A. 1. A bank or trust company may purchase and hold real estate, equipment, furniture and fixtures necessary for the convenient transaction of its business, the cost of which shall not exceed its capital. This limitation may be exceeded upon written approval of the State Banking Commissioner.

2. With prior approval of the Commissioner, a bank or trust company may purchase and hold fixtures, facilities and real estate, including but not limited to storage facilities, facilities for civic or public use or facilities for the benefit of employees of the bank, bank customers or the community. No banking business of any type shall be engaged in or conducted at such facilities.

3. A bank or trust company may lease out to such tenants as it deems appropriate any portion of its banking house or premises not utilized in the conduct of its banking operations.

4. Upon prior written approval of the Commissioner, a bank or trust company may purchase real estate at a location where the bank or trust company could lawfully establish an office.

5. A state bank may purchase or construct a municipal building, such as a school building, or other similar public facility and, as holder of legal title, lease the same to a municipality or other public authority having resources sufficient to make payment of all rentals as they become due. The lease agreement shall provide that upon its expiration the lessee will become owner of the building or facility.

6. Subject to prior approval by the Commissioner and such conditions and limitations as the Commissioner shall prescribe, which shall be consistent with any rules the State Banking Board may prescribe, a state bank may purchase real estate for the purpose of producing income, sale, or for development and improvement, including the erection of buildings thereon, for sale or rental purposes.

B. 1. A bank or trust company may purchase and hold real estate conveyed to it in satisfaction of debts previously contracted in good faith in the course of business.

2. All such real estate shall be accounted for individually at the lower of the recorded investment in the loan satisfied or its fair market value on the date of the transfer. The fair market value of the real estate must be supported by an appropriate evaluation of real property collateral that is consistent with safe and sound banking practices. The recorded value of the property must be updated from time to time to reflect current market conditions as well as any other factors that may affect the fair market value.

3. The recorded investment in the loan satisfied is the unpaid balance of the loan, increased by accrued and uncollected interest, unamortized premium, and loan acquisition costs, if any, and decreased by previous direct write down, finance charges and unamortized discount, if any.

C. Upon notification by the bank to the Commissioner that such conditions exist that require the expenditure of funds for the development and improvement of such real estate, and subject to such conditions and limitations as the Commissioner shall prescribe, the bank may expend its funds to enable such bank to recover its total investment.

D. A bank or trust company may acquire and hold real estate such as it shall purchase at sale under judgment, decree or mortgage foreclosure, under securities held by it.

E. 1. Without the written approval of the Commissioner, real estate acquired in the cases contemplated in subsections B and D of this section may be held for an initial holding period of no longer than five (5) years from the date of acquisition. However, a bank may apply, during the first two (2) years in which the real estate is acquired by the bank, for approval by the Commissioner to retain such real estate for the purposes described in paragraph 6 of subsection A of this section. In the case of approval by the Commissioner, the rules of this subsection shall not apply to such property. In the absence of such application, or if the application is denied by the Commissioner, the rules of this subsection shall apply to the retention of the real estate by the bank.

2. Following the expiration of the initial holding period, one additional extension period of up to five (5) years may be granted upon the written approval of the Commissioner.

3. A bank or trust company must begin to write down the book value for each property held as other real estate owned a minimum of ten percent (10%) each year during the additional extension period. The bank or trust company shall then be required to write off the remaining balance of the other real-estate-owned property at the end of the additional extension period.

4. Unless a bank has applied for approval by the Commissioner during the first two (2) years after the real estate is acquired, to retain such real estate for the purposes described in paragraph 6 of subsection A of this section, a bank shall also continue efforts to dispose of the real estate at the earliest possible opportunity.

5. At the conclusion of the additional extension period, real estate must be disposed of or, if approved by the Commissioner, must be transferred to a subsidiary company of the bank.

6. For purposes of this section, ownership interests in oil, gas and other subsurface mineral rights other than mere leasehold interests shall be considered real estate. However, notwithstanding the holding limitation of this section or any other provision contained herein, any bank or trust company which on October 15, 1982, held, directly or indirectly, any oil, gas and other subsurface mineral rights, other than mere leasehold interests, that since December 31, 1979, had not been valued on the books of such bank or trust company for more than a nominal amount, may continue to hold such subsurface rights or interest without limitation.

F. Any bank or trust company organized under the laws of this state may invest its funds in the stocks, bonds, debentures or other such obligations of any corporation holding the premises of such bank or trust company, and may make loans to or upon the security of any such corporation, but the aggregate of all such investments and loans together with the investments provided for in subsection A of this section shall not exceed its capital. This limitation may be exceeded upon the written approval of the Commissioner.

G. Every conveyance of real estate and every lease thereof made by a bank or trust company shall have the name of such bank or trust company subscribed thereto, either by an attorney-in-fact, president, vice-president, chairperson or vice-chairperson of the board of directors of such corporation.

H. Nothing in this section shall preclude or limit in any manner investments by a bank permitted under any other section of this Code.

Added by Laws 1965, c. 161, § 414. Amended by Laws 1967, c. 84, § 1, emerg. eff. April 18, 1967; Laws 1967, c. 258, § 5, emerg. eff. May 8, 1967; Laws 1975, c. 109, § 10, emerg. eff. May 7, 1975; Laws 1984, c. 133, § 5, eff. Oct. 1, 1984; Laws 1986, c. 316, § 4, emerg. eff. June 24, 1986; Laws 1987, c. 135, § 3, emerg. eff. June 3, 1987; Laws 1990, c. 173, § 4, emerg. eff. May 3, 1990; Laws 1991, c. 128, § 3, emerg. eff. April 29, 1991; Laws 1992, c. 295, § 2, eff. July 1, 1992; Laws 1994, c. 238, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Laws 1995, c. 36, § 10, eff. July 1, 1995; Laws 1997, c. 111, § 47, eff. July 1, 1997; Laws 2000, c. 205, § 15, emerg. eff. May 17, 2000; Laws 2003, c. 180, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2003; Laws 2005, c. 48, § 12, eff. Nov. 1, 2005; Laws 2010, c. 62, § 7, emerg. eff. April 9, 2010; Laws 2016, c. 127, § 1, emerg. eff. Apr. 20, 2016.