Senate Bill 1280

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1280

    By Senator Laurent





    17-798-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to financial institutions;

  3         amending s. 655.0385, F.S.; authorizing the

  4         Department of Banking and Finance to exempt

  5         certain financial institutions from reporting

  6         requirements relating to directors and

  7         executive officers; providing for the adoption

  8         of rules; amending s. 655.948, F.S.; revising

  9         notice and disclosure requirements; exempting

10         certain financial institutions from reporting

11         requirements; amending s. 658.26, F.S.;

12         providing for certain financial institutions to

13         establish branches by filing a written notice;

14         providing an effective date.

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16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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18         Section 1.  Section 655.0385, Florida Statutes, is

19  amended to read:

20         655.0385  Disapproval of directors and executive

21  officers.--

22         (1)  Each state financial institution shall notify the

23  department of the proposed appointment of any individual to

24  the board of directors or the employment of any individual as

25  an executive officer or equivalent position at least 30 days

26  before such appointment or employment becomes effective, if

27  the state financial institution:

28         (a)  Has been chartered for less than 2 years;

29         (b)  Has undergone a change in control or conversion

30  within the preceding 2 years. The department may exempt a

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1280
    17-798-99




  1  financial institution from this requirement if it operates in

  2  a safe and sound manner;

  3         (c)  Is not in compliance with the minimum capital

  4  requirements applicable to such financial institution; or

  5         (d)  Is otherwise operating in an unsafe and unsound

  6  condition, as determined by the department, on the basis of

  7  such financial institution's most recent report of condition

  8  or report of examination.

  9         (2)  A state financial institution may not appoint any

10  individual to the board of directors, or employ any individual

11  as an executive officer or equivalent position, if the

12  department issues a notice of disapproval with respect to that

13  person.

14         (3)  The department shall issue a notice of disapproval

15  if the competence, experience, character, or integrity of the

16  individual to be appointed or employed indicates that it is

17  not in the best interests of the depositors, the members, or

18  the public to permit the individual to be employed by or

19  associated with the state financial institution.

20         (4)  The department may adopt rules to administer this

21  section.

22         Section 2.  Section 655.948, Florida Statutes, is

23  amended to read:

24         655.948  Significant events; notice required.--

25         (1)  Unless exempted by the department pursuant to

26  subsection (4), every financial institution shall notify the

27  department of the occurrence of any of the events listed in

28  subsection (2) by filing with the department a disclosure in a

29  form to be specified by the department.  The form shall

30  include the number and caption of all applicable events, along

31  with a summary of each.  Completed forms shall be certified

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1280
    17-798-99




  1  for authenticity and accuracy by the chief executive officer

  2  of the financial institution.

  3         (2)  Events for which disclosure forms must be filed

  4  and the filing schedule for each are as follows:

  5         (a)  To be disclosed within 30 days of the occurrence

  6  of the event:

  7         1.  The addition, resignation, or termination of a

  8  director, executive officer, independent internal auditor, or

  9  independent credit review officer;

10         2.  The acquisition or divestiture of an asset or

11  assets the value of which exceeds 20 percent of capital as of

12  the date of the most recent call report.  Any assets listed in

13  s. 657.042(1) or s. 658.67(1) are excluded from such

14  disclosure requirements;

15         3.  Any change in general counsel or outside auditors

16  who are used to certify financial statements;

17         4.  Any interruption of fidelity insurance coverage;

18         5.  Any credit extension to an executive officer and

19  his or her related interests that, when aggregated with the

20  amount of all other extensions of credit to that executive

21  officer and his or her related interests, exceeds 15 percent

22  of the capital accounts of the financial institution;

23         6.  The failure to meet the minimum daily liquidity

24  required of s. 658.68;

25         7.  Any suspected criminal act perpetrated against a

26  financial institution, subsidiary, or service corporation.

27  However, no liability shall be incurred by any financial

28  institution, subsidiary, service corporation, or financial

29  institution-affiliated party as a result of making a good

30  faith effort to fulfill this disclosure requirement; or

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1280
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  1         8.  The acquisition or divestiture of a wholly owned or

  2  majority owned subsidiary or service corporation.

  3         (b)  Every financial institution shall notify the

  4  department within 30 days of the existence of any asset which

  5  is defined as a nonaccrual asset and which is in excess of 15

  6  percent of total assets.

  7         (3)  A financial institution which fails to file a

  8  disclosure form within 30 days after the occurrence shall be

  9  subject to the fines provided in s. 655.041.

10         (4)(a)  The department will exempt a financial

11  institution from any of the provisions of this section if the

12  department determines that such financial institution is

13  operating in a safe and sound manner pursuant to departmental

14  rules relating to safe and sound operations.  The department,

15  prior to granting any such exemption, shall adopt rules

16  defining the term "safe and sound" and explicitly stating the

17  criteria which shall constitute operating in a safe and sound

18  manner.

19         (b)  Notwithstanding paragraph(a) this section, all

20  newly chartered financial institutions and financial

21  institutions which have undergone a change in ownership which

22  is not the result of a merger, consolidation or acquisition by

23  a financial institution exempted in paragraph (a), shall be

24  subject to the requirements of subsections (1) and (2) these

25  provisions for 3 years.

26         Section 3.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section

27  658.26, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

28         658.26  Places of transacting business; branches;

29  facilities.--

30         (2)

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1280
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  1         (c)  As provided by departmental rule, a financial

  2  institution operating in a safe and sound manner may establish

  3  a branch by filing a written notice with the department at

  4  least 30 days before opening that branch. In such case, the

  5  financial institution need not file a branch application or

  6  pay a branch application fee. A branch application, filed by a

  7  strong, well-managed state bank or trust company, which is not

  8  denied within 10 working days after receipt of the application

  9  shall be deemed approved unless the department notifies the

10  financial institution in writing that the application was not

11  complete.

12         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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15                          SENATE SUMMARY

16    Revises certain reporting requirements for financial
      institutions. Authorizes the Department of Banking and
17    Finance to exempt certain financial institutions from
      reporting requirements relating to directors and
18    executive officers. Exempts certain financial
      institutions that operate in a safe and sound manner from
19    reporting requirements. Authorizes certain financial
      institutions to establish branches by filing a written
20    notice.

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