(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, a building and loan association with voting stock regulated pursuant to Chapter 17 of this title may become a bank which shall be deemed as having been formed under and which shall be governed by the provisions of Chapter 7 of this title. The application for conversion filed with the Commissioner shall be in such form as the Commissioner shall from time to time prescribe, submitted and sworn to by the directors of the building and loan association. A 45-day comment period shall commence upon the date of the first notice required under subsection (b) of this section.

(b) The Commissioner shall, at least once during each of the first 2 weeks following the filing of an application under this section, cause to be filed in a newspaper having statewide circulation, at the expense of the applicants, a notice of the filing of such application, which notice shall invite public inspection and comment hereon prior to the expiration of the 45-day period.

(c) If, based upon the application and any other information filed with the Commissioner in support of or objection to such application, the Commissioner shall have cause to believe that a certificate of public convenience and advantage would not be issued to the applicants, the Commissioner shall, not later than 45 days after the close of the comment period, advise applicants of such objection, together with support therefor. At the request of the applicants, the Commissioner shall forthwith proceed to give notice and conduct a hearing in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act, Chapter 101 of Title 29.

(d) Upon a determination that the applicants have met the requirements of this section, the Commissioner shall issue a certificate certifying such compliance and ordering and approving a conversion of the building and loan association, which certificate shall be duly filed with the Secretary of State. From and after such filing, the resulting bank shall be governed by the provisions of Chapter 7 of this title and any other law of this State regulating banks generally.

(e) If an application is made for conversion of a building and loan pursuant to this section in connection with an application for acquisition of an existing bank pursuant to subchapter IV of Chapter 8 of this title, the Commissioner may consider and approve or reject both applications concurrently.

(f) The resulting bank shall pay to the Office of the State Bank Commissioner a fee of $5,000 for the use of the State if there is an approval of the conversion. In addition, the resulting bank shall pay an investigation fee of $1,000 which shall not be refundable and which shall be submitted with the application for conversion.

69 Del. Laws, c. 165, § 17.