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- Hereditary actions: banks delay payments and debt cancellation to families of their fighters
Hereditary actions: banks delay payments and debt cancellation to families of their fighters
Relatives of the participants of the SVO are increasingly complaining about the actions of banks when applying for inheritance and benefits, Izvestia found out. For example, responses to notary requests may not arrive for months, payments are delayed, and additional documents are required to write off debts. In one case, the widow of a deceased soldier almost lost her apartment due to a mortgage dispute, in another, a woman had to prove to a bank in court to write off debts that she was the wife of a serviceman. Izvestia investigated why even legally guaranteed support often turns into a months-long struggle with bureaucracy.
Why is it difficult for the families of the participants of the SVO to receive an inheritance
In 2026, the number of complaints from families of SVO fighters against banks increased markedly, especially in the spring, Yana Maleva, a member of the Union of Bloggers and Lawyers of the Russian Bar Association, told Izvestia. According to her, this is due to the massive opening of inheritance cases, as well as the fact that many credit institutions were not ready for such situations.
Most often, banks ignore requests from notaries and do not provide information about the accounts of the deceased, which delays the registration of the inheritance, the lawyer noted. In addition, they can write off money bypassing the inheritance procedure, return payments transferred to relatives, or refuse operations on notarized powers of attorney if a person is abroad or cannot personally come to the department.
Such actions may violate the law, the press service of the Central Bank told Izvestia. If a member of the CB has gone missing and has previously taken credit holidays, their validity is extended until the court's decision to declare him missing or until he is declared dead is overturned. During this period, the bank is not entitled to charge a penalty. After the end of the credit holidays, the regulator clarified, it is also not required to pay the interest accrued during this period.
In addition, according to the law, after the borrower's death, the lender does not have the right to impose fines, penalties and penalties on consumer and mortgage loans while relatives are processing the inheritance, but not more than six months, the Bank of Russia recalled.
Despite this, military families regularly complain about attempts to collect debts, continued accruals on loans, refusals to write off obligations, and delays in due procedures.
In practice, the relatives of the participants often have to enforce the law through complaints to the Central Bank and the prosecutor's office, said Yana Spertsyan, a lawyer for legal debt relief. According to her, in one of the cases, the bank demanded 790 thousand rubles from the mobilized car loan and secured the arrest of the car. After receiving the mobilization documents, the bailiffs lifted the restrictions, but the credit institution refused to write off the debt. The issue was resolved only after pre-trial claims and appeals to the Central Bank.
Another case concerned the widow of a deceased volunteer. Despite the provisions of the law, the credit institution continued to seek the collection of mortgage debt and was preparing the apartment for sale, despite the fact that a woman with children lived in it. After complaints to the Central Bank, the prosecutor's office and the FSSP, the bank revoked the writ of execution, wrote off the debt and removed the encumbrance from housing, Yana Spertsyan said.
The widow of a member of the SVO, whom Izvestia talked to, also faced a similar situation. After her husband's death, the bank refused to close the mortgage business, citing delays. The woman appealed to the prosecutor's office and the regional authorities, but the case has not yet been resolved.
In addition, in April, a court in the Volgograd region refused to recover 107 thousand rubles from the mother of the deceased serviceman. The credit institution tried to collect the debt from the woman as the heir of the son.
What other violations do banks commit?
Military families themselves are increasingly writing about such problems. So, in May on the portal "Banks.<url>" the son of the deceased soldier complained that he could not formalize the inheritance due to the lack of a response from the credit institution to the notary's request. According to him, the PSB did not provide information on the inheritance case for more than three months, and the deceased's card remained active all this time.
Such inaction not only delays the inheritance, but also creates a risk of unauthorized access to funds in the account, said lawyer Shamil Magomedov. According to him, relatives have the right to demand from the bank written explanations and information about the movement of funds after the death of the client, and, if necessary, to file complaints with the Central Bank, the prosecutor's office or the court.
Another PSB client reported that after submitting documents to receive funds from the deceased spouse's accounts, the bank did not meet its own two-day deadline for reviewing the application. Due to the delays, the woman had to repeatedly travel to the department located dozens of kilometers from her place of residence and take time off from work. According to Shamil Magomedov, in such cases it may be a question of improper provision of financial services, and the client has the right to demand compensation for losses.
Complaints are faced not only by the families of the deceased servicemen, but also by the relatives of the missing. So, one of the clients of the PSB said that the bank refused her access to the account of her husband, who was recognized as missing in his area, despite the power of attorney provided. The credit institution told her that operations are possible only after receiving a death certificate.
According to Shamil Magomedov, the bank has actually equated missing person status to death, although these are different legal categories with different consequences. If the power of attorney is valid and has not been terminated, such refusal can be challenged.
Another dispute arose with Sberbank. On "Banks.<url>" the woman reported that the credit institution refused to write off the obligations of the deceased participant of the CBR, despite the court decision that came into force to establish the fact of marital relations. Until the dispute is resolved, the debt continues to grow due to interest. As Shamil Magomedov noted, ignoring a judicial act is contrary to the law and may give rise to complaints to regulatory authorities and appeals to the court.
Similar problems arise when writing off the debts of dead military personnel. In March, a client of MTS Bank reported that she had provided all the documents confirming the death of her spouse and family relations, but the credit institution required additional certificates, which, according to her, could not be obtained after the death of a serviceman. According to Shamil Magomedov, this is an example of an unjustified expansion of the list of documents established by law.
Difficulties also arise when making the required payments. In June, a resident of Bashkiria complained about the lengthy verification of the power of attorney required to open a VTB account in order to receive payments to the family of a deceased serviceman. According to her, the procedure dragged on for almost two months, and employees of different departments gave contradictory explanations. Even if the power of attorney requires additional verification, the bank is obliged to either conduct the operation or provide a reasoned written refusal, Shamil Magomedov emphasized.
Some families also face demands to provide additional documents for debt cancellation. So, the mother of the deceased participant of the SVO said that the bank refused to cancel her loan and demanded to confirm that she was dependent on her son. According to the woman, without this, she would not have been given the required benefits.
The PSB told Izvestia that each appeal from relatives of the dead or missing members of the SVO is considered individually and in strict accordance with the law. The bank stressed that upon receiving information about the death of a client, interest, fines and penalties are automatically stopped, and relatives can dispose of funds by proxy if they have the necessary documents.
The editorial board sent inquiries to all the mentioned financial organizations.
How to protect your rights
If a bank violates the rights of heirs, it is worth starting with a written claim, said lawyer Yana Maleva. If there is no response or refusal, you can contact the Central Bank. If the amount of the dispute does not exceed 500 thousand. Of course, the issue can also be considered by a financial commissioner — it's free and usually faster than the court.
Judicial practice on such disputes generally develops in favor of relatives, the lawyer noted. According to her, the bank does not have the right to dispose of the deceased's funds bypassing the inheritance procedure, and the heirs are responsible for debts only within the limits of the value of the property received.
Separately, the lawyer warned the families against paying off the loans of the deceased on their own before consulting with a specialist. Such a payment can be regarded as the actual acceptance of the inheritance along with all debt obligations.
Thus, according to lawyers, the problem is not a lack of benefits for the families of the deceased participants of the SVO — the basic guarantees are already enshrined in the law. Difficulties begin at the stage of receiving them. Families face extended deadlines, demands for additional documents, refusals to carry out operations and disputes about debt cancellation. As a result, issues that should be resolved on a case-by-case basis often have to be defended through complaints to the Central Bank, the prosecutor's Office, and the courts.
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