(a) General. No savings association that is in the mutual form shall issue mutual capital certificates pursuant to this section or amend the terms of such certificates unless it has obtained written approval of the appropriate Federal banking agency. No approval shall be granted unless the proposed issuance of the mutual capital certificates and the form and manner of filing of the application are in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(b) Eligibility Requirements. The appropriate Federal banking agency will consider and process an application for approval of the issuance of mutual capital certificates pursuant to this section only if the issuance is authorized by applicable law and regulation and is not inconsistent with any provision of the applicant's charter, constitution or bylaws.

(c) Application form; supporting information. An application for approval of the issuance of mutual capital certificates pursuant to this section shall be in the form prescribed by the appropriate Federal banking agency. Such application and instructions may be obtained from the appropriate Federal banking agency. Information and exhibits shall be furnished in support of the application in accordance with such instructions, setting forth all of the terms and provisions relating to the proposed issue and showing that all of the requirements of this section have been or will be met.

(d) Charter amendment. No application for approval of the issuance of mutual capital certificates pursuant to this section may be filed unless the amendment to the mutual association's charter, constitution or bylaws or other actions conferring such authority shall have been approved pursuant to the procedures and requirements set forth in the mutual association's charter, constitution or bylaws, or as may otherwise be required by applicable law.

(e) Filing requirements. The application for issuance of mutual capital certificates shall be publicly filed with the appropriate Federal banking agency.

(f) Supervisory objection. No application or approval of the issuance of mutual capital certificates pursuant to this section shall be approved if, in the opinion of the appropriate Federal banking agency, the policies, condition, or operation of the applicant afford a basis for supervisory objection to the application.

(g) Limitation on offering period. Following the date of the approval of the application by the appropriate Federal banking agency, the association shall have an offering period of not more than one year in which to complete the sale of the mutual capital certificates issued pursuant to this section. The appropriate Federal banking agency may in its discretion extend such offering period if a written request showing good cause for such extension is filed with it not later than 30 days before the expiration of such offering period or any extension thereof.

(h) Reports. Within 30 days after completion of the sale of mutual capital certificates issued pursuant to this section, the association shall transmit to the appropriate Federal banking agency a written report stating the total dollar amount of securities sold, and the amount of net proceeds received by the association, and within 90 days it shall transmit a written report stating the number of purchasers.

(i) Requirements as to mutual capital certificates—

(1) Form of certificate. Each mutual capital certificate and any governing agreement evidencing a mutual capital certificate issued by an association pursuant to this section:

(i) Shall bear on its face, in bold-face type, the following legend: “This security is not a savings account or a deposit and it is not insured by the United States or any agency or fund of the United States”; and

(ii) Shall clearly state that the certificate is subject to the requirements of §163.74(i)(2).

(2) Legal requirements. Mutual capital certificates issued pursuant to this section shall:

(i) Be subordinate to all claims against the association having the same priority as savings accounts, savings certificates, debt obligations or any higher priority;

(ii) Not be eligible for use as collateral for any loan made by the issuing association;

(iii) Constitute a claim in liquidation not exceeding the face value plus accrued dividends of the certificates, on the general reserves, surplus and undivided profits of the association remaining after the payment in full of all savings accounts, savings certificates and debt obligations;

(iv) Be entitled to the payment of dividends, which may be fixed, variable, participating, or cumulative, or any combination thereof, only if, when and as declared by the association's board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, provided that no dividend may be declared or paid without the approval of the appropriate Federal banking agency if such payment would cause the association to fail to meet its regulatory capital requirements under 12 CFR part 3 if a Federal savings association, or 12 CFR part 324 or part 390, subpart Z, as applicable, if a state savings association, and provided further that no dividend may be paid if such payment would constitute a violation of 12 U.S.C. 1828(b);

(v) Not be redeemable, except: where the dollar weighted average term of each issue of mutual capital certificates to be redeemed is seven years or more and redemption is to be made pursuant to a redemption schedule; in the event of a merger, consolidation or reorganization approved by the appropriate Federal banking agency; or where the funds for redemption are raised by the issuance of mutual capital certificates approved pursuant to this section, or in conjunction with the issuance of capital stock pursuant to part 192 of this chapter: Provided, that mandatory redemption shall not be required; that mutual capital certificates shall not be redeemable on the demand or at the option of the holder; and that mutual capital certificates shall not receive, benefit from, be credited with or otherwise be entitled to or due payments in or for redemption if such payments would cause the association to fail to meet its regulatory capital requirements under 12 CFR part 3 if a Federal savings association, or 12 CFR part 324 or part 390, subpart Z, as applicable, if a state savings association; And Provided further, for the purposes of this paragraph (i)(2)(v), the “dollar weighted average term” of an issue of mutual capital certificates shall be the sum of the products calculated for each year that the mutual capital certificates in the issue have been redeemed or are scheduled to be redeemed. Each product shall be calculated by multiplying the number of years of each mutual capital certificate of a given term by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total dollar amount of each mutual capital certificate in the issue with the same term and the denominator of which shall be the total dollar amount of mutual capital certificates in the entire issue;

(vi) Not have preemptive rights;

(vii) Not have voting rights, except that an association may provide for voting rights if:

(A) The savings association fails to pay dividends for a minimum of three consecutive dividend periods, and then the holders of the class or classes of mutual capital certificates granted such voting rights, and voting as a single class, with one vote for each outstanding certificate, may elect by a majority vote a maximum of one-third of the association's board of directors, the directors so elected to serve until the next annual meeting of the association succeeding the payment of all current and past dividends;

(B) Any merger, consolidation, or reorganization (except in a supervisory case) is sought to be authorized, where the issuing association is not the survivor, provided that the regulatory capital of the resulting association available for payment of any class of mutual capital certificate on liquidation is less than the regulatory capital available for such class prior to the merger, consolidation, or reorganization;

(C) Action is sought to be authorized which would create any class of mutual capital certificates having a preference or priority over an outstanding class or classes of mutual capital certificates;

(D) Any action is sought to be authorized which would adversely change the specific terms of any class of mutual capital certificates;

(E) Action is sought to be authorized which would increase the number of a class of mutual capital certificates, or the number of a class of mutual capital certificates ranking prior to or on parity with another class of mutual capital certificates; or

(F) Action is sought which would authorize the issuance of an additional class or classes of mutual capital certificates without the association having met specific financial standards;

(viii) Not constitute an obligation of the association and shall confer no rights which would give rise to any claim of or action for default;

(ix) Not be convertible into any account, security, or interest, except that mutual capital certificates may be surrendered in exchange for preferred stock issued in connection with the conversion of the issuing savings association to the stock form pursuant to part 192 of this chapter, provided that the preferred stock shall have substantially the same voting rights, designations, preferences and relative, participating optional, or other special rights, and qualifications, limitations, and restrictions, as the mutual capital certificates exchanged for the preferred stock.

(x) Provide for charging of losses after the exhaustion of all other items in the regulatory capital account.

[76 FR 49047, Aug. 9, 2011, as amended at 79 FR 11314, Feb. 28, 2014; 84 FR 56376, Oct. 22, 2019]