Senate Bill 1280er

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    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                                CS for SB 1280



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  2         An act relating to financial institutions;

  3         amending s. 655.0385, F.S.; revising the time

  4         period within which state financial

  5         institutions must notify the department

  6         concerning the appointment or employment of

  7         certain individuals; authorizing the Department

  8         of Banking and Finance to exempt certain

  9         financial institutions from reporting

10         requirements relating to directors and

11         executive officers; providing for the adoption

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

13         notice and disclosure requirements; exempting

14         certain financial institutions from reporting

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

16         providing for certain financial institutions to

17         establish branches by filing a written notice;

18         providing an effective date.

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

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22         Section 1.  Section 655.0385, Florida Statutes, is

23  amended to read:

24         655.0385  Disapproval of directors and executive

25  officers.--

26         (1)  Each state financial institution shall notify the

27  department of the proposed appointment of any individual to

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

29  an executive officer or equivalent position at least 60 30

30  days before such appointment or employment becomes effective,

31  if the state financial institution:


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    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                                CS for SB 1280



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

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

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

  4  financial institution from this paragraph if it operates in a

  5  safe and sound manner;

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

  7  requirements applicable to such financial institution; or

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

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

10  such financial institution's most recent report of condition

11  or report of examination.

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

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

14  as an executive officer or equivalent position, if the

15  department issues a notice of disapproval with respect to that

16  person.

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

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

19  individual to be appointed or employed indicates that it is

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

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

22  associated with the state financial institution.

23         (4)  The department may adopt rules to implement this

24  section.

25         Section 2.  Section 655.948, Florida Statutes, is

26  amended to read:

27         655.948  Significant events; notice required.--

28         (1)  Unless exempted by the department pursuant to

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

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

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


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    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                                CS for SB 1280



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

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

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

  4  for authenticity and accuracy by the chief executive officer

  5  of the financial institution.

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

  7  and the filing schedule for each are as follows:

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

  9  of the event:

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

11  director, executive officer, independent internal auditor, or

12  independent credit review officer;

13         2.  The acquisition or divestiture of an asset or

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

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

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

17  disclosure requirements;

18         3.  Any change in general counsel or outside auditors

19  who are used to certify financial statements;

20         4.  Any interruption of fidelity insurance coverage;

21         5.  Any credit extension to an executive officer and

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

23  amount of all other extensions of credit to that executive

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

25  of the capital accounts of the financial institution;

26         6.  The failure to meet the minimum daily liquidity

27  required of s. 658.68;

28         7.  Any suspected criminal act perpetrated against a

29  financial institution, subsidiary, or service corporation.

30  However, no liability shall be incurred by any financial

31  institution, subsidiary, service corporation, or financial


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    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                                CS for SB 1280



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

  2  faith effort to fulfill this disclosure requirement; or

  3         8.  The acquisition or divestiture of a wholly owned or

  4  majority owned subsidiary or service corporation.

  5         (b)  Every financial institution shall notify the

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

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

  8  percent of total assets.

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

10  disclosure form within 30 days after the occurrence shall be

11  subject to the fines provided in s. 655.041.

12         (4)(a)  The department must will exempt a financial

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

14  department determines that such financial institution is

15  operating in a safe and sound manner pursuant to departmental

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

17  prior to granting any such exemption, shall adopt rules

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

19  criteria which shall constitute operating in a safe and sound

20  manner.

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

22  newly chartered financial institutions and financial

23  institutions which have undergone a change in ownership which

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

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

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

27  provisions for 3 years.

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

29  658.26, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

30         658.26  Places of transacting business; branches;

31  facilities.--


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    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                                CS for SB 1280



  1         (2)

  2         (c)  As provided by departmental rule, a financial

  3  institution operating in a safe and sound manner may establish

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

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

  6  financial institution need not file a branch application or

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

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

  9  denied within 10 working days after receipt of the application

10  shall be deemed approved unless the department notifies the

11  financial institution in writing that the application was not

12  complete.

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

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