(a) Authority. 12 U.S.C. 93a, 1462a, 1463, 1464, 1861-1867, 5412(b)(2)(B).

(b) Licensing requirements. Except where otherwise provided, a national bank or Federal savings association shall submit a notice and obtain prior OCC approval to invest in the equity of a bank service company or to perform new activities in an existing bank service company.

(c) Scope. This section describes the procedures and requirements regarding OCC review and approval of a notice by a national bank or Federal savings association to invest in the equity of a bank service company. The OCC may, at any time, limit a national bank's or Federal savings association's investment in a bank service company or may limit or refuse to permit any activities in any bank service company for which a national bank or Federal savings association is the principal investor for supervisory, legal, or safety and soundness reasons.

(d) Definitions—

(1) Bank service company means a corporation or limited liability company organized to provide services authorized by the Bank Service Company Act, 12 U.S.C. 1861 et seq., all of whose capital stock is owned by one or more insured depository institutions in the case of a corporation, or all of the members of which are one or more insured depository institutions in the case of a limited liability company.

(2) Limited liability company means any company, partnership, trust, or similar business entity organized under the law of a state (as defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act) which provides that a member or manager of such company is not personally liable for a debt, obligation, or liability of the company solely by reason of being, or acting as, a member or manager of such company.

(3) Depository institution for purposes of this section, means, except when such term appears in connection with the term `insured depository institution', an insured bank (as defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act), a savings association (as defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act), a financial institution subject to examination by the appropriate Federal banking agency or the National Credit Union Administration Board, or a financial institution the accounts or deposits of which are insured or guaranteed under state law and are eligible to be insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the National Credit Union Administration Board.

(4) Insured depository institution, for purposes of this section, has the same meaning as in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.

(5) Invest includes making any advance of funds to a bank service company, whether by the purchase of stock, the making of a loan, or otherwise, except a payment for rent earned, goods sold and delivered, or services rendered before the payment was made.

(6) Principal investor means the insured depository institution that has the largest amount invested in the equity of a bank service company. In any case where two or more insured depository institutions have equal amounts invested and no other insured depository institution has a larger amount invested, the bank service company shall designate one of those insured depository institutions as its principal investor.

(e) Standards and requirements. A national bank or Federal savings association may invest in a bank service company that conducts activities described in paragraphs (f)(3) and (f)(4) of this section and activities (other than taking deposits) permissible for the national bank or Federal savings association and other insured depository institution shareholders or members of the bank service company.

(f) Procedures—

(1) OCC notice and approval required. Except as provided in paragraphs (f)(3) and (f)(4) of this section, a national bank or Federal savings association that intends to invest in the equity of a bank service company, or to perform new activities in an existing bank service company, must submit a notice to and receive prior approval from the OCC. The notice must include the information required by paragraph (g) of this section. The OCC approves or denies a proposed investment within 60 days after the filing is received by the OCC, unless the OCC notifies the bank prior to that date that the filing presents a significant supervisory or compliance concern, or raises a significant legal or policy issue.

(2) Expedited review for certain activities.

(i) A notice to invest in the equity of a bank service company, or to perform new activities in an existing bank service company, that meets the requirements of this paragraph is deemed approved by the OCC as of the 30th day after the notice is received by the OCC, unless the OCC notifies the filer prior to that date that the filing is not eligible for expedited review or the expedited review process is extended. Any bank or savings association making an investment pursuant to this paragraph is deemed to have agreed that the bank service company will conduct the activity in a manner consistent with the published OCC guidance.

(ii) A notice is eligible for expedited review if all of the following requirements are met:

(A) The national bank or Federal savings association is “well capitalized” and “well managed” as defined in §5.34(d) or §5.38(d), as applicable; and

(B) The bank service company engages only in activities that are permissible for the bank service company under 12 U.S.C. 1864 and that are listed in §5.34(e)(5)(v) or §5.38(e)(5)(v), as applicable.

(3) Investments requiring no approval or notice. A national bank or Federal savings association does not need to submit a notice or obtain OCC approval to invest in a bank service company, or to perform a new activity in an existing bank service company, if the bank service company will provide only the following services only for depository institutions: Check and deposit posting and sorting; computation and posting of interest and other credits and charges; preparation and mailing of checks, statements, notices, and similar items; or any other clerical, bookkeeping, accounting, statistical, or similar functions.

(4) Federal Reserve approval. A national bank or Federal savings association also may, with the approval of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board), invest in the equity of a bank service company that provides any other service (except deposit taking) that the Federal Reserve Board has determined, by regulation, to be permissible for a bank holding company under 12 U.S.C. 1843(c)(8).

(5) Exceptions to rules of general applicability. Sections 5.8, 5.10, and 5.11 do not apply to a request for approval to invest in a bank service company. However, if the OCC concludes that an application presents significant or novel policy, supervisory, or legal issues, the OCC may determine that any or all provisions of §§5.8, 5.10, and 5.11 apply.

(g) Required information. A notice required under paragraph (f)(1) of this section must contain the following:

(1) The name and location of the bank service company;

(2) A complete description of the activities the bank service company will conduct and a representation and undertaking that the activities will be conducted in accordance with OCC guidance. To the extent the notice relates to the initial affiliation of the national bank or Federal savings association with a company engaged in insurance activities, the national bank or Federal savings association should describe the type of insurance activity that the company is engaged in and has present plans to conduct. The national bank or Federal savings association also must list for each state the lines of business for which the company holds, or will hold, an insurance license, indicating the state where the company holds a resident license or charter, as applicable;

(3) A complete description of the national bank's or Federal savings association's investment in the bank service company and information demonstrating that the national bank or Federal savings association will comply with the investment limitations of paragraph (i) of this section; and

(4) Information demonstrating that the bank service company will perform only those services that each insured depository institution shareholder or member is authorized to perform under applicable Federal or state law and will perform such services only at locations in a state in which each such shareholder or member is authorized to perform such services unless performing services that are authorized by the Federal Reserve Board under the authority of 12 U.S.C. 1865(b).

(h) Examination and supervision. Each bank service company in which a national bank or Federal savings association is the principal investor is subject to examination and supervision by the OCC in the same manner and to the same extent as that national bank or Federal savings association. OCC authority under this paragraph is subject to the limitations and requirements of section 45 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1831v) and section 115 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (12 U.S.C. 1820a).

(i) Investment limitations. A national bank or Federal savings association may not invest more than 10 percent of its capital and surplus in a bank service company. In addition, the national bank's or Federal savings association's total investments in all bank service companies may not exceed five percent of the national bank's or Federal savings association's total assets.

[80 FR 28448, May 18, 2015]