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92nd General Assembly

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Public Act 92-0476

HB1030 Enrolled                                LRB9206827JSpc

    AN ACT concerning banking.

    Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

    Section  5.  The  Illinois  Banking  Act  is  amended  by
changing Sections 16 and 46 as follows:

    (205 ILCS 5/16) (from Ch. 17, par. 323)
    Sec.  16.  Directors. The business and affairs of a State
bank shall be managed by its board of  directors  that  shall
exercise its powers as follows:
    (1)  Directors  shall be elected as provided in this Act.
Any omission to elect  a  director  or  directors  shall  not
impair any of the rights and privileges of the bank or of any
person  in  any  way interested. The existing directors shall
hold office until their successors are elected and qualify.
    (2) (a)  Notwithstanding the provisions  of  any  charter
    heretofore  or hereafter issued, the number of directors,
    not fewer than 5 nor more than 25, may be fixed from time
    to time  by  the  stockholders  at  any  meeting  of  the
    stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors
    or changing the number thereof by the affirmative vote of
    at  least two-thirds of the outstanding stock entitled to
    vote at the meeting, and the number so fixed shall be the
    board  regardless  of  vacancies  until  the  number   of
    directors is thereafter changed by similar action.
         (b)  Notwithstanding the minimum number of directors
    specified  in  paragraph  (a) of this subsection, a State
    bank that has been in existence for 10 years or more  and
    has  less  than $20,000,000 in assets, as of the December
    31  immediately   preceding   the   annual   meeting   of
    shareholders at which directors are elected, may, subject
    to  the approval of the Commissioner, have a minimum of 3
    directors; provided that if a State bank has fewer than 5
    directors, at least one director shall not be an  officer
    or  employee of the bank. The Commissioner shall annually
    review the appropriateness of the grant of  authority  to
    have  a  reduced  minimum number of directors pursuant to
    this paragraph (b).
    (3)  Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph  (3),
directors  shall hold office until the next annual meeting of
the stockholders succeeding their  election  or  until  their
successors are elected and qualify. If the board of directors
consists  of  6  or  more  members,  in  lieu of electing the
membership of the whole  board  of  directors  annually,  the
charter  or  by-laws  of  a  State  bank may provide that the
directors shall be divided into either 2 or 3  classes,  each
class  to  be  as  nearly equal in number as is possible. The
term of office of directors of the first class  shall  expire
at  the  first annual meeting of the stockholders after their
election, that of the second class shall expire at the second
annual meeting after their election, and that  of  the  third
class, if any, shall expire at the third annual meeting after
their  election. At each annual meeting after classification,
the number of directors equal to  the  number  of  the  class
whose  terms  expire  at  the  time  of  the meeting shall be
elected to hold office until  the  second  succeeding  annual
meeting, if there be 2 classes, or until the third succeeding
annual  meeting,  if  there  be  3  classes. Vacancies may be
filled by stockholders at a special meeting  called  for  the
purpose.
    If  authorized  by  the  bank's  by-laws  or an amendment
thereto, the directors of a State bank may  properly  fill  a
vacancy  or vacancies arising between shareholders' meetings,
but at no time may the number of directors selected to fill a
vacancy in this manner  during  any  interim  period  between
shareholders' meetings exceed 33 1/3% of the total membership
of the board of directors.
    (4)  The  board  of directors shall hold regular meetings
at least once each month, provided that, upon  prior  written
approval by the Commissioner, the board of directors may hold
regular  meetings less frequently than once each month but at
least once each calendar quarter.  A special meeting  of  the
board of directors may be held as provided by the by-laws.  A
special  meeting  of  the board of directors may also be held
upon call by the Commissioner or a  bank  examiner  appointed
under  the provisions of this Act upon not less than 12 hours
notice of the meeting by personal service of the notice or by
mailing the notice to each of the directors at his  residence
as  shown  by the books of the bank.  A majority of the board
of directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
business unless a greater number is required by  the  charter
or  the  by-laws.   The  act of the majority of the directors
present at a meeting at which a quorum is  present  shall  be
the act of the board of directors unless the act of a greater
number is required by the charter or by the by-laws.
    (5)  A  member of the board of directors shall be elected
president. The board of directors may appoint other officers,
as the by-laws may provide, and fix their salaries  to  carry
on the business of the bank.  The board of directors may make
and  amend  by-laws  (not inconsistent with this Act) for the
government of the bank and may, by the affirmative vote of  a
majority  of  the  board  of  directors, establish reasonable
compensation of all directors for services to the corporation
as directors, officers, or otherwise.   An  officer,  whether
elected  or  appointed by the board of directors or appointed
pursuant to the by-laws, may  be  removed  by  the  board  of
directors at any time.
    (6)  The  board  of  directors shall cause suitable books
and records of all the bank's transactions to be kept.
    (7) (a)  In discharging the duties  of  their  respective
    positions,  the  board  of  directors,  committees of the
    board, and individual directors may, in  considering  the
    best  long  term  and  short  term interests of the bank,
    consider the effects of any  action  (including,  without
    limitation, action that may involve or relate to a merger
    or potential merger or to a change or potential change in
    control   of   the   bank)  upon  employees,  depositors,
    suppliers,  and  customers  of  the  corporation  or  its
    subsidiaries,  communities  in  which  the  main  banking
    premises, branches, offices, or other  establishments  of
    the  bank  or  its  subsidiaries  are  located,  and  all
    pertinent factors.
         (b)  In  discharging  the duties of their respective
    positions, the board  of  directors,  committees  of  the
    board, and individual directors shall be entitled to rely
    on  advice, information, opinions, reports or statements,
    including  financial  statements  and   financial   data,
    prepared  or  presented  by:  (i) one or more officers or
    employees of the bank whom the director  believes  to  be
    reliable  and competent in the matter presented; (ii) one
    or more counsels, accountants, or other consultants as to
    matters that the director  believes  to  be  within  that
    person's  professional  or  expert competence; or (iii) a
    committee of the board upon which the director  does  not
    serve,  as  to matters within that committee's designated
    authority; provided that the  director's  reliance  under
    this  paragraph  (b)  is  placed  in  good  faith,  after
    reasonable  inquiry  if  the  need  for  such  inquiry is
    apparent under the circumstances  and  without  knowledge
    that would cause such reliance to be unreasonable.
(Source: P.A. 90-301, eff. 8-1-97; 91-452, eff. 1-1-00.)

