TITLE 5

Banking

Banks and Trust Companies

CHAPTER 7. Corporation Law for State Banks and Trust Companies

Subchapter I. General Provisions

§ 701. Establishment of banks and trust companies; savings banks and national banks.

Except as specifically provided by Chapter 15 or Chapter 16 of this title, banks and trust companies shall be established or created in this State under and in accordance with this chapter. This chapter shall not, however, apply to national banks, except as otherwise provided in subchapters VI and VII of this chapter. The terms “bank” or “banks,” when used in this chapter, do not include such national banks, except as otherwise provided in subchapters VI and VII of this chapter. Furthermore, the provisions of this chapter specifically relating to capital stock or stockholders of a bank organized under this chapter shall not apply to a corporation without capital stock doing a savings bank business.

38 Del. Laws, c. 94, §§  1, 2;  Code 1935, §§  2370, 2371;  5 Del. C. 1953, §  701;  64 Del. Laws, c. 42, §  270 Del. Laws, c. 327, §  370 Del. Laws, c. 336, §  171 Del. Laws, c. 19, §  1971 Del. Laws, c. 25, §  7

§ 702. Applicability of other laws.

Every corporation (but not including a limited liability company) created under this chapter shall be deemed to be subject to and entitled to the benefit of this Code and any other general statutes of this State making provision for the regulation of banks and trust companies, or for the regulation and governance of corporations established under Title 8 of this Code, where the same are not inconsistent with the express provisions of this chapter. Every limited liability company created under this chapter shall be deemed to be subject to and entitled to the benefit of this Code and any other general statutes of this State making provision for the regulation of trust companies, or for the regulation and governance of limited liability companies formed under Title 6, where the same are not inconsistent with the express provisions of this chapter.

38 Del. Laws, c. 94, §  32;  Code 1935, §  2401;  5 Del. C. 1953, §  702;  64 Del. Laws, c. 156, §  276 Del. Laws, c. 383, §  2

§ 703. Taxation.

Every corporation and limited liability company created by or under this chapter, and every corporation and limited liability company whose charter, certificate of incorporation or certificate of formation is amended under this chapter, shall be subject to the same taxation as shall be fixed by the laws of this State for banks and trust companies.

38 Del. Laws, c. 94, §  34;  Code 1935, §  2403;  5 Del. C. 1953, §  703;  61 Del. Laws, c. 490, §  176 Del. Laws, c. 383, §  3

§ 704. Reserved power of State to amend or repeal this chapter.

This chapter may be amended or repealed, at the pleasure of the General Assembly, but such amendment or repeal shall not take away or repeal any remedy against any corporation established under this chapter, or its officers, for any liability which shall have been previously incurred.

38 Del. Laws, c. 94, §  35;  Code 1935, §  2404;  5 Del. C. 1953, §  704; 

§ 705. Revocation for nonuse of charters granted prior to July 1, 1933.

Every charter authorizing the establishment of a bank or trust company in this State and which was granted or passed by the General Assembly of this State prior to the 1st day of July, 1933, shall be deemed and held to be revoked for nonuse of corporate franchise unless the corporation created or authorized by such charter was actively engaged in business in this State on December 31, 1933.

32 Del. Laws, c. 103, §  2238 Del. Laws, c. 93, §  1(8);  Code 1935, §  2310;  5 Del. C. 1953, §  705; 

§ 706. Limited liability companies as trust companies, conversions.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a trust company, including a limited purpose trust company, may be a limited liability company and any trust company that is a limited liability company shall have all the powers and privileges of, and, except to the extent expressly otherwise provided in this Code, shall be subject to all the duties, restrictions and liabilities of, a trust company that is a corporation. Except to the extent expressly otherwise provided in this Code, a trust company that is a limited liability company shall be subject to all of the same laws and regulations of this State that relate to a trust company that is a corporation.

