Lawyers acting on behalf of Jewish victims of the Second World War Holocaust and their families have filed a class-action lawsuit against two United States banks.

The banks, Chase Manhattan and J.P Morgan, are accused of seizing accounts held in their Paris branches by Jewish clients during the German Nazi occupation.

Several French banks are facing similar lawsuits in the US courts.

A Chase Manhattan statement said the legal action was unnecessary, as they were already working to reimburse any Jewish customers or their heirs who lost money.

J.P Morgan said they would examine the allegations carefully.

Similar claims against Swiss banks were settled with restitution payments of more than one-bilion dollars.