§ 209.2 Banks desiring to become member banks. ( a ) *Application for stock or deposit.* Each national bank in process of organization,[3] each nonmember state bank converting into a national bank, and each nonmember state bank applying for membership in the Federal Reserve System under Regulation H, 12 CFR part 208, shall file with the Federal Reserve Bank (Reserve Bank) in whose district it is located an application for stock (or deposit in the case of mutual savings banks not authorized to purchase Reserve Bank stock[4] ) in the Reserve Bank. This application for stock must state whether the applicant's total consolidated assets exceed $12,517,000,000. The bank shall pay for the stock (or deposit) in accordance with § 209.4 of this part.
( b ) *Issuance of stock; acceptance of deposit.* Upon authorization to commence business by the Comptroller of the Currency in the case of a national bank in organization or upon approval of conversion by the Comptroller of the Currency in the case of a state nonmember bank converting to a national bank, or when all applicable requirements have been complied with in the case of a state bank approved for membership, the Reserve Bank shall issue the appropriate number of shares by crediting the bank with the appropriate number of shares on its books. In the case of a national or state member bank in organization, such issuance shall be as of the date the bank opens for business. In the case of a mutual savings bank not authorized to purchase Reserve Bank shares, the Reserve Bank shall accept the deposit in place of issuing shares. The bank's membership shall become effective on the date of such issuance or acceptance.
( c ) *Location of bank* — ( 1 ) *General rule.* For purposes of this part, a national bank or a State bank is located in the Federal Reserve District that contains the location specified in the bank's charter or organizing certificate, or as specified by the institution's primary regulator, or if no such location is specified, the location of its head office, unless otherwise determined by the Board under paragraph (c)(2) of this section.
( 2 ) *Board determination.* If the location of a bank as specified in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, in the judgment of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), is ambiguous, would impede the ability of the Board or the Reserve Banks to perform their functions under the Federal Reserve Act, or would impede the ability of the bank to operate efficiently, the Board will determine the Federal Reserve District in which the bank is located, after consultation with the bank and the relevant Reserve Banks. The relevant Reserve Banks are the Reserve Bank whose District contains the location specified in paragraph (c)(1) of this section and the Reserve Bank in whose District the bank is proposed to be located. In making this determination, the Board will consider any applicable laws, the business needs of the bank, the location of the bank's head office, the locations where the bank performs its business, and the locations that would allow the bank, the Board, and the Reserve Banks to perform their functions efficiently and effectively.
[63 FR 37663, July 13, 1998, as amended at 74 FR 25639, May 29, 2009; Reg. I, 81 FR 9087, Feb. 24, 2016; 82 FR 11502, Feb. 24, 2017; 82 FR 52174, Nov. 13, 2017; 83 FR 58467, Nov. 20, 2018; 84 FR 68326, Dec. 16, 2019; 85 FR 79390, Dec. 10, 2020; 86 FR 69579, Dec. 8, 2021; 87 FR 73635, Dec. 1, 2022; 88 FR 83318, Nov. 29, 2023] Footnotes -
209.2
[3] A new national bank organized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under section 11(n) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1821(n)) should not apply until in the process of issuing stock pursuant to section 11(n)(15) of that act. Reserve Bank approval of such an application shall not be effective until the issuance of a certificate by the Comptroller of the Currency pursuant to section 11(n)(16) of that act.
[4] A mutual savings bank not authorized to purchase Federal Reserve Bank stock may apply for membership evidenced initially by a deposit. (See § 208.3(a) of Regulation H, 12 CFR part 208.) The membership of the savings bank shall be terminated if the laws under which it is organized are not amended to authorize such purchase at the first session of the legislature after its admission, or if it fails to purchase such stock within six months after such an amendment.