2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 32. Financial Institutions › Chapter 1. Banks and Trust Companies › Part 3. Formation and Reorganization › 32-1-370. Interstate merger of banks -- interstate agreements

32-1-370. Interstate merger of banks -- interstate agreements.
(1) A bank located in this state that has been in existence at least 5 years may enter into a merger transaction with a bank not located in this state. Prior approval of the department is required if any merger party is a bank organized under the laws of this state.
(2) Upon merger:
(a) each bank merger party merges into the resulting bank and the separate existence of every merger party except the resulting bank ceases;
(b) title to all real, personal, and mixed property owned by each merger party is vested in the resulting bank without reversion or impairment and without the necessity of any instrument of transfer;
(c) the resulting bank has all of the liabilities, duties, and obligations of each merger party, including obligations as fiduciary, personal representative, administrator, trustee, or guardian; and
(d) the resulting bank has all of the rights, powers, and privileges of each merger party, including appointment to the office of personal representative, administrator, trustee, or guardian under any will or other instrument made prior to the merger and in which a merger party was nominated to the office by the maker of the will or other instrument.
(3) Upon merger, a resulting bank that is organized under the laws of this state:
(a) shall designate and operate one of the prior main banking houses of the merger parties as its main banking house and may maintain and continue to operate the main banking houses of each of the other merger parties as a branch bank;
(b) may maintain the branch banks and other offices previously maintained by the merger parties; and
(c) may establish, acquire, or operate additional branch banks at any location where any bank that is a party to the merger could have established, acquired, or operated a branch bank under applicable federal or state law as if that bank had not been a party to the merger.
(4) A resulting bank organized under the laws of this state that intends to establish, acquire, or operate a branch bank under subsection (3)(c) must receive prior approval from the department as provided for in 32-1-372, whether or not the branch bank is to be located within or outside of this state.
(5) A resulting bank organized under federal law or the laws of another state shall simultaneously provide the department with copies of all applications or notices filed with any federal or other state regulatory agency, including applications seeking to establish, acquire, or operate additional branch banks within this state based on circumstances applicable to banks organized under the laws of this state included in subsection (3)(c).
(6) With respect to interstate banking authorized in subsection (1), the department may enter into agreements with other states establishing the division of supervisory responsibilities between the state in which a bank is organized and the state or states in which branch banks may be located.
(7) Upon merger, the resulting bank, including all depository institutions that are affiliates of the resulting bank, may not directly or indirectly control more than 30% of the total amount of deposits of insured depository institutions and credit unions located in this state.
History: En. Sec. 16, Ch. 117, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 105, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 49, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 17, Ch. 75, L. 2019.