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The Florida Senate

2024 Florida Statutes

Title XXXVIII BANKS AND BANKING
Chapter 655 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS GENERALLY Entire Chapter
SECTION 414
Acquisition of assets; assumption of liabilities.
F.S. 655.414
655.414 Acquisition of assets; assumption of liabilities.—With prior approval of the office, and upon such conditions as the commission prescribes by rule, a financial institution may acquire 50 percent or more of the assets of, liabilities of, or a combination of assets and liabilities of any other financial institution in accordance with the procedures and subject to the following conditions and limitations:
(1) CALCULATION OF ASSET OR LIABILITY PERCENTAGES.—Percentages of assets or liabilities must be calculated based on the most recent quarterly reporting date.
(2) ADOPTION OF A PLAN.—The board of directors of the acquiring or assuming financial entity and the board of directors of the transferring financial institution must adopt, by a majority vote, a plan for such acquisition, assumption, or sale on terms that are mutually agreed upon. The plan must include:
(a) The names and types of financial institutions involved.
(b) A statement setting forth the material terms of the proposed acquisition, assumption, or sale, including the plan for disposition of all assets and liabilities not subject to the plan.
(c) A provision for liquidation, if applicable, of the transferring financial institution upon execution of the plan, or a provision setting forth the business plan for the continued operation of each financial institution after the execution of the plan.
(d) A statement that the entire transaction is subject to written approval of the office and approval of the members or stockholders of the transferring financial institution.
(e) If a stock financial institution is the transferring financial institution and the proposed sale is not for cash, a clear and concise statement that dissenting stockholders of the institution are entitled to the rights set forth in s. 658.44(4) and (5).
(f) The proposed effective date of the acquisition, assumption, or sale and such other information and provisions as necessary to execute the transaction or as required by the office.
(3) APPROVAL OF OFFICE.—Following approval by the board of directors of each participating financial institution, the plan, together with certified copies of the authorizing resolutions adopted by the boards and a completed application with a nonrefundable filing fee, must be forwarded to the office for approval or disapproval. The office shall approve the plan of acquisition, assumption, or sale if it appears that:
(a) The resulting financial entity or entities would have an adequate capital structure in relation to their activities and their deposit liabilities;
(b) The plan is fair to all parties; and
(c) The plan is not contrary to the public interest.

If the office disapproves the plan, it shall state its objections and give the parties an opportunity to amend the plan to overcome such objections.

(4) VOTE OF MEMBERS OR STOCKHOLDERS.—If the office approves the plan, it may be submitted to the members or stockholders of the transferring financial institution at an annual meeting or at a special meeting called to consider such action. Upon a majority vote of the total number of votes eligible to be cast or, in the case of a credit union, a majority vote of the members present at the meeting, the plan is adopted.
(5) ADOPTED PLAN; CERTIFICATE; ABANDONMENT.—
(a) If the plan is adopted by the members or stockholders of the transferring financial institution, the president or vice president and the cashier, manager, or corporate secretary of such institution shall submit the adopted plan to the office, together with a certified copy of the resolution of the members or stockholders approving it.
(b) Upon receipt of the certified copies and evidence that the participating financial institutions have complied with all applicable state and federal law and rules, the office shall certify, in writing, to the participants that the plan has been approved.
(c) Notwithstanding approval of the members or stockholders or certification by the office, the board of directors of the transferring financial institution may abandon such a transaction without further action or approval by the members or stockholders, subject to the rights of third parties under any contracts relating thereto.
(6) FEDERALLY CHARTERED OR OUT-OF-STATE INSTITUTION AS A PARTICIPANT.—If one of the participants in a transaction under this section is a federally chartered financial institution or an out-of-state financial institution, all participants must also comply with requirements imposed by federal and other state law for the acquisition, assumption, or sale and provide evidence of such compliance to the office as a condition precedent to the issuance of a certificate authorizing the transaction; however, if the purchasing or assuming financial institution is a federal or out-of-state state-chartered financial institution and the transferring state financial entity will be liquidated, approval of the office is not required.
(7) STOCK INSTITUTION ACQUIRING MUTUAL INSTITUTION.—A mutual financial institution may not sell 50 percent or more of its assets to a stock financial institution until it has first converted into a capital stock financial institution in accordance with s. 665.033(1) and (2). For this purpose, references in s. 665.033(1) and (2) to associations also refer to credit unions but, in the case of a credit union, the provision concerning proxy statements does not apply.
History.—s. 4, ch. 82-214; s. 1, ch. 85-65; s. 1, ch. 91-307; ss. 1, 34, ch. 92-303; s. 6, ch. 97-30; s. 1726, ch. 2003-261; s. 8, ch. 2011-194; s. 5, ch. 2022-178.