Effective 28 Aug 2019

362.600. Reciprocal corporate fiduciary powers — certificates of reciprocity. — 1. The term "out-of-state bank or trust company", as used in this section, shall mean:

(1) Any bank or trust company now or hereafter organized under the laws of any state of the United States other than Missouri; and

(2) Any national banking association or any thrift institution under the jurisdiction of the office of the comptroller of the currency having its principal place of business in any state of the United States other than Missouri.

2. Except as provided in subsections 4 and 6 of this section, any out-of-state bank or trust company may act in this state as trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, or in any other like fiduciary capacity, without the necessity of complying with any law of this state relating to the licensing of foreign banking corporations by the director of finance or relating to the qualifications of foreign corporations to do business in this state, and notwithstanding any prohibition, limitation or restriction contained in any other law of this state, provided only that:

(1) The out-of-state bank or trust company is authorized to act in this fiduciary capacity or capacities in the state in which it is incorporated, or, if the out-of-state bank or trust company be a national banking association, or a thrift institution, it is authorized to act in this fiduciary capacity or capacities in the state in which it has its principal place of business; and

(2) Any bank or other corporation organized under the laws of this state or a national banking association or thrift institution having its principal place of business in this state may act in these fiduciary capacities in that state without further showing or qualification, other than that it is authorized to act in these fiduciary capacities in this state, compliance with minimum capital, bonding, or securities pledge requirements applicable to all banks and trust companies doing business in that state, and compliance with any law of that state concerning service of process:

(a) Which may require the appointment of an official or other person for the receipt of process; or

(b) Which contains provisions to the effect that any bank or trust company which is not incorporated under the laws of that state, or if a national bank or thrift institution then which does not have its principal place of business in that state, acting in that state in a fiduciary capacity pursuant to provisions of law making it eligible to do so, shall be deemed to have appointed an official of that state to be its true and lawful attorney upon whom may be served all legal process in any action or proceeding against it relating to or growing out of any trust, estate or matter in respect of which the entity has acted or is acting in that state in this fiduciary capacity, and that the acceptance of or engagement in that state in any acts in this fiduciary capacity shall be deemed its agreement that the process against it, which is so served, shall be of the same legal force and validity as though served upon it personally, or which contains any substantially similar provisions.

3. Any out-of-state bank or trust company eligible to act in any fiduciary capacity in this state pursuant to the provisions of this section may so act whether or not a resident of this state be acting with it in this capacity, may use its corporate name in connection with such activity in this state, and may be appointed to act in this fiduciary capacity by any court having jurisdiction in the premises, all notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary. Nothing in this section contained shall be construed to prohibit or make unlawful any activity in this state by a bank or trust company which is not incorporated under the laws of this state, or if a national bank or thrift institution then which does not have its principal place of business in this state, which would be lawful in the absence of this section.

4. Except as provided in subsection 6 of this section, prior to the time when any out-of-state bank or trust company acts pursuant to the authority of this section in any fiduciary capacity or capacities in this state, the out-of-state bank or trust company shall file with the director of finance a written application for a certificate of reciprocity and the director of finance shall issue the certificate to the out-of-state bank or trust company. The application shall state the information set forth in the following subdivisions (1) to (7), and the out-of-state bank or trust company shall be subject to the following subdivisions (8) to (10):

(1) The correct corporate name of the out-of-state bank or trust company;

(2) The name of the state under the laws of which it is incorporated, or if the out-of-state bank or trust company is a national banking association or thrift institution shall state that fact;

(3) The address of its principal business office;

(4) In what fiduciary capacity or capacities it desires to act, in the state of Missouri;

(5) Whether the out-of-state bank or trust company intends to establish a trust representative office, facility, branch, or other physical location in the state of Missouri and the activities to be conducted at such office, facility, branch, or location;

(6) That it is authorized to act in a similar fiduciary capacity or capacities in the state in which it is incorporated, or, if it is a national banking association, in which it has its principal place of business;

(7) That the application shall constitute the irrevocable appointment of the director of finance of Missouri as its true and lawful attorney to receive service of all legal process in any action or proceeding against it relating to or growing out of any trust, estate or matter in respect of which the out-of-state bank or trust company may act in this state in the fiduciary capacity pursuant to the certificate of reciprocity applied for;

(8) Subject to subdivision (10) of this subsection unless the out-of-state bank or trust company verifies to the director of the division of finance that it satisfies capital requirements equal to the new charter requirement for a Missouri trust company or that it maintains a bond for the faithful performance of all its fiduciary activities equivalent to the Missouri capital requirements, the director may require the applicant to submit a bond issued by a surety company authorized to do business in the state of Missouri in the minimum amount of one million dollars in a form or such greater amount acceptable to the director of the division of finance. The surety bond shall secure the faithful performance of the fiduciary obligations of the out-of-state bank or trust company in Missouri;

