bring:
- The loan offer, with its appendices and the notices handed over at signing.
- The repayment schedule: the one in the offer, and any the bank has reissued since.
- The amendments, if there were any. If there never were, simply say so.
- The redemption statement, if the loan has been repaid, or the bank’s letter that stands in for it.
Copies are enough, and so are photos on your phone. If you wish, you can open your claim on site, from your phone: a QR code leads to the online submission, and each document you upload arrives in your online space.
The venue.
- Ferney‑Voltaire, on Wednesday 28 October and on Tuesday 3 November. Both days take place at the same venue: Appart’City Collection Genève Aéroport, 11 avenue des Sablonnières, 01210 Ferney‑Voltaire.
Registration is free and takes place on the registration page.
What a claim costs.
The talk and the one‑to‑one meeting are free. So is having your claim checked, as are the eligibility test and the submission. If you then entrust your claim to the firm, the fee agreement provides for the following terms.
When your claim is opened, if it is accepted, you pay €300 incl. VAT for the procedural costs (stamp duty, judicial officer, local counsel).
Your lawyer’s fee at first instance is €3,000 incl. VAT. Hello Justice covers it according to the capital borrowed, and the rest is yours to pay.
| Capital borrowed | Share covered by Hello Justice | Yours to pay at first instance | Yours to pay on appeal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to €100,000 | All of it | €0 | €0 |
| Above €100,000 and up to €200,000 | Three quarters | €750 incl. VAT | €500 incl. VAT |
| Above €200,000 | Half | €1,500 incl. VAT | €1,000 incl. VAT |
A success fee of 14% incl. VAT is due if the case succeeds, and only then. It is charged on the sums recovered and on the saving obtained on the outstanding capital. The sums awarded under article 700 and the costs go to the lawyer. If the case fails, you repay nothing to Hello Justice.
If there is an appeal, your lawyer’s fee is €2,000 incl. VAT, covered on the same tier. Local counsel before the court of appeal is covered in full. You pay the €225 appeal duty and, if your loan exceeds €100,000, the rest of the fee.
Frequently asked questions.
Should I bring my documents?
Not for the talk. For a one‑to‑one meeting, bring the loan offer and its appendices, the repayment schedule, any amendments and, if your loan has been repaid, the redemption statement. Copies are enough.
My loan has been repaid. Can I come?
Yes. A loan that has been repaid can be reviewed, as can a loan restructured by amendment or transferred to another lender.
Can I bring someone?
Yes. When you register, say how many people are coming with you, three at most. Your co‑borrower is welcome at the one‑to‑one meeting.
I cannot attend. What can I do?
Submit your claim online: a few questions about your loan, then your documents, which the firm reviews in the same way. You can also call the firm or message Hello Justice on WhatsApp. It all starts on the submission page.
Who can see the documents I submit?
Your documents are sent to ACTIVE AVOCATS, a firm of the COGEP group, and to Hello Justice, to review your claim and subject to professional secrecy. Nothing is sent to your bank during this review. If proceedings are brought, the lawyer discloses the relevant documents to the other side, as the rules of procedure require.
