2013 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 34 - Banking, Financial Institutions and Money
CHAPTER 28 - SAVINGS ASSOCIATIONS
SECTION 34-28-500. Powers of associations generally.

Every association incorporated pursuant to or operating under the provisions of this chapter shall have all the powers enumerated, authorized, and permitted by this chapter and those other rights, privileges, and powers as may be incidental to or reasonably necessary or appropriate for the accomplishment of the objectives and purposes of the association. Among others, and except as otherwise limited by the provisions of this chapter or in its Articles of Incorporation, every association shall in addition to the powers of corporations listed in Section 33-3-20 have the following powers:

(1) To borrow not more than an aggregate amount equal to one-half of its total assets on the date of borrowing. A subsequent reduction of total assets shall not affect in any way outstanding obligations for the borrowed money. All these borrowings may be secured by property of the association and may be evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures, commercial paper, bankers' acceptances, or other obligations or securities, except capital stock and capital certificates;

(2) With respect to a mutual association, to issue and sell, directly or through underwriters, mutual capital certificates which shall represent nonwithdrawable capital contributions and shall constitute part of the reserves and net worth of the association. These certificates shall have no voting rights, are subordinate to all deposit accounts, debt obligations, and claims of creditors of the association, and shall constitute a claim in liquidation against any reserves, surplus, and other net worth accounts remaining after the payment in full of all savings and other deposit accounts, debt obligations, and claims of creditors. These capital certificates are entitled to the payment of earnings prior to the allocation of any income to surplus or other net worth accounts of the association and may be issued with a fixed rate of earnings or with a prior claim to distribution of a specified percentage of any net income remaining after required allocations to reserves, or a combination thereof. Losses must be charged against capital certificates only after reserves, surplus, and other net worth accounts have been exhausted;

(3) To sell with or without recourse any loan, including any participating interests therein;

(4) To service loans and investments for others;

(5) To obtain and maintain insurance of its savings accounts by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, or any successor or assignee federal agency established for the purpose of insuring savings or other deposit accounts in associations;

(6) To qualify as and become a member of a Federal Home Loan Bank;

(7) To become a member of, deal with, or make reasonable payments or contributions to any organization to the extent that the organization assists in furthering or facilitating the purposes, powers, or community responsibilities of the association and to comply with any reasonable condition of eligibility;

(8) To act as fiscal agent of the United States, and when so designated by the Secretary of the Treasury, to perform, under those regulations as he may prescribe, all reasonable duties as fiscal agent of the United States as he may require; and to act as agent for any instrumentality of the United States and as agent of this State or any instrumentality thereof;

(9) To act as depository for receipt of payments of federal or state taxes and loan funds and to satisfy any federal or state statutory or regulatory requirements in connection therewith, including pledging of assets as collateral, payment of earnings at prescribed rates, and notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, issuing these accounts subject to the right of immediate withdrawal;

(10) To act as agent or escrow agent for others in any transaction incidental to the operation of its business;

(11) To act, and receive compensation therefor, as trustee of any trust created or organized in the United States and forming a part of a stock bonus, pension, or profit sharing plan which qualifies or is qualified for specific tax treatment under Section 401(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, and to act as trustee or custodian of an individual retirement account within the meaning of Section 408 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended from time to time, if the funds of the trust or account are invested only in savings accounts of the association or in obligations or securities issued by the association. All funds held in a fiduciary capacity by any association under the authority of this subsection may be commingled and consolidated for appropriate purposes of investment, provided that records reflecting each separate beneficial interest are maintained by the fiduciary unless this responsibility is lawfully assumed by another appropriate party;

(12) Upon application to and approval by the Board pursuant to Chapter 21 of Title 34, to exercise trust powers under the same terms and conditions as permitted federally chartered savings and loan associations by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board from time to time;

(13) To own and use or participate in the use or ownership and use of remote financial service units;

(14) To offer and accept for deposit from any person or governmental unit savings accounts for fixed, minimum, or indefinite periods of time as determined by the board of directors, and to pay interest on these accounts in an amount determined by the board of directors;

(15) To offer demand accounts to the extent that federally chartered associations are authorized to do so; provided, that state chartered associations may elect, by a majority vote of its directors, to designate a class of noninterest-bearing savings accounts, known as NINOW accounts, from which account holders may make withdrawals by negotiable or transferable instruments. An association may charge a fee for making any payment or transfer or for maintaining a NINOW account, but an association shall not distribute earnings or pay interest on NINOW accounts. No association is authorized to pay interest on demand accounts or to offer overdraft privileges incident to a demand account except to the extent a federally chartered association may do so;

(16) To maintain and let safes, boxes, or other receptacles or premises for the safekeeping of personal property upon those terms and conditions as may be agreed upon subject to the provisions of Chapter 19 of Title 34;

(17) To sell money orders, traveler's checks, and similar instruments drawn by it on its deposit accounts or as agent for any organization empowered to sell these instruments through agents within the State;

(18) In the case of a stock-owned association, to declare and pay dividends on capital stock in cash or property out of the unreserved and unrestricted earned surplus of the association or in its own shares, from time to time except when the payment would cause the association to fail to meet the minimum of allowances for losses required by Section 34-28-540(5), or except when the association is in an impaired condition, or when the payment thereof would cause the association to be in an impaired condition. A splitup or division of the issued shares of capital stock into a greater number of shares without increasing the stated capital of the association is authorized and is not construed to be a dividend within the meaning of this subsection;

(19) To contract with the proper authorities of any public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school or institution of higher learning, or any public or charitable institution caring for minors, for the participation and implementation by the association in any school or institutional thrift or savings plan, and to accept savings accounts at a school or institution, either by its own collector or by any representative of the school or institution which becomes the agent of the association for this purpose;

(20) To contract with any employer with respect to the solicitation, collection, and receipt of savings by payroll deduction to be credited to a designated account or accounts of his employees who voluntarily may participate or with respect to the direct deposit of wages or salary paid by the employer to the account of an employee in a financial depository institution by electronic or other medium upon authorization in writing by the employee and his designation of the association or other financial depository institution as the recipient of the deposits;

(21) To issue drafts and similar instruments drawn on the association to aid in effecting withdrawals and for other purposes of the association;

(22) To engage in any other activity approved by the Board pursuant to this chapter or Section 34-1-110.

HISTORY: 1985 Act No. 124, Section 1.