205 ILCS 5/5

(205 ILCS 5/5) (from Ch. 17, par. 311)

Sec. 5. General corporate powers. A bank organized under this Act or subject hereto shall be a body corporate and politic and shall, without specific mention thereof in the charter, have all the powers conferred by this Act and the following additional general corporate powers:

(1) To sue and be sued, complain, and defend in its corporate name.

(2) To have a corporate seal, which may be altered at pleasure, and to use the same by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed or affixed or in any manner reproduced, provided that the affixing of a corporate seal to an instrument shall not give the instrument additional force or effect, or change the construction thereof, and the use of a corporate seal is not mandatory.

(3) To make, alter, amend, and repeal bylaws, not inconsistent with its charter or with law, for the administration of the affairs of the bank. If this Act does not provide specific guidance in matters of corporate governance, the provisions of the Business Corporation Act of 1983 may be used if so provided in the bylaws, and if the bank is a limited liability company, the provisions of the Limited Liability Company Act shall be used.

(4) To elect or appoint and remove officers and agents of the bank and define their duties and fix their compensation.

(5) To adopt and operate reasonable bonus plans, profit-sharing plans, stock-bonus plans, stock-option plans, pension plans, and similar incentive plans for its directors, officers and employees.

(5.1) To manage, operate, and administer a fund for the investment of funds by a public agency or agencies, including any unit of local government or school district, or any person. The fund for a public agency shall invest in the same type of investments and be subject to the same limitations provided for the investment of public funds. The fund for public agencies shall maintain a separate ledger showing the amount of investment for each public agency in the fund. "Public funds" and "public agency" as used in this Section shall have the meanings ascribed to them in Section 1 of the Public Funds Investment Act.

(6) To make reasonable donations for the public welfare or for charitable, scientific, religious or educational purposes.

(7) To borrow or incur an obligation; and to pledge its assets:

(a) to secure its borrowings, its lease of personal or real property or its other nondeposit obligations;

(b) to enable it to act as agent for the sale of obligations of the United States;

(c) to secure deposits of public money of the United States, whenever required by the laws of the United States, including, without being limited to, revenues and funds the deposit of which is subject to the control or regulation of the United States or any of its officers, agents, or employees and Postal Savings funds;

(d) to secure deposits of public money of any state or of any political corporation or subdivision thereof, including, without being limited to, revenues and funds the deposit of which is subject to the control or regulation of any state or of any political corporation or subdivisions thereof or of any of their officers, agents, or employees;

(e) to secure deposits of money whenever required by the National Bankruptcy Act;

(f) (blank); and

(g) to secure trust funds commingled with the bank's funds, whether deposited by the bank or an affiliate of the bank, pursuant to Section 2-8 of the Corporate Fiduciary Act.

(8) To own, possess, and carry as assets all or part of the real estate necessary in or with which to do its banking business, either directly or indirectly through the ownership of all or part of the capital stock, shares or interests in any corporation, association, trust engaged in holding any part or parts or all of the bank premises, engaged in such business and in conducting a safe deposit business in the premises or part of them, or engaged in any activity that the bank is permitted to conduct in a subsidiary pursuant to paragraph (12) of this Section 5.

(9) To own, possess, and carry as assets other real estate to which it may obtain title in the collection of its debts or that was formerly used as a part of the bank premises, but title to any real estate except as herein permitted shall not be retained by the bank, either directly or by or through a subsidiary, as permitted by subsection (12) of this Section for a total period of more than 10 years after acquiring title, either directly or indirectly.

(10) To do any act, including the acquisition of stock, necessary to obtain insurance of its deposits, or part thereof, and any act necessary to obtain a guaranty, in whole or in part, of any of its loans or investments by the United States or any agency thereof, and any act necessary to sell or otherwise dispose of any of its loans or investments to the United States or any agency thereof, and to acquire and hold membership in the Federal Reserve System.

(11) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act or any other law, to do any act and to own, possess, and carry as assets property of the character, including stock, that is at the time authorized or permitted to national banks by an Act of Congress, but subject always to the same limitations and restrictions as are applicable to national banks by the pertinent federal law and subject to applicable provisions of the Financial Institutions Insurance Sales Law.

(12) To own, possess, and carry as assets stock of one or more corporations that is, or are, engaged in one or more of the following businesses:

(a) holding title to and administering assets acquired as a result of the collection or liquidating of loans, investments, or discounts; or

(b) holding title to and administering personal property acquired by the bank, directly or indirectly through a subsidiary, for the purpose of leasing to others, provided the lease or leases and the investment of the bank, directly or through a subsidiary, in that personal property otherwise comply with Section 35.1 of this Act; or

(c) carrying on or administering any of the activities excepting the receipt of deposits or the payment of checks or other orders for the payment of money in which a bank may engage in carrying on its general banking business; provided, however, that nothing contained in this paragraph (c) shall be deemed to permit a bank organized under this Act or subject hereto to do, either directly or indirectly through any subsidiary, any act, including the making of any loan or investment, or to own, possess, or carry as assets any property that if done by or owned, possessed, or carried by the State bank would be in violation of or prohibited by any provision of this Act.

The provisions of this subsection (12) shall not apply to and shall not be deemed to limit the powers of a State bank with respect to the ownership, possession, and carrying of stock that a State bank is permitted to own, possess, or carry under this Act.

