New York Banking Law


Article 15

ARTICLE XV General Provisions Applicable to Banking Stock Corporations, Limited Liability Investment Companies, and Limited Liability Trust Companies

Title 1. Definitions; Application; Certificates; Miscellaneous. 2. Corporate powers. 3. Corporate name. 4. Formation of corporations. 5. Corporate finance. 5-A. Limited liability investment company finance. 6. Stockholders. 6-A. Membership in a limited liability investment company. 7. Directors and officers. 8. Amendments and changes.
Title 1, Definitions, Application
TITLE I Definitions; Application; Certificates; Miscellaneous Section 1001. Definitions.
1002. Application.
1003. Certificates; requirements, signing, filing, effectiveness.
1004. Certificates; corrections.
1005. Certificates as evidence.
1006. Corporate seal as evidence.
1007. When notice or lapse of time unnecessary; notices dispensed with when delivery is prohibited.
1008. Effect of invalidity of part of article; severability.

S 1001. Definitions. In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Corporation" means and includes all banks, trust companies, safe deposit companies, investment companies, mutual trust investment companies, and, to the extent not provided otherwise under any regulation of the banking board promulgated pursuant to the provisions of section fourteen-e of this chapter, stock-form savings banks and stock-form savings and loan associations. 2. "Director" means any member of the governing board of a corporation, whether designated as director, trustee, manager, governor, or by any other title. The term "board" means "board of directors". 3. "Foreign corporation" means a corporation which is licensed by the superintendent under the provisions of article two of this chapter to do business in this state or is applying for such license and a corporation authorized to conduct business in this state pursuant to article five-C of this chapter or is applying for such authorization. 4. "Office" means in the case of a bank or trust company its principal office, in the case of an industrial bank, safe deposit company, investment company or mutual trust investment company, its principal place of business and in the case of a foreign corporation the place of business designated in its license or its authorization pursuant to article five-C of this chapter, as the case may be, for the oldest agency or branch in this state of such foreign corporation. 5. "Organization certificate" includes (a) the original organization certificate or any other instrument filed or issued under any statute to form a corporation or foreign corporation, as amended, supplemented or restated by certificates of amendment, merger or consolidation or other certificates or instruments filed or issued under any statute; or (b) a special act or charter creating a corporation or foreign corporation, as amended, supplemented or restated by special acts or by certificates of amendment, merger or consolidation or other certificates or instruments filed or issued under any statute. 6. "Treasury shares" means shares which have been issued, have been subsequently acquired, and are retained uncancelled by the corporation. S 1002. Application. 1. This article applies to every corporation and, to the extent herein provided, to every foreign corporation, and shall not apply to any other banking organization, except to such extent, if any, as may be specified in any article of this chapter governing such banking organization. 2. The general corporation law, the stock corporation law and the business corporation law shall not apply to any corporation or foreign corporation as defined in section one thousand one. S 1003. Certificates; requirements, signing, filing, effectiveness. 1. Every certificate or other instrument relating to a corporation or foreign corporation which is delivered to the superintendent for filing under this chapter shall be in the English language, except that the corporate name may be in another language if written in English letters or characters. 2. Whenever such instrument is required to set forth an address, it shall include the street and number, or other particular description instead of a street and number. This requirement does not apply where a post office address is specified to be set forth. 3. Whenever such instrument is required to set forth the date when an organization certificate was filed by the superintendent, the original organization certificate is meant. This requirement shall be satisfied, in the case of a corporation created by special act, by setting forth the chapter number and year of passage of such act. 4. Every such instrument required under this chapter to be signed and delivered to the superintendent shall, except as otherwise specified in the section providing for such instrument, be signed either (a) by the holders of all outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon, or (b) by the chairman of the board, the president or a vice president and by the secretary or an assistant secretary or, in the case of a corporation which does not have a secretary or an assistant secretary, by the cashier or an assistant cashier or (c) if there are no such officers, by a majority of the directors or such directors as are designated by a majority of the directors in office, or (d) if also there are no directors, by the holders, or such of them as are designated by the holders, of record of a majority of all outstanding shares, entitled to vote thereon, or (e) if also there is no stockholder of record, by a subscriber for shares whose subscription has been accepted or his

