2021 Georgia Code
Title 7 - Banking and Finance
Chapter 1 - Financial Institutions
Article 2 - Banks and Trust Companies
Part 7 - Banking Depositories, Reserves, and Remissions
§ 7-1-371. Legal Reserve Requirements; Notice of Deficiency; Penalty; Effect of Deficiency

1. For the purposes of the reserve requirement imposed by subsection (c) of this Code section and the composition of the required reserve fund under subsection (d) of this Code section, the term:
   1. "Demand deposits" means the aggregate of deposits which can be required to be paid on demand or within less than 30 days after demand;
   2. "Reserve agent" means a depository of a financial institution selected as provided in Code Section 7-1-370 for the deposit of funds included in the required reserve fund.
2. A financial institution which is governed by 12 C.F.R. 204 shall maintain, at all times, a reserve fund in accordance with the applicable federal requirements.
3. A financial institution which is not governed by 12 C.F.R. 204 shall maintain, at all times, a reserve fund in an amount fixed by regulation of the department, but in no case shall such reserve be required in excess of the aggregate of 15 percent of demand deposits and 5 percent of other deposits.

   The amount of the required reserve for each day shall be computed on the basis of average daily deposits covering such biweekly or shorter periods as shall be fixed by regulation of the department.

4. In the case of a financial institution which is not governed by 12 C.F.R. 204, such portion of the reserve fund against deposits as shall be fixed by regulation of the department shall consist of United States coin and currency on hand or on deposit, subject to call without notice, in a reserve agent. The balance of such reserve fund shall be kept in obligations of:
   1. General obligations of the United States or of a subsidiary corporation of the United States government fully guaranteed by such government, or to obligations issued by the Federal Land Bank, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Bank, Bank for Cooperatives, Federal Farm Credit Banks regulated by the Farm Credit Administration, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, or Federal National Mortgage Association;
   2. Obligations of the State of Georgia or any instrumentality of this state; or
   3. Other issuers whose obligations are marketable and approved by regulation of the department for the purpose of this Code section.
5. All assets which are part of the reserve fund required by this Code section shall be owned absolutely by the financial institution and shall not be pledged, assigned, or hypothecated in any manner or subject to setoff. The value of all securities which constitute a part of a financial institution's reserve fund shall be computed at the current market value thereof.
6. A financial institution shall give written notice to the department, in the manner prescribed by the department for such notice, of any deficiency in the amount or form of the reserve fund required by this Code section within three business days after the close of any scheduled averaging period during which such deficiency occurs.
7. Immediately following the closing of any scheduled averaging period during which a deficiency in the required reserve occurs, the financial institution will take immediate action to restore the deficiency; and, until such deficiency is restored, the financial institution shall not make any new loans or discounts other than by discounting or purchasing bills of exchange at sight; nor shall any dividend be declared out of the profits of such financial institution. Any financial institution failing to restore its reserve to the required amount within 30 days after the closing of the averaging period in which the deficiency occurs may have its business and assets taken over by the department as provided in Part 7 of Article 1 of this chapter.

(Ga. L. 1919, p. 135, art. 19, §§ 27, 28; Ga. L. 1920, p. 102, § 1; Code 1933, §§ 13-2027, 13-2028; Ga. L. 1939, p. 360, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1966, p. 692, § 50; Ga. L. 1967, p. 798, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1969, p. 126, § 1; Ga. L. 1973, p. 526, §§ 6, 7; Code 1933, § 41A-1702, enacted by Ga. L. 1974, p. 705, § 1; Ga. L. 1975, p. 445, § 22; Ga. L. 2016, p. 390, § 2-5/HB 811.)

RESEARCH REFERENCES

C.J.S.

- 9 C.J.S., Banks and Banking, § 24.

- Rights and preference in respect of assets of insolvent bank or trust company as affected by its division into departments, 89 A.L.R. 1218; 114 A.L.R. 680.