[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 12, Volume 3, Parts 220 to 299]
[Revised as of January 1, 2001]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 12CFR225.14]

[Page 70-73]
 
                       TITLE 12--BANKS AND BANKING
 
                   CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
 
PART 225--BANK HOLDING COMPANIES AND CHANGE IN BANK CONTROL (REGULATION Y)--Table of Contents
 
           Subpart B--Acquisition of Bank Securities or Assets
 
Sec. 225.14  Expedited action for certain bank acquisitions by well-run bank holding companies.

    (a) Filing of notice--(1) Information required and public notice. As 
an alternative to the procedure provided in Sec. 225.15, a bank holding 
company that meets the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section may 
satisfy the prior approval requirements of Sec. 225.11 in connection 
with the acquisition of shares, assets or control of a bank, or a merger 
or consolidation between bank holding companies, by providing the 
appropriate Reserve Bank with a written notice containing the following:
    (i) A certification that all of the criteria in paragraph (c) of 
this section are met;
    (ii) A description of the transaction that includes identification 
of the companies and insured depository institutions involved in the 
transaction \2\ and identification of each banking market affected by 
the transaction;
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    \2\ If, in connection with a transaction under this subpart, any 
person or group of persons proposes to acquire control of the acquiring 
bank holding company for purposes of the Bank Control Act or 
Sec. 225.41, the person or group of persons may fulfill the notice 
requirements of the Bank Control Act and Sec. 225.43 by providing, as 
part of the submission by the acquiring bank holding company under this 
subpart, identifying and biographical information required in paragraph 
(6)(A) of the Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)(6)(A)), as well as any 
financial or other information requested by the Reserve Bank under 
Sec. 225.43.
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    (iii) A description of the effect of the transaction on the 
convenience and needs of the communities to be served and of the actions 
being taken by the bank holding company to improve the CRA performance 
of any insured depository institution subsidiary that does not have at 
least a satisfactory CRA performance rating at the time of the 
transaction;
    (iv) Evidence that notice of the proposal has been published in 
accordance with Sec. 225.16(b)(1);
    (v)(A) If the bank holding company has consolidated assets of $150 
million or more, an abbreviated consolidated pro forma balance sheet as 
of the most recent quarter showing credit and debit adjustments that 
reflect the proposed transaction, consolidated pro forma risk-based 
capital ratios for the acquiring bank holding company as of the most 
recent quarter, and a description of the purchase price and the terms 
and sources of funding for the transaction;
    (B) If the bank holding company has consolidated assets of less than 
$150 million, a pro forma parent-only balance sheet as of the most 
recent quarter showing credit and debit adjustments that reflect the 
proposed transaction, and a description of the purchase price, the terms 
and sources of funding for the transaction, and the sources and schedule 
for retiring any debt incurred in the transaction;
    (vi) If the bank holding company has consolidated assets of less 
than $300

