Bank Act (S.C. 1991, c. 46)

Marginal note:Cancellation of shares and membership shares

• 73 (1) Subject to subsection (2), if a bank purchases shares of the bank or fractions of shares, or membership shares of the bank, or redeems or otherwise acquires shares or membership shares of the bank, the bank must cancel those shares or membership shares.

• Marginal note:Requirement to sell

  (2) Where a bank or any of its subsidiaries, through the realization of security, acquires any shares of the bank or of any body corporate that controls the bank or any ownership interests in an unincorporated entity that controls the bank, the bank shall, or shall cause its subsidiaries to, as the case may be, within six months after the day of the realization, sell or otherwise dispose of the shares or ownership interests.

Marginal note:Subsidiary holding shares

74 Subject to the regulations, a bank that was in existence immediately prior to the day this Part comes into force shall cause any subsidiary of the bank that holds shares of the bank, or of any body corporate that controls the bank, or any ownership interests of any unincorporated entity that controls the bank to sell or otherwise dispose of those shares or ownership interests within six months after the day this section comes into force.

Marginal note:Reduction of capital

• 75 (1) The stated capital of a bank that is not a federal credit union may be reduced by special resolution.

• Marginal note:Reduction of capital — federal credit unions

  (1.1) The stated capital of a federal credit union may be reduced by special resolution of its members and, if it has issued shares, by a separate special resolution of the shareholders, the class of shareholders or the holders of the series of shares that is affected by the special resolution.

• Marginal note:Limitation

  (2) A bank shall not reduce its stated capital by special resolution if there are reasonable grounds for believing that the bank is, or the reduction would cause the bank to be, in contravention of any regulation referred to in subsection 485(1) or (2) or any direction made pursuant to subsection 485(3).

• Marginal note:Contents of special resolution

  (3) A special resolution to reduce the stated capital of a bank shall specify the stated capital account or accounts from which the reduction of stated capital effected by the special resolution will be deducted.

• Marginal note:Approval by Superintendent

  (4) A special resolution to reduce the stated capital of a bank has no effect until it is approved in writing by the Superintendent.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (4.1) Subsection (4) does not apply if

  • (a) the reduction in the stated capital is made solely as a result of changes made to the accounting principles referred to in subsection 308(4); and

  • (b) there is to be no return of capital to shareholders or members, as the case may be, as a result of the reduction.

• Marginal note:Conditions for approval

  (5) No approval to reduce the stated capital of a bank may be given by the Superintendent unless application therefor is made within three months after the time of the passing of the special resolution and a copy of the special resolution, together with a notice of intention to apply for approval, has been published in the Canada Gazette.

• Marginal note:Statements to be submitted

  (6) In addition to evidence of the passing of a special resolution to reduce the stated capital of a bank and of the publication thereof, statements showing

  • (a) the number of the bank’s shares or membership shares, as the case may be, issued and outstanding,

  • (b) the results of the voting,

  • (c) the bank’s assets and liabilities, and

  • (d) the reason why the bank seeks the reduction of capital

  shall be submitted to the Superintendent at the time of the application for approval of the special resolution.

Marginal note:Recovery by action

• 76 (1) If any money or property was paid or distributed to a shareholder, member or other person as a consequence of a reduction of capital made contrary to section 75, a creditor of the bank may apply to a court for an order compelling the shareholder, member or other person to pay the money or deliver the property to the bank.

• Marginal note:Shares and membership shares held by personal representative

  (2) No person holding shares or membership shares in the capacity of a personal representative and registered on the records of the bank as a shareholder or member and described in those records as the personal representative of a named person is personally liable under subsection (1), but the named person is subject to all the liabilities imposed by that subsection.

• Marginal note:Limitation

  (3) An action to enforce a liability imposed by subsection (1) may not be commenced more than two years after the date of the act complained of.

• Marginal note:Remedy preserved

  (4) This section does not affect any liability that arises under section 207.

Marginal note:Adjustment of stated capital account

• 77 (1) On a purchase, redemption or other acquisition by a bank of shares or fractions of shares, or of membership shares, issued by it, other than shares or membership shares acquired under section 72 or acquired through the realization of security and sold under subsection 73(2), the bank must deduct from the stated capital account maintained for the class or series of shares, or for the membership shares, as the case may be, so purchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired an amount equal to the result obtained by multiplying the stated capital in respect of the shares of that class or series, or in respect of the membership shares, as the case may be, by the number of shares of that class or series, or the number of membership shares, as the case may be, so purchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired and dividing by the number of shares of that class or series, or the number of membership shares, as the case may be, outstanding immediately before the purchase, redemption or other acquisition.

• Marginal note:Idem

  (2) A bank shall adjust its stated capital account or accounts in accordance with any special resolution referred to in section 75.

• Marginal note:Shares converted to another class

  (3) On a conversion of outstanding shares of a bank into shares of another class or series, or on a change of outstanding shares of the bank into shares of another class or series, the bank shall

  • (a) deduct from the stated capital account maintained for the class or series of shares converted or changed an amount equal to the result obtained by multiplying the stated capital of the shares of that class or series by the number of shares of that class or series converted or changed, and dividing by the number of outstanding shares of that class or series immediately before the conversion or change; and

  • (b) record the result obtained under paragraph (a) and any additional consideration received pursuant to the conversion or change in the stated capital account maintained or to be maintained for the class or series of shares into which the shares have been converted or changed.

• Marginal note:Stated capital of convertible shares

  (4) For the purposes of subsection (3) and subject to the bank’s by-laws, where a bank issues two classes of shares and there is attached to each class a right to convert a share of one class into a share of the other class and a share is so converted, the amount of stated capital attributable to a share in either class is the aggregate of the stated capital of both classes divided by the number of outstanding shares of both classes immediately before the conversion.

