Title 12Banks and BankingRelease 119-73

§221a Additional definitions

Title 12 › Chapter CHAPTER 3— - FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - DEFINITIONS, ORGANIZATION, AND GENERAL PROVISIONS AFFECTING SYSTEM › § 221a

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines certain banking words and explains what counts as an "affiliate." The words "banks," "national bank," "national banking association," "member bank," "board," "district," and "reserve bank" have the meanings given in section 221 of this title. "Affiliate" means a corporation, business trust, association, or similar organization that is tied to a member bank because one controls the other. That includes when the bank directly or indirectly owns a majority of voting shares or controls more than 50 percent of the votes for electing directors; when the bank’s shareholders control the other organization directly or through trustees; when most of the other organization’s directors are also directors of a member bank; or when the other organization owns or controls a bank’s majority stock or the bank’s stock is held in trust for the other organization’s shareholders.

Full Legal Text

Title 12, §221a

Banks and Banking — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

As used in this chapter—
(a)The terms “banks”, “national bank”, “national banking association”, “member bank”, “board”, “district”, and “reserve bank” shall have the meanings assigned to them in section 221 of this title.
(b)Except where otherwise specifically provided, the term “affiliate” shall include any corporation, business trust, association, or other similar organization—
(1)Of which a member bank, directly or indirectly, owns or controls either a majority of the voting shares or more than 50 per centum of the number of shares voted for the election of its directors, trustees, or other persons exercising similar functions at the preceding election, or controls in any manner the election of a majority of its directors, trustees, or other persons exercising similar functions; or
(2)Of which control is held, directly or indirectly, through stock ownership or in any other manner, by the shareholders of a member bank who own or control either a majority of the shares of such bank or more than 50 per centum of the number of shares voted for the election of directors of such bank at the preceding election, or by trustees for the benefit of the shareholders of any such bank; or
(3)Of which a majority of its directors, trustees, or other persons exercising similar functions are directors of any one member bank; or
(4)Which owns or controls, directly or indirectly, either a majority of the shares of capital stock of a member bank or more than 50 per centum of the number of shares voted for the election of directors of a member bank at the preceding election, or controls in any manner the election of a majority of the directors of a member bank, or for the benefit of whose shareholders or members all or substantially all the capital stock of a member bank is held by trustees.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

As used in this chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “As used in this Act and in any provision of law amended by this Act”, meaning act June 16, 1933, ch. 89, 48 Stat. 162, known as the Banking Act of 1933. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

References in Text

note set out under section 227 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1966—Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 89–485, § 13(a), added par. (4) which incorporates definitions of “holding company affiliate” contained in cls. (1) and (2) of former subsec. (c) of this section, and substituted “a member bank” for “any one bank” in first two places. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 89–485, § 13(b), repealed definition of “holding company affiliate”, cls. (1) and (2) thereof now being incorporated in the subsec. (b)(4) definition of “affiliate”, substituting “a member bank” for “any one bank” in first two places and the par. excluding therefrom any corporations stock of which is fully owned by the United States and any organization determined by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System not to be engaged, directly or indirectly, as a business in holding the stock of, or managing or controlling, banks, banking associations, savings banks, or trust companies. 1935—Subsec. (c). Act Aug. 23, 1935, added last par.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

12 U.S.C. § 221a

Title 12Banks and Banking

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73