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successor in interest, or (f) if also no subscription for shares has been accepted, by an incorporator or anyone acting in his stead under subdivision three of section six thousand fifteen. His name and the capacity in which any person signs such instrument shall be stated beneath or opposite his signature. The person signing such instrument, or if more than one person signs it, one of such persons shall verify or acknowledge the instrument if required by the section providing for such instrument. 5. No such instrument shall be filed unless it shall have endorsed thereon the approval of the superintendent. No certificate of authentication or conformity or other proof shall be required with respect to any verification, oath or acknowledgment of any instrument delivered to the superintendent under this chapter, if such verification, oath or acknowledgment purports to have been made before a notary public, or person performing the equivalent function, of one of the states, or any subdivision thereof, of the United States or the District of Columbia. 6. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, such instrument shall become effective upon the filing thereof by the superintendent. 7. The superintendent shall make, certify and transmit a copy of each such instrument to the clerk of the county in which the office of the corporation or foreign corporation is or is to be located. The county clerk shall file and index such copy. S 1004. Certificates; corrections. Any certificate or other instrument relating to a corporation or foreign corporation filed by the superintendent under this chapter may be corrected with respect to any informality or error apparent on the face or defect in the execution thereof including the deletion of any matter not permitted to be stated therein. A certificate, entitled "Certificate of correction of ............ (correct title of certificate and name of corporation or foreign corporation)" shall be signed, verified or acknowledged as provided in this chapter with respect to the instrument being corrected and delivered to the superintendent. It shall set forth the name of the corporation or foreign corporation, the date the instrument to be corrected was filed by the superintendent, the provision in the instrument as corrected or eliminated and if the execution was defective, the proper execution. The filing of the certificate by the superintendent shall not alter the effective time of the instrument being corrected, which shall remain as its original effective date, and shall not affect any right or liability accrued or incurred before such filing. The name of the corporation or foreign corporation may not be changed or corrected under this section. S 1005. Certificates as evidence. 1. Any certificate or other instrument filed by the superintendent relating to a corporation or a foreign corporation and containing statements of fact required or permitted by law to be contained therein, shall be received in all courts, public offices and official bodies as prima facie evidence of such facts and of the execution of such instrument. 2. Whenever by the laws of any jurisdiction other than this state, any certificate by any officer in such jurisdiction or a copy of any instruments certified or exemplified by any such officer, may be received as prima facie evidence of the incorporation, existence or capacity of any foreign corporation incorporated in such jurisdiction, or claiming so to be, such certificate when exemplified, or such copy of such instrument when exemplified shall be received in all courts, public offices and official bodies of this state, as prima facie evidence with the same force as in such jurisdiction. Such certificate or certified copy of such instrument shall be so received, without being exemplified, if it is certified by the secretary of state, or official performing the equivalent functions as to corporate records, of such jurisdiction. S 1006. Corporate seal as evidence. The presence of the corporate seal on a written instrument purporting to be executed by authority of a corporation or a foreign corporation shall be prima facie evidence that the instrument was so executed. S 1007. When notice or lapse of time unnecessary; notices dispensed with when delivery is prohibited. 1. Whenever, under this article or the organization certificate or by-laws of any corporation or by the terms of any agreement or instrument, a corporation or the board or any committee thereof is authorized to take any action after notice to any person or persons or after the lapse of a prescribed period of time, such action may be taken without notice and without the lapse of such period of time. If at any time before or after such action is completed the person or persons entitled to such notice or entitled to participate in the action to be taken or, in the case of a stockholder, by his attorney-in-fact, submit a signed waiver of notice of such requirements. 2. Whenever any notice or communication is required to be given to any person by this article, the organization certificate or by-laws, or by the terms of any agreement or instrument, or as a condition precedent to taking any corporate action and communication with such person is then unlawful under any statute of this state or of the United States or any regulation, proclamation or order issued under said statutes, then the giving of such notice or communication to such person shall not be required and there shall be no duty to apply for a license or other permission to do so. Any affidavit, certificate or other instrument which is required to be made or filed as proof of the giving of any notice or communication required under this article shall, if such notice or communication to any person is dispensed with under this section, include a statement that such notice or communication was not given to any person with whom communication is unlawful. Such affidavit, certificate or other instrument shall be as effective for all purposes as though such notice or communication had been personally given to such person. S 1008. Effect of invalidity of part of article; severability. If any provision of this article or application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this article which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this article are declared severable.