(a) One or more South Carolina banks may enter into an interstate merger transaction with one or more out-of-state banks under this article, and an out-of-state bank resulting from such transaction may maintain and operate the branches in South Carolina of a South Carolina bank that participated in such transaction, provided that the conditions and filing requirements of this article are met.

(b) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this subsection (b), an interstate merger transaction involving two or more banks both having offices in this State shall not be permitted under this article if, upon consummation of such transaction, the resulting bank (including all insured depository institutions that would be "affiliates" as defined in 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k) of the resulting bank) would control thirty percent or more of the total amount of deposits held by all insured depository institutions in this State. The board by regulation may promulgate a procedure whereby the foregoing limitation on control of deposits may be waived for good cause shown. This subsection shall not apply with respect to any interstate merger transaction involving only affiliated banks.

(c) An interstate merger transaction resulting in the acquisition by an out-of-state bank of a South Carolina bank, or all or substantially all of the branches of a South Carolina bank, shall not be permitted under this article unless such South Carolina bank shall have been in continuous operation, on the date of such acquisition, for a period of at least five years.