Any bank intending to establish a subsidiary under this subsection (12) shall give written notice to the Commissioner 60 days prior to the subsidiary's commencing of business or, as the case may be, prior to acquiring stock in a corporation that has already commenced business. After receiving the notice, the Commissioner may waive or reduce the balance of the 60-day notice period. The Commissioner may specify the form of the notice, may designate the types of subsidiaries not subject to this notice requirement, and may promulgate rules and regulations to administer this subsection (12).

(13) To accept for payment at a future date not exceeding one year from the date of acceptance, drafts drawn upon it by its customers; and to issue, advise, or confirm letters of credit authorizing the holders thereof to draw drafts upon it or its correspondents.

(14) To own and lease personal property acquired by the bank at the request of a prospective lessee and upon the agreement of that person to lease the personal property provided that the lease, the agreement with respect thereto, and the amount of the investment of the bank in the property comply with Section 35.1 of this Act.

(15)(a) To establish and maintain, in addition to the main banking premises, branches offering any banking services permitted at the main banking premises of a State bank.

(b) To establish and maintain, after May 31, 1997, branches in another state that may conduct any activity in that state that is authorized or permitted for any bank that has a banking charter issued by that state, subject to the same limitations and restrictions that are applicable to banks chartered by that state.

(16) (Blank).

(17) To establish and maintain terminals, as authorized by the Electronic Fund Transfer Act.

(18) To establish and maintain temporary service booths at any International Fair held in this State which is approved by the United States Department of Commerce, for the duration of the international fair for the sole purpose of providing a convenient place for foreign trade customers at the fair to exchange their home countries' currency into United States currency or the converse. This power shall not be construed as establishing a new place or change of location for the bank providing the service booth.

(19) To indemnify its officers, directors, employees, and agents, as authorized for corporations under Section 8.75 of the Business Corporation Act of 1983.

(20) To own, possess, and carry as assets stock of, or be or become a member of, any corporation, mutual company, association, trust, or other entity formed exclusively for the purpose of providing directors' and officers' liability and bankers' blanket bond insurance or reinsurance to and for the benefit of the stockholders, members, or beneficiaries, or their assets or businesses, or their officers, directors, employees, or agents, and not to or for the benefit of any other person or entity or the public generally.

(21) To make debt or equity investments in corporations or projects, whether for profit or not for profit, designed to promote the development of the community and its welfare, provided that the aggregate investment in all of these corporations and in all of these projects does not exceed 10% of the unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus of the bank and provided that this limitation shall not apply to creditworthy loans by the bank to those corporations or projects. Upon written application to the Commissioner, a bank may make an investment that would, when aggregated with all other such investments, exceed 10% of the unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus of the bank. The Commissioner may approve the investment if he is of the opinion and finds that the proposed investment will not have a material adverse effect on the safety and soundness of the bank.

(22) To own, possess, and carry as assets the stock of a corporation engaged in the ownership or operation of a travel agency or to operate a travel agency as a part of its business.

(23) With respect to affiliate facilities:

(a) to conduct at affiliate facilities for and on behalf of another commonly owned bank, if so authorized by the other bank, all transactions that the other bank is authorized or permitted to perform; and

(b) to authorize a commonly owned bank to conduct for and on behalf of it any of the transactions it is authorized or permitted to perform at one or more affiliate facilities.

Any bank intending to conduct or to authorize a commonly owned bank to conduct at an affiliate facility any of the transactions specified in this paragraph (23) shall give written notice to the Commissioner at least 30 days before any such transaction is conducted at the affiliate facility.

(24) To act as the agent for any fire, life, or other insurance company authorized by the State of Illinois, by soliciting and selling insurance and collecting premiums on policies issued by such company; and to receive for services so rendered such fees or commissions as may be agreed upon between the bank and the insurance company for which it may act as agent; provided, however, that no such bank shall in any case assume or guarantee the payment of any premium on insurance policies issued through its agency by its principal; and provided further, that the bank shall not guarantee the truth of any statement made by an assured in filing his application for insurance.

(25) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act or any other law, to offer any product or service that is at the time authorized or permitted to any insured savings association or out-of-state bank by applicable law, provided that powers conferred only by this subsection (25):

(a) shall always be subject to the same limitations and restrictions that are applicable to the insured savings association or out-of-state bank for the product or service by such applicable law;

(b) shall be subject to applicable provisions of the Financial Institutions Insurance Sales Law;

(c) shall not include the right to own or conduct a real estate brokerage business for which a license would be required under the laws of this State; and

(d) shall not be construed to include the establishment or maintenance of a branch, nor shall they be construed to limit the establishment or maintenance of a branch pursuant to subsection (11).

Not less than 30 days before engaging in any activity under the authority of this subsection, a bank shall provide written notice to the Commissioner of its intent to engage in the activity. The notice shall indicate the specific federal or state law, rule, regulation, or interpretation the bank intends to use as authority to engage in the activity.

Nothing in this Section shall be construed to require the filing of a notice or application for approval with the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency or a bank supervisor of another state as a condition to the right of a State bank to exercise any of the powers conferred by this Section in this State.

(Source: P.A. 99-362, eff. 8-13-15; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)