§536. Interstate bank acquisitions, filings with commissioner

A. An out-of-state bank shall not acquire, directly or indirectly, a Louisiana bank holding company or a Louisiana bank or an out-of-state bank holding company having one or more Louisiana banks as subsidiaries or the Louisiana branches of an out-of-state bank unless it has filed with the commissioner all applications and other information filed with any federal agency in connection with such acquisition, and paid a fee as prescribed by regulation of the commissioner.

B. If any out-of-state bank makes an acquisition or engages in an activity or causes any of its subsidiaries to engage in an activity that is prohibited by this Part, the commissioner shall require such out-of-state bank holding company to terminate such activity or divest itself of its direct or indirect ownership or control of any Louisiana banks or branches acquired in violation of this Part. In addition, the commissioner shall have the power to enforce any other prohibitions in this Part by requiring divestiture of nonconforming bank branches, bank holding companies, or assets, through the imposition of fines and penalties or through the exercise of such other remedies as shall be appropriate, including but not limited to judicial actions.

C. An out-of-state bank may enter Louisiana only through the purchase of all, or substantially all, of an established Louisiana bank, or a bank holding company having at least one established Louisiana bank subsidiary, or all of the Louisiana branches of an out-of-state bank. It shall be unlawful for any out-of-state bank to enter Louisiana by the creation of a de novo bank or de novo branch or branches or through the creation of a Louisiana bank holding company through which to create a de novo bank. It shall also be unlawful for any out-of-state bank to enter this state, either directly or indirectly, by the acquisition of a Louisiana bank that is not an established Louisiana bank or a bank holding company which does not have at least one established Louisiana bank subsidiary. However, if an out-of-state bank is operating in this state through branches, then another out-of-state bank company may enter Louisiana by acquisition of those branches only through the acquisition of all of those branches.

Acts 1986, No. 577, §1, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 1989, No. 686, §2, eff. July 7, 1989; Acts 1995, No. 1249, §1; Acts 1999, No. 122, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.