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million, a list of and biographical information regarding any directors 
or senior executive officers of the resulting bank holding company that 
are not directors or senior executive officers of the acquiring bank 
holding company or of a company or institution to be acquired;
    (vii) For each insured depository institution whose Tier 1 capital, 
total capital, total assets or risk-weighted assets change as a result 
of the transaction, the total risk-weighted assets, total assets, Tier 1 
capital and total capital of the institution on a pro forma basis; and
    (viii) The market indexes for each relevant banking market 
reflecting the pro forma effect of the transaction.
    (2) Waiver of unnecessary information. The Reserve Bank may reduce 
the information requirements in paragraph (a)(1)(v) through (viii) of 
this section as appropriate.
    (b)(1) Action on proposals under this section. The Board or the 
appropriate Reserve Bank shall act on a proposal submitted under this 
section or notify the bank holding company that the transaction is 
subject to the procedure in Sec. 225.15 within 5 business days after the 
close of the public comment period. The Board and the Reserve Bank shall 
not approve any proposal under this section prior to the third business 
day following the close of the public comment period, unless an 
emergency exists that requires expedited or immediate action. The Board 
may extend the period for action under this section for up to 5 business 
days.
    (2) Acceptance of notice in event expedited procedure not available. 
In the event that the Board or the Reserve Bank determines after the 
filing of a notice under this section that a bank holding company may 
not use the procedure in this section and must file an application under 
Sec. 225.15, the application shall be deemed accepted for purposes of 
Sec. 225.15 as of the date that the notice was filed under this section.
    (c) Criteria for use of expedited procedure. The procedure in this 
section is available only if:
    (1) Well-capitalized organization--(i) Bank holding company. Both at 
the time of and immediately after the proposed transaction, the 
acquiring bank holding company is well-capitalized;
    (ii) Insured depository institutions. Both at the time of and 
immediately after the proposed transaction:
    (A) The lead insured depository institution of the acquiring bank 
holding company is well-capitalized;
    (B) Well-capitalized insured depository institutions control at 
least 80 percent of the total risk-weighted assets of insured depository 
institutions controlled by the acquiring bank holding company; and
    (C) No insured depository institution controlled by the acquiring 
bank holding company is undercapitalized;
    (2) Well-managed organization. (i) Satisfactory examination ratings. 
At the time of the transaction, the acquiring bank holding company, its 
lead insured depository institution, and insured depository institutions 
that control at least 80 percent of the total risk-weighted assets of 
insured depository institutions controlled by the holding company are 
well-managed;
    (ii) No poorly managed institutions. No insured depository 
institution controlled by the acquiring bank holding company has 
received 1 of the 2 lowest composite ratings at the later of the 
institution's most recent examination or subsequent review by the 
appropriate federal banking agency for the institution;
    (iii) Recently acquired institutions excluded. Any insured 
depository institution that has been acquired by the bank holding 
company during the 12-month period preceding the date on which written 
notice is filed under paragraph (a) of this section may be excluded for 
purposes of paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section if :
    (A) The bank holding company has developed a plan acceptable to the 
appropriate federal banking agency for the institution to restore the 
capital and management of the institution; and
    (B) All insured depository institutions excluded under this 
paragraph represent, in the aggregate, less than 10 percent of the 
aggregate total risk-weighted assets of all insured depository 
institutions controlled by the bank holding company;

[[Page 72]]