(b) Unless another intention clearly appears or unless the context requires a different meaning, any terms used in this Code that apply to a trust company that is a corporation shall be construed to apply in the same manner, or in a manner as similar as possible given the context, to a trust company that is a limited liability company, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each reference in this Code to:

(1) “Capital stock” or “stock” that refers to the stock of a trust company that is a corporation shall also refer to the limited liability company interests in a trust company that is a limited liability company and, correspondingly, each reference in this Code to “common stock”, “preferred stock” and “voting stock” that refers to common stock, preferred stock and voting stock, respectively, of a trust company that is a corporation shall also refer to common limited liability company interests, preferred limited liability company interests and voting limited liability company interests, respectively, in a trust company that is a limited liability company;

(2) “Certificate of incorporation” or “charter” that refers to the certificate of incorporation, charter or articles of association, as applicable, of a trust company that is a corporation shall also refer to the certificate of formation and/or articles of association, as applicable, of a trust company that is a limited liability company;

(3) “Corporate” that relates to a trust company that is a corporation shall mean “limited liability company” in relation to a trust company that is a limited liability company;

(4) “Corporation” that refers to a trust company that is a corporation shall also refer to a trust company that is a limited liability company; provided, that nothing in this chapter shall be construed to affect the status of a trust company that is a limited liability company as a limited liability company rather than a corporation;

(5) “Director” or “board of directors” that refers to a director or the board of directors of a trust company that is a corporation shall also refer to a manager or the board of managers of a trust company that is a limited liability company;

(6) “Dividends” that refers to dividends of a trust company that is a corporation shall also refer to distributions of a trust company that is a limited liability company;

(7) “Incorporated” or “incorporation” that refers to a trust company that is a corporation shall refer to the formation status or formation of a trust company that is a limited liability company; provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, a trust company that is a limited liability company is formed rather than incorporated;

(8) “Incorporator” that refers to an incorporator of a trust company that is a corporation shall also refer to an initial member of a trust company that is a limited liability company;

(9) “Shares” that refers to the shares of stock of a trust company that is a corporation shall also refer to the units into which the limited liability company interests in a trust company that is a limited liability company are divided; and

(10) “Stockholder” or “shareholder” that refers to a stockholder of a trust company that is a corporation shall also refer to a member of a trust company that is a limited liability company.

(c) The limited liability company agreement of a trust company that is a limited liability company shall be comprised solely of the articles of association of the trust company and the bylaws of the trust company and shall be subject to the approval of the State Bank Commissioner as to form and substance. The bylaws of a trust company that is a limited liability company shall not contain any provision that is inconsistent with the articles of association of the trust company. The business and affairs of a trust company that is a limited liability company shall be managed by or under the direction of a board of managers, which shall be designated as a “board of directors” and each manager shall be a natural person and shall be designated as a “director”. Each member of a trust company that is a limited liability company shall be designated as a “stockholder.” The limited liability company interests in a trust company that is a limited liability company shall be designated as “stock.” The units into which limited liability company interests in a trust company that is a limited liability company are divided shall be designated as “shares.”

(d) With the prior approval of the State Bank Commissioner, a trust company that is a corporation may convert to a trust company that is a limited liability company by following the applicable procedures set forth in Titles 6 and 8 for the conversion of a corporation incorporated under Chapter 1 of Title 8 to a limited liability company formed under Chapter 18 of Title 6, provided, that, in lieu of filing in the office of the Secretary of State a certificate of formation that complies with § 18-201 of Title 6 pursuant to § 18-214 of Title 6, articles of organization of the limited liability company that comply with § 730 of this title shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State and, upon the filing of a certificate of conversion to limited liability company as required by § 18-214 of Title 6 and the articles of organization as required by § 730 of this title, the Secretary of State shall issue a certificate of formation for such limited liability company pursuant to § 731 of this title. Such a conversion shall be subject to, and shall have all of the effects provided for under, § 18-214 of Title 6 and § 266 of Title 8 to the extent the same are not inconsistent with the express provisions of this chapter.

(e) With the prior approval of the State Bank Commissioner, a trust company that is a limited liability company may convert to a trust company that is a corporation by following the applicable procedures set forth in Titles 6 and 8 for the conversion of a limited liability company formed under Chapter 18 of Title 6 to a corporation incorporated under Chapter 1 of Title 8, provided, that, in lieu of filing in the office of the Secretary of State a certificate of incorporation pursuant to § 265 of Title 8, articles of organization of the corporation that comply with § 730 of this title shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State and, upon the filing of a certificate of conversion to corporation as required by § 265 of Title 8 and the articles of organization as required by § 730 of this title, the Secretary of State shall issue a certificate of incorporation for such corporation pursuant to § 731 of this title. Such a conversion shall be subject to, and shall have all of the effects provided for under, § 265 of Title 8 and § 18-216 of Title 6 to the extent the same are not inconsistent with the express provisions of this chapter.

76 Del. Laws, c. 383, §  4