    (205 ILCS 5/46) (from Ch. 17, par. 357)
    Sec.  46.  Misleading  practices  and  names  prohibited;
penalty.
    (a)  No person, firm, partnership, or corporation that is
not  a bank shall transact business in this State in a manner
which has a substantial likelihood of misleading  the  public
by  implying  that  the  business is a bank, or shall use the
word "bank", "banker", or "banking" in  connection  with  the
business.   Any  person,  firm,  partnership  or  corporation
violating this Section shall be deemed guilty of  a  Class  A
misdemeanor,  and the Attorney General or State's Attorney of
the county in which any such violation  occurs  may  restrain
such violation by a complaint for injunctive relief.
    (b)  If the Commissioner is of the opinion and finds that
a  person,  firm,  partnership,  or corporation that is not a
bank has transacted or intends to transact business  in  this
State  in  a  manner  which  has  a substantial likelihood of
misleading the public by implying  that  the  business  is  a
bank,  or  has  used  or  intends  to  use  the  word "bank",
"banker", or "banking" in connection with the business,  then
the  Commissioner  may direct that person, firm, partnership,
or corporation to  cease  and  desist  from  transacting  the
business  or  using  the word "bank", "banker", or "banking".
If that person, firm, partnership, or corporation persists in
transacting the business or using the word "bank",  "banker",
or  "banking",  then  the  Commissioner  may  impose  a civil
penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation.  Each  day  that
the  person,  firm,  partnership,  or  corporation  continues
transacting  the business or using the word "bank", "banker",
or "banking" in connection with the business shall constitute
a separate violation of these provisions.
    (c)  A person, firm, partnership, or corporation that  is
not  a  bank, and is not transacting or intending to transact
business in this State in a manner  that  has  a  substantial
likelihood  of  misleading  the  public by implying that such
business is  a  bank,  may  apply  to  the  Commissioner  for
permission  to use the word "bank", "banker", or "banking" in
connection with the business.  If the Commissioner determines
that there is no substantial  likelihood  of  misleading  the
public,  and  upon  such  conditions  as the Commissioner may
impose  to  prevent  the  person,   firm,   partnership,   or
corporation  from  holding itself out in a misleading manner,
then such person, firm, partnership, or corporation  may  use
the word "bank", "banker", or "banking".
         (d) (1)  No    person,    firm,    partnership,   or
    corporation may use the name of an existing  bank,  or  a
    name  deceptively  similar  to  that of an existing bank,
    when marketing to or soliciting business  from  customers
    or prospective customers if the reference to the existing
    bank is made (i) without the consent of the existing bank
    and (ii) in a manner that could cause a reasonable person
    to  believe  that  the marketing material or solicitation
    originated from or is endorsed by the  existing  bank  or
    that  the  existing  bank is in any other way responsible
    for the marketing material or solicitation.
         (2)  An existing bank may, in addition to any  other
    remedies  available  under  the  law,  report  an alleged
    violation of this subsection (d) to the Commissioner.  If
    the  Commissioner  finds  the   marketing   material   or
    solicitation  in  question  to  be  in  violation of this
    subsection, the Commissioner may direct the person, firm,
    partnership, or corporation  to  cease  and  desist  from
    using   that   marketing   material  or  solicitation  in
    Illinois.   If  that  person,   firm,   partnership,   or
    corporation persists in the use of the marketing material
    or solicitation, then the Commissioner may impose a civil
    penalty  of  up  to  $10,000  for  each  violation.  Each
    instance in which the marketing material or  solicitation
    is  sent  to  a  customer  or  prospective customer shall
    constitute a separate violation of these provisions.
         (3)  Nothing in this subsection  (d)  prohibits  the
    use  of  or  reference to the name of an existing bank in
    marketing materials or solicitations, provided  that  the
    use   or   reference  would  not  deceive  or  confuse  a
    reasonable  person  regarding   whether   the   marketing
    material  or solicitation originated from or was endorsed
    by the existing bank or whether the existing bank was  in
    any  other  way responsible for the marketing material or
    solicitation.   The   Commissioner   is   authorized   to
    promulgate rules to administer these provisions.
(Source: P.A. 89-567, eff. 7-26-96.)

    Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.
    Passed in the General Assembly May 30, 2001.
    Approved August 23, 2001.
    Effective August 23, 2001.

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