Section 16. Any foreign bank that has obtained a certificate issued pursuant to section 15, if such bank is expressly authorized to do so by the laws under which it is organized and operates, may, upon approval by the commissioner of an application thereof in prescribed manner and form, establish and maintain branches through a merger or consolidation with any bank or federal bank; provided, however, that in each instance the laws of the jurisdiction in which such foreign bank has its principal place of business shall expressly authorize, under conditions no more restrictive than those imposed by this chapter as so determined by the commissioner, any bank or federal bank to exercise like authority therein.

Any foreign bank which establishes a branch through such merger, consolidation or purchase of assets or stock of any bank, shall operate the same as a branch under the supervision of the commissioner and in accordance with all applicable laws which govern such activities by banks.

Any foreign bank which establishes a branch through such merger, consolidation or purchase of assets or stock of any federal bank, shall operate the same as a federal branch which shall be subject to all laws of the commonwealth relative to community reinvestment, consumer protection, fair lending, establishment of intra-state branches and the application or administration of any tax or method of taxation including, but not limited to, sections 1 to 14A of chapter 93 and applicable sections of chapters 93A, 167 to 167J, inclusive, and all other applicable laws including all rules and regulations established thereunder pursuant to law, and to other laws of the commonwealth as are applicable to a national bank with its main office in the commonwealth.

Any merger, consolidation or purchase of assets shall comply with all applicable laws relative to filing requirements of out-of-state non-banking corporations doing business in the commonwealth. The commissioner shall not approve any such application if the bank or federal bank sought to be acquired thereby has been in existence for a period of less than 3 years or if, as a result thereof, the applicant would control in excess of 30 per cent of the total deposits, exclusive of foreign deposits, of all depository institutions in the commonwealth insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or any successor corporation thereto; provided, however, that the commissioner may waive either said age requirement or concentration limit, or both, if it is deemed that economic conditions warrant granting a waiver. For the purposes of this section, ''foreign deposits'' shall mean deposits received in a foreign country and deposits in Edge and Agreement subsidiaries and international banking facilities.