The capital of the Bank shall consist of capital subscribed by borrowers from the Bank, by cooperatives eligible to become borrowers, by organizations owned and controlled by such borrowers, by foundations, trust or charitable funds, by public bodies, by other public or private investors, and by the United States. There are authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $47,000,000 for fiscal year 1982 for purposes of purchasing class A stock.

The capital stock of the Bank shall include class B and class C stock and such other classes with such rights, powers, privileges, and preferences of the separate classes as may be specified, not inconsistent with law, in the bylaws of the Bank. Class A notes which are held by the United States shall have first preference with respect to assets and interest payments over all classes of stock issued by the Bank. So long as any class A notes are outstanding, the Bank shall not pay any dividend on any class of stock at a rate greater than the statutory interest rate payable on class A notes. Class B and class C stock shall be common stock with voting rights as provided for herein and shall be issued only to eligible borrowers and organizations controlled by such borrowers or organizations eligible to borrow, and shall be transferable only on the books of the Bank and then only to another eligible borrower. No holder of voting stock of the Bank shall be entitled to more than one vote regardless of the number of shares of stock of other classes held, except as provided in subsection (g) of this section.

The holder of class A notes shall be entitled to interest at a rate or rates determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, taking into consideration the current average yield on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States of comparable terms and conditions as of the last day of the month preceding each issuance of such class A notes to the Secretary of the Treasury, except that, until October 1, 1990, interest payments shall not exceed 25 percent of gross revenues for the year, less necessary operating expenses including a reserve for possible losses. From time to time, the Bank may, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury and consistent with the terms of this chapter, issue replacement class A notes upon terms and conditions to be agreed upon by the Bank and the Secretary, bearing interest as provided in this subsection, in substitution for those class A notes previously issued. Any such interest payment may be deferred by the Board of Directors with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, except that any interest payment so deferred shall bear interest at a rate equal to the rate determined pursuant to the first sentence of this subsection. Without the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, the Bank shall not pay any dividend or distribution on, or make any redemption or repurchase of, any class of stock at any time when the deferred interest payments on class A notes shall not have been paid in full, together with any unpaid interest on such notes. Upon any liquidation or dissolution of the Bank, the holder of class A notes shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Bank available for distribution to its stockholders, prior to any payment to the holders of any class of stock of the Bank, an amount not less than the aggregate face value of all class A notes outstanding, plus all accrued and unpaid interest payments accrued thereon to and including the date of payment (together with all unpaid interest thereon). The class A notes shall be redeemed and retired as soon as practicable consistent with the purposes of this chapter (such redemption to be at a price equal to the face value of the class A notes so redeemed plus interest payments accrued thereon to the date of redemption), except that beginning on October 1, 1990, there shall be redeemed as a minimum with respect to each fiscal year a number of class A notes having an aggregate face value equal to the aggregate consideration received by the Bank for the issue of its class B and class C stock during that fiscal year. Each such redemption shall take place not later than ninety days after the close of each fiscal year. All class A notes shall be redeemed by the Bank no later than October 31, 2020.

Class B stock shall be held only by recipients of loans under section 3015 of this title, and such borrowers shall be required to own class B stock in an amount not less than 1 per centum of the face amount of the loan at the time the loan is made. Such borrowers may be required by the Bank to own additional class B or class C stock at the time the loan is made, but not to exceed an amount equal to 10 per centum of the face amount of the loan, or from time to time, as the Bank may determine. Such additional stock ownership requirements may be on the basis of the face amount of the loan, the outstanding balances, or on a percentage of interest payable during any year or any quarter thereof, as the Bank may determine will provide adequate capital for the operation of the Bank and equitable ownership thereof among borrowers.

Class C stock shall be available for purchase and shall be held only by borrowers or by organizations eligible to borrow under section 3015 of this title or by organizations controlled by such borrowers, and shall be entitled to dividends in the manner specified in the bylaws of the Bank. Such dividends shall be payable only from income, and, until all class A notes has [1] been retired, the rate of such dividends shall not exceed the rate of the statutory interest payment on class A notes.

Nonvoting stock of other classifications and other priorities may be issued at the discretion of the Board, to other investors, except that so long as any class A notes are outstanding, the Board shall not authorize or issue any class of stock, whether voting or nonvoting, that would rank prior or equal to the class A notes as to dividends, interest payments, or upon liquidation or dissolution.

The bylaws of the Bank may provide for more than one vote on the basis of—

The bylaws of the Bank may provide for more than one vote on the basis of—

(A) the amount of class B stock, class C stock, or both classes held, with such limitations as will encourage investments in class C stock;

(B) the amount of patronage of the Bank; and

(C) number of members in the cooperative.

Such bylaws shall avoid—

(A) voting control of the Bank from becoming concentrated with the larger affluent or smaller less affluent organizations;

(B) a disproportionately larger vote in one or more of the groups of cooperatives referred to in section 3013(d)(2)(A) of this title; and

(C) the concentration of more than 5 per centum of the total voting control in any one class B or class C stockholder.

The Bank may accept nonreturnable capital contributions on which no interest, dividend, or patronage refund shall be payable from associations, foundations, or funds or public bodies or agencies at the discretion of the Board.

After payment of all operating expenses of the Bank, including interest on its obligations, and after setting aside appropriate funds for reserves for losses, for interest payments on class A notes and dividends on class C stock and for any redemption of class A notes in accordance with subsection (c), the Bank shall annually set aside the remaining earnings of the Bank for patronage refunds in the form of class B or C stock or allocated surplus in accordance with the bylaws of the Bank. After ten years from the date of issue of any such stock, or at such earlier time as all the Government-held stock is retired, patronage refunds may be made in cash, or partly in stock and partly in cash.

(Pub. L. 95–351, title I, § 104, Aug. 20, 1978, 92 Stat. 503; Pub. L. 97–35, title III, §§ 394(c)(1), 395(b)(2), 396(c), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 436, 439; Pub. L. 101–206, § 2, Dec. 7, 1989, 103 Stat. 1832.)