United States Code
USC most recently checked for updates: Dec 11, 2024
The Board may examine each branch or agency of a foreign bank, each commercial lending company or bank controlled by 1 or more foreign banks or 1 or more foreign companies that control a foreign bank, and other office or affiliate of a foreign bank conducting business in any State.
The Board shall coordinate examinations under this paragraph with the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and appropriate State bank supervisors to the extent such coordination is possible.
The Board may request simultaneous examinations of each office of a foreign bank and each affiliate of such bank operating in the United States.
In exercising its authority under this paragraph, the Board shall take all reasonable measures to reduce burden and avoid unnecessary duplication of examinations.
Each Federal branch or agency, and each State branch or agency, of a foreign bank shall be subject to on-site examination by an appropriate Federal banking agency or State bank supervisor as frequently as would a national bank or a State bank, respectively, by the appropriate Federal banking agency.
The cost of any examination under subparagraph (A) shall be assessed against and collected from the foreign bank or the foreign company that controls the foreign bank, as the case may be, only to the same extent that fees are collected by the Board for examination of any State member bank.
Each branch or agency of a foreign bank, other than a Federal branch or agency, shall be subject to section 335 of this title and the provision requiring the reports of condition contained in section 324 of this title to the same extent and in the same manner as if the branch or agency were a State member bank. In addition to any requirements imposed under section 3102 of this title, each Federal branch and agency shall be subject to section 248(a) of this title and to section 483 of this title to the same extent and in the same manner as if it were a member bank.
No foreign bank may establish a branch or an agency, or acquire ownership or control of a commercial lending company, without the prior approval of the Board.
In acting on an application under paragraph (1), the Board shall not make the size of the foreign bank the sole determinant factor, and may take into account the needs of the community as well as the length of operation of the foreign bank and its relative size in its home country. Nothing in this paragraph shall affect the ability of the Board to order a State branch, agency, or commercial lending company subsidiary to terminate its activities in the United States pursuant to any standard set forth in this chapter.
The Board may impose such conditions on its approval under this subsection as it deems necessary.
In deciding whether to use its discretion under subparagraph (A), the Board shall also consider whether the foreign bank has adopted and implements procedures to combat money laundering. The Board may also take into account whether the home country of the foreign bank is developing a legal regime to address money laundering or is participating in multilateral efforts to combat money laundering.
In approving an application under this paragraph, the Board, after requesting and taking into consideration the views of the appropriate State bank supervisor or the Comptroller of the Currency, as the case may be, may impose such conditions or restrictions relating to the activities or business operations of the proposed branch, agency, or commercial lending company subsidiary, including restrictions on sources of funding, as are considered appropriate. The Board shall coordinate with the appropriate State bank supervisor or the Comptroller of the Currency, as appropriate, in the implementation of such conditions or restrictions.
Any condition or restriction imposed by the Board in connection with the approval of an application under authority of this paragraph may be modified or withdrawn.
The Board shall take final action on any application under paragraph (1) not later than 180 days after receipt of the application, except that the Board may extend for an additional 180 days the period within which to take final action on such application after providing notice of, and the reasons for, the extension to the applicant foreign bank and any appropriate State bank supervisor or the Comptroller of the Currency, as appropriate.
The Board may deny any application if it does not receive information requested from the applicant foreign bank or appropriate authorities in the home country of the foreign bank in sufficient time to permit the Board to evaluate such information adequately within the time periods for final action set forth in subparagraph (A).
A foreign bank may waive the applicability of this paragraph with respect to any application under paragraph (1).
The Board may issue an order under paragraph (1) without providing for an opportunity for a hearing if the Board determines that expeditious action is necessary in order to protect the public interest.
An order issued under paragraph (1) shall take effect before the end of the 120-day period beginning on the date such order is issued unless the Board extends such period.
Any foreign bank required to terminate activities conducted at offices or subsidiaries in the United States pursuant to this subsection shall comply with the requirements of applicable Federal and State law with respect to procedures for the closure or dissolution of such offices or subsidiaries.
The Board may transmit to the Comptroller of the Currency a recommendation that the license of any Federal branch or Federal agency of a foreign bank be terminated in accordance with section 3102(i) of this title if the Board has reasonable cause to believe that such foreign bank or any affiliate of such foreign bank has engaged in conduct for which the activities of any State branch or agency may be terminated under paragraph (1).
Any court referred to in subparagraph (A) may issue an order requiring compliance with an order referred to in subparagraph (A).
Not later than 1 year after
Section 706 of title 5 (other than paragraph (2)(F) of such section) shall apply with respect to any review under paragraph (1).
The Board shall request and consider any views of the appropriate State bank supervisor with respect to any application or action under subsection (d) or (e).
A State branch or State agency shall be subject to the same limitations with respect to loans made to a single borrower as are applicable to a Federal branch or Federal agency under section 3102(b) of this title.
This section does not limit the authority of the Board or any State supervisory authority to impose more stringent restrictions.
The term “insured branch” has the meaning given such term in section 3(s) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act [12 U.S.C. 1813(s)].
The term “money laundering offense” means any criminal offense under section 1956 or 1957 of title 18 or under section 5322 of title 31.
A branch or agency of a foreign bank shall not manage, through an office of the foreign bank which is located outside the United States and is managed or controlled by such branch or agency, any type of activity that a bank organized under the laws of the United States, any State, or the District of Columbia is not permitted to manage at any branch or subsidiary of such bank which is located outside the United States.