- Bank holding company
A bank holding company is a company with significant ownership of one or more
bank s.United States
A bank holding company, under the laws of the United States, is any entity that directly or indirectly owns, controls, or has the power to vote 25% or more of a class of securities of a U.S. bank. Bank holding companies are required to register with the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System . Bank holding companies are subject to theBank Holding Company Act of 1956 (usc|12|1841(a)(2)(A) "").Regulation
The
Federal Reserve Board of Governors , under Regulation Y (12 C.F.R. Pt. 225) has responsibility for regulating and supervising bank holding company activities, such as establishing capital standards, approvingmergers and acquisitions and inspecting the operations of such companies. This authority applies even though a bank owned by a holding company may be under the primary supervision of theComptroller of the Currency or theFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation .Bank holding company status
New or smaller banks often re-structure themselves into bank holding companies to take advantage of the greater financial flexibility this corporate and legal status permits. Becoming a bank holding company makes it easier for the firm to raise capital than as a traditional bank. The holding company can assume debt of
shareholder s on a tax free basis, borrow money, acquire other banks and non-bank entities more easily, and issuestock with greater regulatory ease. It also has a greater legal authority to conductshare repurchase s of own stock.The downside includes responding to an additional regulatory authorities, especially if there are more than 300 shareholders, at which point the bank holding company is forced to register with the
Securities and Exchange Commission . There are also added expenses of operating with an extra layer of administration.ee also
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Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act External links
* [http://www.ffiec.gov/nicpubweb/nicweb/Top50Form.aspx Top 50 Bank Holding Companies from the Federal Reserve Website]
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