In 2010, the French government's (the department in charge of regulating competition) fined eleven banks €384.9 million for colluding to charge unjustified fees for check processing, especially for extra fees charged during the transition from paper check transfer to "Exchanges Check-Image" electronic transfer.
The banks were:
BPCE
BNP Paribas
(CIC) HSBC LCL
See also Cheque fraud Cheque truncation Substitute check Check 21
Notes
3rd UPDATE: French Watchdog Fines 11 Banks For Fee Cartel , Elena Bertson, Dow Jones News Wires / Wall Street Journal online, retr 2010 9 20
Collusion in the banking sector, Press Release of Autorité de la concurrence, République Française, 20 September 2010, retrv 2010 9 20