    (3) Convenience and needs criteria--(i) Effect on the community. The 
record indicates that the proposed transaction would meet the 
convenience and needs of the community standard in the BHC Act; and
    (ii) Established CRA performance record. At the time of the 
transaction, the lead insured depository institution of the acquiring 
bank holding company and insured depository institutions that control at 
least 80 percent of the total risk-weighted assets of insured 
institutions controlled by the holding company have received a 
satisfactory or better composite rating at the most recent examination 
under the Community Reinvestment Act;
    (4) Public comment. No comment that is timely and substantive as 
provided in Sec. 225.16 is received by the Board or the appropriate 
Reserve Bank other than a comment that supports approval of the 
proposal;
    (5) Competitive criteria--(i) Competitive screen. Without regard to 
any divestitures proposed by the acquiring bank holding company, the 
acquisition does not cause:
    (A) Insured depository institutions controlled by the acquiring bank 
holding company to control in excess of 35 percent of market deposits in 
any relevant banking market; or
    (B) The Herfindahl-Hirschman index to increase by more than 200 
points in any relevant banking market with a post-acquisition index of 
at least 1800; and
    (ii) Department of Justice. The Department of Justice has not 
indicated to the Board that consummation of the transaction is likely to 
have a significantly adverse effect on competition in any relevant 
banking market;
    (6) Size of acquisition--(i) In general--(A) Limited Growth. Except 
as provided in paragraph (c)(6)(ii) of this section, the sum of the 
aggregate risk-weighted assets to be acquired in the proposal and the 
aggregate risk- weighted assets acquired by the acquiring bank holding 
company in all other qualifying transactions does not exceed 35 percent 
of the consolidated risk-weighted assets of the acquiring bank holding 
company. For purposes of this paragraph other qualifying transactions 
means any transaction approved under this section or Sec. 225.23 during 
the 12 months prior to filing the notice under this section; and
    (B) Individual size limitation. The total risk-weighted assets to be 
acquired do not exceed $7.5 billion;
    (ii) Small bank holding companies. Paragraph (c)(6)(i)(A) of this 
section shall not apply if, immediately following consummation of the 
proposed transaction, the consolidated risk-weighted assets of the 
acquiring bank holding company are less than $300 million;
    (7) Supervisory actions. During the 12-month period ending on the 
date on which the bank holding company proposes to consummate the 
proposed transaction, no formal administrative order, including a 
written agreement, cease and desist order, capital directive, prompt 
corrective action directive, asset maintenance agreement, or other 
formal enforcement action, is or was outstanding against the bank 
holding company or any insured depository institution subsidiary of the 
holding company, and no formal administrative enforcement proceeding 
involving any such enforcement action, order, or directive is or was 
pending;
    (8) Interstate acquisitions. Board-approval of the transaction is 
not prohibited under section 3(d) of the BHC Act;
    (9) Other supervisory considerations. Board approval of the 
transaction is not prohibited under the informational sufficiency or 
comprehensive home country supervision standards set forth in section 
3(c)(3) of the BHC Act; and
    (10) Notification. The acquiring bank holding company has not been 
notified by the Board, in its discretion, prior to the expiration of the 
period in paragraph (b)(1) of this section that an application under 
Sec. 225.15 is required in order to permit closer review of any 
financial, managerial, competitive, convenience and needs or other 
matter related to the factors that must be considered under this part.
    (d) Comment by primary banking supervisor--(1) Notice. Upon receipt 
of a notice under this section, the appropriate Reserve Bank shall 
promptly furnish notice of the proposal and a copy of the information 
filed pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section to the primary

[[Page 73]]

banking supervisor of the insured depository institutions to be 
acquired.
    (2) Comment period. The primary banking supervisor shall have 30 
calendar days (or such shorter time as agreed to by the primary banking 
supervisor) from the date of the letter giving notice in which to submit 
its views and recommendations to the Board.
    (3) Action subject to supervisor's comment. Action by the Board or 
the Reserve Bank on a proposal under this section is subject to the 
condition that the primary banking supervisor not recommend in writing 
to the Board disapproval of the proposal prior to the expiration of the 
comment period described in paragraph (d)(2) of this section. In such 
event, any approval given under this section shall be revoked and, if 
required by section 3(b) of the BHC Act, the Board shall order a hearing 
on the proposal.
    (4) Emergencies. Notwithstanding paragraphs (d)(2) and (d)(3) of 
this section, the Board may provide the primary banking supervisor with 
10 calendar days' notice of a proposal under this section if the Board 
finds that an emergency exists requiring expeditious action, and may act 
during the notice period or without providing notice to the primary 
banking supervisor if the Board finds that it must act immediately to 
prevent probable failure.
    (5) Primary banking supervisor. For purposes of this section and 
Sec. 225.15(b), the primary banking supervisor for an institution is:
    (i) The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, in the case of a 
national banking association or District bank;
    (ii) The appropriate supervisory authority for the State in which 
the bank is chartered, in the case of a State bank;
    (iii) The Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, in the case 
of a savings association.
    (e) Branches and agencies of foreign banking organizations. For 
purposes of this section, a U.S. branch or agency of a foreign banking 
organization shall be considered to be an insured depository 
institution. A U.S. branch or agency of a foreign banking organization 
shall be subject to paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section only to the 
extent it is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 
accordance with section 6 of the International Banking Act of 1978 (12 
U.S.C. 3104).