TITLE 5

Banking

Banks and Trust Companies

CHAPTER 15. Credit Card Institutions

Subchapter IV. Powers, Conditions and Prohibitions

§ 1541. Powers and limitations.

(a) Any corporation formed under this chapter may engage only in the business of credit card operations and accepting deposits of money, as described in this section. In engaging in such business, such corporations may exercise only the powers described below:

(1) To sue and be sued, complain and defend in any court of law or equity;

(2) To make, hold, purchase, mortgage or lease such real or personal property as is necessary for the conduct of its business;

(3) To borrow money;

(4) To accept savings or time deposits of money in an amount not less than $100,000, and to accept collateral for extensions of credit by holding deposits under $100,000, and by other means; provided, that such deposits shall be insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation such that the credit card institution qualifies as an insured depository institution, as defined in the Federal Deposit Insurance Act at 12 U.S.C. § 1813(c);

(5) To engage in credit card operations by extending credit to any natural person or persons, the proceeds of which are used primarily for personal, family or household purposes, and to take security interests of any kind in property of any type to secure such loans or credits; provided, however, that a loan or credit card account in the name of not more than 2 natural persons shall be deemed to be primarily for personal, family or household purposes;

(6) To create and, except for directors’ qualifying shares, to own all of the capital stock of 1 or more subsidiary corporations that engage only in activities permitted by this chapter; provided, that no subsidiary corporation of a corporation organized under this chapter may accept deposits.

(b) No credit card institution shall possess or exercise any power:

(1) To act as a fiduciary of any sort including, but not limited to, an executor, administrator, guardian, conservator, trustee by will or other instrument, receiver or attorney-in-fact;

(2) To make commercial loans or extend credits to any corporation or to any natural person or persons when the proceeds of such loan or credit is to be used for business purposes of such individuals; provided, however, that a credit card account in the name of not more than 2 natural persons shall be deemed to be primarily for personal, family or household purposes;

(3) To accept demand deposits or deposits that the depositor may withdraw by check or similar means for payment to third parties or others;

(4) To do any business prohibited by § 767 of this title or any business not authorized by subsection (a) of this section.

70 Del. Laws, c. 112, §  7772 Del. Laws, c. 15, §  21

§ 1542. Office in State.

Every credit card institution shall have a single office in this State that accepts deposits. At such office, the corporation shall maintain such records and books of accounts as the State Bank Commissioner may by regulation require and shall employ such persons as it may require to review and act upon applications for extensions of credit permitted by § 1541 of this title.

70 Del. Laws, c. 112, §  77

§ 1543. Revocation of authority to transact business.

(a) Upon determining that any corporation organized under this chapter is engaging in any activity not permitted by § 1541 of this title or has more than 1 office that accepts deposits, the State Bank Commissioner may issue an order to such corporation requiring it to take such steps by a date certain as the Commissioner determines are necessary to cure such violation.

(b) Upon determining that any corporation organized under this chapter has failed to timely comply with any order issued under subsection (a) of this section, the State Bank Commissioner shall, by order effective no earlier than 10 nor later than 30 days after issuance, revoke such corporation’s authority to transact business in this State. Upon the effective date of such order, and so long as such order has not been suspended or set aside pursuant to subsection (c) of this section or withdrawn by the State Bank Commissioner, such corporation shall cease all business activity of any kind in this State, but shall maintain a registered office in this State for the purpose of accepting service of legal process.

(c) The Court of Chancery of the State shall have exclusive original jurisdiction of any judicial review of an order issued under subsection (b) of this section, any other provision of law notwithstanding. Such review may be sought by the corporation affected at any time within 1 year of the date of such order. Review of such order shall be de novo and such order will be specifically enforced by the Court of Chancery upon a final determination that at the time of its issuance the order was valid in all respects. The Court of Chancery may, in the exercise of its equitable jurisdiction in appropriate cases, suspend the operation of an order issued under subsection (b) of this section while judicial review of such order proceeds. An order issued under subsection (a) of this section shall not be subject to judicial review.

70 Del. Laws, c. 112, §  77

§ 1544. Merger with or conversion into national bank.

No corporation established under this chapter may merge with or convert into a national bank, except as otherwise provided pursuant to § 793 of this title.

70 Del. Laws, c. 112, §  7771 Del. Laws, c. 19, §  62