(9) The application shall be verified by an officer of the out-of-state bank or trust company, and there shall be filed with it such certificates of public officials and copies of documents certified by public officials as may be necessary to show that the out-of-state bank or trust company is authorized to act in a fiduciary capacity or capacities similar to those in which it desires to act in the state of Missouri, in the state in which it is incorporated, or, if it is a national banking association in which it has its principal place of business. The director of finance shall, thereupon, if the out-of-state bank or trust company is one which may act in the fiduciary capacity or capacities as provided in subsection 2 of this section, issue to the entity a certificate of reciprocity. The certificate of reciprocity shall recite and certify that the out-of-state bank or trust company is eligible to act in this state pursuant to this section and shall recite the fiduciary capacity or capacities in which the out-of-state bank or trust company is eligible so to act;

(10) Notwithstanding subdivision (8) of this subsection, to facilitate interstate reciprocity under this section, the director may enter a memorandum of understanding with the bank or trust company regulator of another jurisdiction to accept the capital requirements of that jurisdiction in lieu of the Missouri minimum capital or bond requirements set forth in subdivision (8) of this subsection and establish such other terms to assure reciprocal interstate treatment for Missouri chartered bank or trust companies in that jurisdiction.

5. A certificate of reciprocity issued to any out-of-state bank or trust company shall remain in effect until the out-of-state bank or trust company shall cease to be entitled under subsection 2 of this section to act in this state in the fiduciary capacity or capacities covered by the certificate, and thereafter until revoked by the director of finance. If at any time the out-of-state bank or trust company shall cease to be entitled under subsection 2 of this section to act in this state in the fiduciary capacity or capacities covered by the certificate, the director of finance shall revoke the certificate and give written notice of the revocation to the out-of-state bank or trust company. No revocation of any certificate of reciprocity shall affect the right of the out-of-state bank or trust company to continue to act in this state in a fiduciary capacity in estates or matters in which it has theretofore begun to act in a fiduciary capacity pursuant to the certificate.

6. An out-of-state bank or trust company shall not establish or maintain a trust representative office, facility, branch, or other physical location in this state for the conduct of business as a fiduciary unless:

(1) The out-of-state bank or trust company is under the control of a Missouri bank or a Missouri bank holding company and the out-of-state bank or trust company has complied with the requirements relating to the qualifications of out-of-state bank or trust company to do business in this state;

(2) The out-of-state bank or trust company is a bank, trust company or national banking association in good standing that possesses fiduciary powers from its chartering authority and is the surviving corporation to a merger or consolidation with a national banking association located in Missouri or a Missouri bank or trust company or is otherwise authorized by federal law to establish a branch in Missouri. The provisions of this subdivision are enacted to implement subsection 2 of this section and section 362.610, and the provisions of Title 12, U.S.C. Section 36 of the National Bank Act and other applicable federal law; or

(3) The out-of-state bank or trust company is a state-chartered bank, savings and loan association, trust company, national banking association, or thrift institution in good standing that possesses fiduciary powers and has received a certificate of reciprocity, in which case it may open a trust representative office, facility, branch, or other physical location in Missouri, provided a bank, savings and loan association or trust company chartered under the laws of Missouri and a national bank or thrift institution with its principal location in Missouri, all with fiduciary powers, are permitted to open and operate such a trust representative office, facility, branch, or other physical location under the same or less restrictive conditions in the state in which the out-of-state bank or trust company is organized or has its principal office.

7. An out-of-state bank or trust company, insofar as it acts in a fiduciary capacity in this state pursuant to the provisions of this section, shall not be deemed to be transacting business in this state, if the out-of-state bank or trust company does not establish or maintain in this state a place of business, branch office, or agency for the conduct in this state of business as a fiduciary.

8. Every out-of-state bank or trust company to which a certificate of reciprocity shall have been issued shall be deemed to have appointed the director of finance to be its true and lawful attorney upon whom may be served all legal process in any action or proceeding against it relating to or growing out of any trust, estate or matter in respect of which the out-of-state bank or trust company acts in this state in any fiduciary capacity pursuant to the certificate of reciprocity. Service of the process shall be made by delivering a copy of the summons or other process, with a copy of the petition when service of the copy is required by law, to the director of finance or to any person in his or her office authorized by him to receive the service. The director of finance shall immediately forward the process, together with the copy of the petition, if any, to the out-of-state bank or trust company, by registered mail, addressed to it at the address on file with the director, or if there be none on file then at its last known address. The director of finance shall keep a permanent record in his or her office showing for all such process served, the style of the action or proceeding, the court in which it was brought, the name and title of the officer serving the process, the day and hour of service, and the day of mailing by registered mail to the out-of-state bank or trust company and the address to which mailed. In case the process is issued by a court, the same may be directed to and served by any officer authorized to serve process in the city or county where the director of finance shall have his or her office, at least fifteen days before the return thereof. If an out-of-state bank or trust company has established a trust representative office, trust facility, branch, or other physical location in the state of Missouri, that bank or trust company may also be served legal process at any such location by service upon any officer, agent, or employee at that location.

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(L. 1967 p. 445, A.L. 1978 H.B. 1634, A.L. 1988 H.B. 1092, A.L. 1998 H.B. 1571, A.L. 2000 S.B. 896, A.L. 2004 H.B. 1511, A.L. 2005 H.B. 707, A.L. 2015 H.B. 1098, A.L. 2019 S.B. 179)

(Source: RSMo 1959 § 363.705)