30.08.140 - Corporate powers of banks.

Corporate powers of banks.

Upon the issuance of a certificate of authority to a bank, the persons named in the articles of incorporation and their successors shall thereupon become a corporation and shall have power:

     (1) To adopt and use a corporate seal.

     (2) To have perpetual succession.

     (3) To make contracts.

     (4) To sue and be sued, the same as a natural person.

     (5) To elect directors who, subject to the provisions of the corporation's bylaws, shall have power to appoint such officers as may be necessary or convenient, to define their powers and duties and to dismiss them at pleasure, and who shall also have general supervision and control of the affairs of such corporation.

     (6) To make and alter bylaws, not inconsistent with its articles of incorporation or with the laws of this state, for the administration and regulation of its affairs.

     (7) To invest and reinvest its funds in marketable obligations evidencing the indebtedness of any person, copartnership, association, or corporation in the form of bonds, notes, or debentures commonly known as investment securities except as may by regulation be limited by the director.

     (8) To discount and negotiate promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other evidences of debt, to receive deposits of money and commercial paper, to lend money secured or unsecured, to issue all forms of letters of credit, to buy and sell bullion, coins and bills of exchange.

     (9) To take and receive as bailee for hire upon terms and conditions to be prescribed by the corporation, for safekeeping and storage, jewelry, plate, money, specie, bullion, stocks, bonds, mortgages, securities and valuable paper of any kind and other valuable personal property, and to rent vaults, safes, boxes and other receptacles for safekeeping and storage of personal property.

     (10) If the bank be located in a city of not more than five thousand inhabitants, to act as insurance agent. A bank exercising this power may continue to act as an insurance agent notwithstanding a change of the population of the city in which it is located.

     (11) To accept drafts or bills of exchange drawn upon it having not more than six months sight to run, which grow out of transactions involving the importation or exportation of goods; or which grow out of transactions involving the domestic shipment of goods, providing shipping documents conveying or securing title are attached at the time of acceptance; or which are secured at the time of acceptance by a warehouse receipt or other such document conveying or securing title to readily marketable staples. No bank shall accept, either in a foreign or a domestic transaction, for any one person, company, firm or corporation, to an amount equal at any one time in the aggregate to more than ten percent of its paid up and unimpaired capital stock and surplus unless the bank is secured by attached documents or by some other actual security growing out of the same transaction as the acceptance; and no bank shall accept such bills to an amount equal at any time in the aggregate to more than one-half of its paid up and unimpaired capital stock and surplus: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That the director, under such general regulations applicable to all banks irrespective of the amount of capital or surplus, as the director may prescribe may authorize any bank to accept such bills to an amount not exceeding at any time in the aggregate one hundred percent of its paid up and unimpaired capital stock and surplus: PROVIDED, FURTHER, That the aggregate of acceptances growing out of domestic transactions shall in no event exceed fifty percent of such capital stock and surplus.

     (12) To accept drafts or bills of exchange drawn upon it, having not more than three months sight to run, drawn under regulations to be prescribed by the director by banks or bankers in foreign countries or dependencies or insular possessions of the United States for the purpose of furnishing dollar exchange as required by the usages of trade in the respective countries, dependencies or insular possessions. Such drafts or bills may be acquired by banks in such amounts and subject to such regulations, restrictions and limitations as may be provided by the director: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That no bank shall accept such drafts or bills of exchange referred to in this subdivision for any one bank to an amount exceeding in the aggregate ten percent of the paid up and unimpaired capital and surplus of the accepting bank unless the draft or bill of exchange is accompanied by documents conveying or securing title or by some other adequate security, and that no such drafts or bills of exchange shall be accepted by any bank in an amount exceeding at any time the aggregate of one-half of its paid up and unimpaired capital and surplus: PROVIDED FURTHER, That compliance by any bank which is a member of the federal reserve system of the United States with the rules, regulations and limitations adopted by the federal reserve board thereof with respect to the acceptance of drafts or bills of exchange by members of such federal reserve system shall be a sufficient compliance with the requirements of this subdivision or paragraph relating to rules, regulations and limitations prescribed by the director.

     (13) To have and exercise all powers necessary or convenient to effect its purposes.

     (14) To serve as custodian of an individual retirement account and pension and profit sharing plans qualified under internal revenue code section 401(a), the assets of which are invested in deposits of the bank or trust company or are invested, pursuant to directions from the customer owning the account, in securities traded on a national securities market: PROVIDED, That the bank or trust company shall accept no investment responsibilities over the account unless it is granted trust powers by the director.

     (15) To be a limited partner in a limited partnership that engages in only such activities as are authorized for the bank.

     (16) To exercise any other power or authority permissible under applicable state or federal law conducted by out-of-state state banks with branches in Washington to the same extent if, in the opinion of the director, those powers and authorities affect the operations of banking in Washington or affect the delivery of financial services in Washington.

[1996 c 2 § 5; 1994 c 92 § 58; 1986 c 279 § 29; 1957 c 248 § 3; 1955 c 33 § 30.08.140. Prior: 1931 c 127 § 1; 1919 c 209 § 8; 1917 c 80 § 23; RRS § 3230.]

Notes: Severability -- 1996 c 2: See RCW 30.38.900.