One of the functions of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis is to act and make recommendations on applications and notices filed by Ninth District state member banks and bank holding companies. Mergers and Acquisitions staff in the Division of Supervision, Regulation, and Credit carry out this important function. The division also acts or makes recommendations on notices filed by individuals to acquire controlling interests in Ninth District state member banks and bank holding companies.
Mergers and Acquisitions-Related Forms and Applications
Application Filing Information
The Application Filing Information website contains general information about the types of filings required by the Federal Reserve and how they are processed. Banking organizations are generally required to notify the Federal Reserve or seek its approval before acquiring banks or companies or engaging in new activities.
Forms
Access to the application forms that must be filed with respect to any activities or actions that require prior notice to and/or prior approval of the Federal Reserve System is available through the Board of Governors’ website.
Electronic Applications
FedEZFile is a cloud-based platform that facilitates the Federal Reserve's application filing process. With an authorized account, users can securely submit applications via PC, tablet or smartphone. More information about FedEZFile, including information that explains how to sign up for the system, is available here.
Actions
The Board of Governors H.2 release—This weekly report provides information about actions taken by the Board, its staff, and the Federal Reserve Banks. The report also lists the applications received by the Federal Reserve Banks and Community Reinvestment Act ratings and evaluations that were recently made available to the public.
Actions, Orders, and other Documents—As they become available, a list of actions by application type taken at the Board or the Reserve Banks can be obtained through the search facility, the Board's index or the index, of the relevant Reserve Bank.
Press releases and Orders for Domestic and Foreign Banking Cases—Press releases and orders relating to actions taken by the Board of Governors are indexed by date.
Applications Received
Applications received by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis are published on the Board of Governors H.2 and, as noted below, the Board of Governors H.2A.
Board of Governors H.2A—The H2.A contains a list of companies and individuals seeking Federal Reserve System approval to acquire a bank holding company, a bank, or a nonbanking company in a transaction that is subject to Section 3 or Section 4 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 or the Change in Bank Control Act. The list indicates the end of the Federal Register comment period for each filing.
Instructions for Commenting on Applications
Members of the public may comment on an application; however, comments must be received by the Federal Reserve on or before the last day of the comment period. The newspaper and/or Federal Register comment period ends no earlier than the latest date specified in the notice(s), and, in the case of applications for which Federal Register publication is required, may end later than that date. If you have any questions concerning procedures that should be followed in commenting on an application, you may contact Linda Anderson, Mergers & Acquisitions Manager, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 90 Hennepin Avenue, P. O. Box 291, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55480-0291, (612) 204-6404. For additional Board and Federal Reserve Bank contact information, see contacts and addresses for the Board and Federal Reserve Banks for comments and information requests.
If you cannot submit your comments by the end of the time period, you may request an extension of time by contacting the Secretary of the Federal Reserve Board, Washington, DC 20551. Your request for an extension of time must be made no later than the last date of the comment period and should explain why you are unable to submit your comments on time. You will find more information on how to request additional time in the Code of Federal Regulations ("CFR") at 12 CFR § 262.25(B) (as revised, Press Release (January 31, 1984), 49 Federal Register 5603 (February 14, 1984)).
For information on the Board's policy concerning the holding of public meetings, please see the Board's Policy Statement for Handling Protested Applications, 12 CFR § 262.25(C) and (D) (1984). The procedure for requesting a hearing can be found at 12 CFR § 262.3(e).
You may also wish to consult A Citizen's Guide to CRA, published by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council.
Banking Market Definitions
See banking market definitions for the Ninth District. The Ninth Federal Reserve District includes the states of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and northwestern Wisconsin.
Refer to the Competitive Analysis and Structure Source Instrument for Depository Institutions, or CASSIDI, for banking market definitions currently used by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in analyzing the competitive effects of banking proposals within the Ninth Federal Reserve District.
Through CASSIDI, users in the Minneapolis Fed’s Ninth Federal Reserve District and nationwide are able to:
- view banking market structures and definitions (including related maps),
- view the banking markets a particular depository institution operates in; and
- perform "what if" (pro forma) analyses to determine the potential changes a merger or acquisition could have to banking market structures and competition.
Contacts
Reserve Bank staff is available to provide guidance and assistance prior to submission of an application. Questions about applications may also be submitted to M&A Mailbox.