5.13—Decisions.
(a) General.
The OCC may approve, conditionally approve, or deny a filing after appropriate review and consideration of the record. In deciding an application under this part, the OCC may consider the activities, resources, or condition of an affiliate of the applicant that may reasonably reflect on or affect the applicant.
(1) Conditional approval.
The OCC may impose conditions on any approval, including to address a significant supervisory, CRA (if applicable), or compliance concern, if the OCC determines that the conditions are necessary or appropriate to ensure that approval is consistent with relevant statutory and regulatory standards and OCC policies thereunder and safe and sound banking practices.
(2) Expedited review.
The OCC grants eligible banks expedited review within a specified time after filing or commencement of the public comment period, including any extension of the comment period granted pursuant to § 5.10, as described in applicable sections of this part.
(i)
The OCC may extend the expedited review process for a filing subject to the CRA up to an additional 10 days if a comment contains specific assertions concerning a bank's CRA performance that, if true, would indicate a reasonable possibility that:
(A)
A bank's CRA rating would be less than satisfactory, institution-wide, or, where applicable, in a state or multistate MSA; or
(B)
A bank's CRA performance would be less than satisfactory in an MSA, or in the non-MSA portion of a state, in which it seeks to expand through approval of an application for a deposit facility as defined in 12 U.S.C. 2902(3).
(ii)
The OCC will remove a filing from expedited review procedures, if the OCC concludes that the filing, or an adverse comment regarding the filing, presents a significant supervisory, CRA (if applicable), or compliance concern, or raises a significant legal or policy issue, requiring additional OCC review. The OCC will provide the applicant with a written explanation if it decides not to process an application from an eligible bank under expedited review pursuant to this paragraph (a)(2)(ii). For purposes of this section, a significant CRA concern exists if the OCC concludes that:
(A)
A bank's CRA rating is less than satisfactory, institution-wide, or, where applicable, in a state or multistate MSA; or
(B)
A bank's CRA performance is less than satisfactory in an MSA, or in the non-MSA portion of a state, in which it seeks to expand through approval of an application for a deposit facility as defined in 12 U.S.C. 2902(3).
(iii)
Adverse comments that the OCC determines do not raise a significant supervisory, CRA (if applicable), or compliance concern, or a significant legal or policy issue, or are frivolous, filed primarily as a means of delaying action on the filing, or that raise a CRA concern that the OCC determines has been satisfactorily resolved, do not affect the OCC's decision under paragraphs (a)(2)(i) or (a)(2)(ii) of this section. The OCC considers a CRA concern to have been satisfactorily resolved if the OCC previously reviewed (e.g., in an examination or an application) a concern presenting substantially the same issue in substantially the same assessment area during substantially the same time, and the OCC determines that the concern would not warrant denial or imposition of a condition on approval of the application.
(iv)
If a bank files an application for any activity or transaction that is dependent upon the approval of another application under this part, or if requests for approval for more than one activity or transaction are combined in a single application under applicable sections of this part, none of the subject applications may be deemed approved upon expiration of the applicable time periods, unless all of the applications are subject to expedited review procedures and the longest of the time periods expires without the OCC issuing a decision or notifying the bank that the filings are not eligible for expedited review under the standards in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section.
(1)
A significant supervisory, CRA (if applicable), or compliance concern exists with respect to the applicant;
(2)
Approval of the filing is inconsistent with applicable law, regulation, or OCC policy thereunder; or
(3)
The applicant fails to provide information requested by the OCC that is necessary for the OCC to make an informed decision.
(c) Required information and abandonment of filing.
A filing must contain information required by the applicable section set forth in this part. To the extent necessary to evaluate an application, the OCC may require an applicant to provide additional information. The OCC may deem a filing abandoned if information required or requested by the OCC in connection with the filing is not furnished within the time period specified by the OCC. The OCC may return an application without a decision if it finds the filing to be materially deficient. A filing is materially deficient if it lacks sufficient information for the OCC to make a determination under the applicable statutory or regulatory criteria.
(d) Notification of final disposition.
The OCC notifies the applicant, and any person who makes a written request, of the final disposition of a filing, including confirmation of an expedited review under this part. If the OCC denies a filing, the OCC notifies the applicant in writing of the reasons for the denial.
(e) Publication of decision.
The OCC will issue a public decision when a decision represents a new or changed policy or presents issues of general interest to the public or the banking industry. In rendering its decisions, the OCC may elect not to disclose information that the OCC deems to be private or confidential.
(f) Appeal.
An applicant may file an appeal of an OCC decision with the Deputy Comptroller for Licensing or with the Ombudsman. Relevant addresses and telephone numbers are located in the Manual. In the event the Deputy Comptroller for Licensing was the deciding official of the matter appealed, or was involved personally and substantially in the matter, the appeal may be referred instead to the Chief Counsel.
(g) Extension of time.
When the OCC approves or conditionally approves a filing, the OCC generally gives the applicant a specified period of time to commence that new or expanded activity. The OCC does not generally grant an extension of the time specified to commence a new or expanded corporate activity approved under this part, unless the OCC determines that the delay is beyond the applicant's control.
(h) Nullifying a decision—
(1) Material misrepresentation or omission.
An applicant shall certify that any filing or supporting material submitted to the OCC contains no material misrepresentations or omissions. The OCC may review and verify any information filed in connection with a notice or an application. If the OCC discovers a material misrepresentation or omission after the OCC has rendered a decision on the filing, the OCC may nullify its decision. Any person responsible for any material misrepresentation or omission in a filing or supporting materials may be subject to enforcement action and other penalties, including criminal penalties provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.