Glad to see it still works like that. There's also a government-managed register of bad payers (called "interdit bancaire" - literally "forbidden from banking"

Glad to see it still works like that. There's also a government-managed register of bad payers (called "interdit bancaire" - literally "forbidden from banking") for which there's a lengthy process to get onto that may involve court action - the lenders literally have to take you to court. This means there is a due process to get onto the register, and a simple misunderstanding or fraudulent company can't ruin your credit (unless they want to lie to a government official and potentially to a court).