• Marginal note:Conversion or change of shares

  (5) Shares issued by a bank and converted into shares of another class or series, or changed under subsection 192.03(1) or 217(1) into shares of another class or series, become issued shares of the class or series of shares into which the shares have been converted or changed.

Marginal note:Addition to stated capital account

78 On a conversion of any debt obligation of a bank into shares of a class or series of shares, or into membership shares, the bank must

• (a) deduct from the liabilities of the bank the nominal value of the debt obligation being converted; and

• (b) record the result obtained under paragraph (a) and any additional consideration received for the conversion in the stated capital account maintained or to be maintained for the class or series of shares, or for the membership shares, as the case may be, into which the debt obligation has been converted.

Marginal note:Declaration of dividend or patronage allocation

• 79 (1) The directors of a bank may declare and a bank may pay a dividend or patronage allocation by issuing fully paid shares or, subject to subsection 79.2(1), membership shares of the bank or options or rights to acquire fully paid shares or membership shares of the bank and, subject to subsection (4), the directors of a bank may declare and a bank may pay a dividend or patronage allocation in money or property, and if a dividend or patronage allocation is to be paid in money, the dividend may be paid in a currency other than the currency of Canada.

• Marginal note:Notice to Superintendent

  (2) The directors of a bank shall notify the Superintendent of the declaration of a dividend at least 15 days before the day fixed for its payment.

• Marginal note:Stated capital account

  (3) If shares or membership shares of a bank are issued in payment of a dividend or patronage allocation, the bank must record in the stated capital account maintained or to be maintained for the shares of the class or series, or for the membership shares, issued in payment of the dividend or patronage allocation the declared amount of the dividend or patronage allocation stated as an amount of money.

• Marginal note:When dividend or patronage allocation not to be declared

  (4) The directors of a bank must not declare and a bank must not pay a dividend or patronage allocation if there are reasonable grounds for believing that the bank is, or the payment would cause the bank to be, in contravention of any regulation referred to in subsection 485(1) or (2) or any direction made under subsection 485(3).

• (5) [Repealed, 2007, c. 6, s. 11]

Membership Capital

Marginal note:Membership shares

• 79.1 (1) A federal credit union may have only one class of membership shares in which the rights of their holders are equal in all respects, and those rights include the right to receive

  • (a) dividends declared on those membership shares; and

  • (b) the remaining property of the federal credit union on dissolution.

• Marginal note:Consideration for membership share

  (2) No membership share of a federal credit union is to be issued until it is fully paid for in money or, with the approval of the Superintendent, in property.

• Marginal note:Other currencies

  (3) When issuing membership shares, a federal credit union may provide that any aspect of the membership shares relating to money or involving the payment of or the liability to pay money be in a currency other than the currency of Canada.

Marginal note:Membership shares

• 79.2 (1) Membership shares may be held only by members.

• Marginal note:No right to vote

  (2) The right to vote attaches to membership and not to a membership share.

• Marginal note:Preferences, rights, etc.

  (3) A federal credit union’s letters patent or by-laws may not include any preference, right, condition, restriction, limitation or prohibition on membership shares, except as provided for by this Act.

Marginal note:Issue of certificates

• 79.3 (1) The by-laws of a federal credit union may provide that no membership share certificates need be issued and, if they so provide, the federal credit union must, on the request of a member, issue a statement of the number of membership shares held by the member.

• Marginal note:Certificates

  (2) The face of each certificate that the federal credit union issues in respect of membership shares must contain

  • (a) the name of the federal credit union;

  • (b) a statement that the federal credit union is subject to this Act;

  • (c) the name of the person to whom it is issued;

  • (d) a statement that the certificate represents membership shares in the federal credit union, and the number of the membership shares represented by the certificate;

  • (e) a statement that the certificate is transferable only in accordance with this Act; and

  • (f) a statement that there is a charge on the membership shares represented by the certificate in favour of the federal credit union for any indebtedness of the member to the federal credit union.

Marginal note:Authorized capital

79.4 The membership shares of a federal credit union must be issued with no par value, and its by-laws must specify any limit on the number of membership shares and set out the formula to be used to determine the value of the membership shares.

Marginal note:Membership shares non-assessable

79.5 Membership shares issued by a federal credit union are non-assessable, and their holders are not liable to the federal credit union or to its creditors in respect of those membership shares.

Marginal note:Continued body corporate

79.6 A body corporate that is continued as a federal credit union under this Act and that is not in compliance with section 79.1 on the date letters patent continuing it as a federal credit union are issued must, within 12 months after that date, redesignate a class of its shares to comply with that section.

Subordinated Indebtedness

Marginal note:Restriction on subordinated indebtedness

• 80 (1) A bank shall not issue subordinated indebtedness unless the subordinated indebtedness is fully paid for in money or, with the approval of the Superintendent, in property.

• Marginal note:References to subordinated indebtedness

  (2) A person shall not in any prospectus, advertisement, correspondence or literature relating to any subordinated indebtedness issued or to be issued by a bank refer to the subordinated indebtedness otherwise than as subordinated indebtedness.

• Marginal note:Deemed not to be a deposit

  (3) Subordinated indebtedness issued by a bank is deemed not to be a deposit.

• Marginal note:Other currencies

  (4) When issuing subordinated indebtedness, a bank may provide that any aspect of the subordinated indebtedness relating to money or involving the payment of or the liability to pay money in relation thereto be in a currency other than that of Canada including, without restricting the generality of the foregoing, the payment of any interest thereon.