12 CFR 225.12 – Transactions not requiring Board approval
The following transactions do not require the Board’s approval under § 225.11 of this subpart:
(a) Acquisition of securities in fiduciary capacity. The acquisition by a bank or other company (other than a trust that is a company) of control of voting securities of a bank or bank holding company in good faith in a fiduciary capacity, unless:
(1) The acquiring bank or other company has sole discretionary authority to vote the securities and retains this authority for more than two years; or
(2) The acquisition is for the benefit of the acquiring bank or other company, or its shareholders, employees, or subsidiaries.
(b) Acquisition of securities in satisfaction of debts previously contracted. The acquisition by a bank or other company of control of voting securities of a bank or bank holding company in the regular course of securing or collecting a debt previously contracted in good faith, if the acquiring bank or other company divests the securities within two years of acquisition. The Board or Reserve Bank may grant requests for up to three one-year extensions.
(c) Acquisition of securities by bank holding company with majority control. The acquisition by a bank holding company of additional voting securities of a bank or bank holding company if more than 50 percent of the outstanding voting securities of the bank or bank holding company is lawfully controlled by the acquiring bank holding company prior to the acquisition.
(d) Acquisitions involving bank mergers and internal corporate reorganizations—(1) Transactions subject to Bank Merger Act. The merger or consolidation of a subsidiary bank of a bank holding company with another bank, or the purchase of assets by the subsidiary bank, or a similar transaction involving subsidiary banks of a bank holding company, if the transaction requires the prior approval of a federal supervisory agency under the Bank Merger Act (12 U.S.C. § 1828(c)) and does not involve the acquisition of shares of a bank. This exception does not include:
(i) The merger of a nonsubsidiary bank and a nonoperating subsidiary bank formed by a company for the purpose of acquiring the nonsubsidiary bank; or
(ii) Any transaction requiring the Board’s prior approval under § 225.11(e) of this subpart.
The Board may require an application under this subpart if it determines that the merger or consolidation would have a significant adverse impact on the financial condition of the bank holding company, or otherwise requires approval under section 3 of the BHC Act.
(2) Certain acquisitions subject to Bank Merger Act. The acquisition by a bank holding company of shares of a bank or company controlling a bank or the merger of a company controlling a bank with the bank holding company, if the transaction is part of the merger or consolidation of the bank with a subsidiary bank (other than a nonoperating subsidiary bank) of the acquiring bank holding company, or is part of the purchase of substantially all of the assets of the bank by a subsidiary bank (other than a nonoperating subsidiary bank) of the acquiring bank holding company, and if:
(i) The bank merger, consolidation, or asset purchase occurs simultaneously with the acquisition of the shares of the bank or bank holding company or the merger of holding companies, and the bank is not operated by the acquiring bank holding company as a separate entity other than as the survivor of the merger, consolidation, or asset purchase;
(ii) The transaction requires the prior approval of a federal supervisory agency under the Bank Merger Act (12 U.S.C. § 1828(c));
(iii) The transaction does not involve the acquisition of any nonbank company that would require prior approval under section 4 of the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. § 1843);
(iv) Both before and after the transaction, the acquiring bank holding company meets the requirements of 12 CFR part 217;
(v) At least 10 days prior to the transaction, the acquiring bank holding company has provided to the Reserve Bank written notice of the transaction that contains:
(A) A copy of the filing made to the appropriate federal banking agency under the Bank Merger Act; and
(B) A description of the holding company’s involvement in the transaction, the purchase price, and the source of funding for the purchase price; and
(vi) Prior to expiration of the period provided in paragraph (d)(2)(v) of this section, the Reserve Bank has not informed the bank holding company that an application under § 225.11 is required.
(3) Internal corporate reorganizations. (i) Subject to paragraph (d)(3)(ii) of this section, any of the following transactions performed in the United States by a bank holding company:
(A) The merger of holding companies that are subsidiaries of the bank holding company;
(B) The formation of a subsidiary holding company;
(C) The transfer of control or ownership of a subsidiary bank or a subsidiary holding company between one subsidiary holding company and another subsidiary holding company or the bank holding company.
(ii) A transaction described in paragraph (d)(3)(i) of this section qualifies for this exception if:
(A) The transaction represents solely a corporate reorganization involving companies and insured depository institutions that, both preceding and following the transaction, are lawfully controlled and operated by the bank holding company;
(B) The transaction does not involve the acquisition of additional voting shares of an insured depository institution that, prior to the transaction, was less than majority owned by the bank holding company;
(C) The bank holding company is not organized in mutual form; and
(D) Both before and after the transaction, the bank holding company meets the Board’s Capital Adequacy Guidelines (appendices A, B, C, D, and E of this part).
(e) Holding securities in escrow. The holding of any voting securities of a bank or bank holding company in an escrow arrangement for the benefit of an applicant pending the Board’s action on an application for approval of the proposed acquisition, if title to the securities and the voting rights remain with the seller and payment for the securities has not been made to the seller.
(f) Acquisition of foreign banking organization. The acquisition of a foreign banking organization where the foreign banking organization does not directly or indirectly own or control a bank in the United States, unless the acquisition is also by a foreign banking organization and otherwise subject to § 225.11(f) of this subpart.