Company: BANFP
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-030159
Chunk: 8

Company: BANCFIRST CORP /OK/
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 8
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 under the Bank Merger Act, the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board or other appropriate bank regulatory authority is required for a bank to merge with another bank, purchase the assets or assume the deposits of another bank. In determining whether to approve a proposed bank acquisition or merger, bank regulatory authorities will consider, among other factors, the competitive effect and public benefits of the transactions, the capital position of the combined organization, the risks to the stability of the U.S. banking or financial system, the applicant’s performance record under the Community Reinvestment Act (see the section captioned “Community Reinvestment Act” included elsewhere in this item) and its compliance with fair housing and other consumer protection laws and the effectiveness of the subject organizations in combating money laundering activities. 

Dividend Restrictions 

The principal source of the Company’s liquidity is dividends from BancFirst. Various federal and state statutory provisions and regulations limit the amount of dividends the Company’s subsidiary banks and certain other subsidiaries may pay without regulatory approval. The payment of dividends by its subsidiary banks may also be affected by other regulatory requirements and policies, such as the maintenance of adequate capital. If, in the opinion of the applicable regulatory authority, a bank under its jurisdiction is engaged in, or is about to engage in, an unsafe or unsound practice (which, depending on the financial condition of the bank, could include the payment of dividends), such authority may require, after notice and hearing, that such bank cease and desist from such practice. The appropriate federal regulatory authorities have stated that paying dividends that deplete a bank’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsafe and unsound banking practice and that banking organizations should generally pay dividends only out of current operating earnings. In addition, in the current financial and economic environment, the Federal Reserve Board has indicated that bank holding companies should carefully review their dividend policy and has discouraged payment ratios that are at maximum allowable levels unless both asset quality and capital are very strong. 

Transactions with Affiliates 

The Company, BancFirst, Pegasus and Worthington are deemed affiliates of each other within the meaning of the Federal Reserve Act, and covered transactions between affiliates are subject to certain restrictions, including compliance with Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and their implementing regulations. These regulations limit the types and amounts of covered transactions engaged in by a financial institution and its affiliates, and generally require those transactions to be on an arm’s-length basis. “Covered transactions” are defined by statute to include a loan or extension of credit, as well