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Bill C-8

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DIVISION 8

BUSINESS AND POWERS

Main business

922. (1) Subject to this Part, a bank holding company shall not engage in or carry on any business other than

    (a) acquiring, holding and administering investments that are permitted by this Part;

    (b) providing management, advisory, financing, accounting, information processing and other prescribed services to entities in which it has a substantial investment; and

    (c) any other prescribed business.

Regulations

(2) The Governor in Council may make regulations prescribing businesses or services for the purposes of subsection (1).

Restriction on guarantees

923. (1) A bank holding company shall not guarantee on behalf of any person the payment or repayment of any sum of money.

Exception

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if

    (a) the person on whose behalf the bank holding company has undertaken to guarantee the payment or repayment is a subsidiary of the bank holding company; and

    (b) the subsidiary has an unqualified obligation to reimburse the bank holding company for the full amount of the payment or repayment to be guaranteed.

Regulations

(3) The Governor in Council may make regulations imposing terms and conditions in respect of guarantees permitted by this section.

Restriction on partnerships

924. (1) Except with the approval of the Superintendent, a bank holding company shall not be a general partner in a limited partnership or a partner in a general partnership.

Meaning of ``general partnership''

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), ``general partnership'' means any partnership other than a limited partnership.

DIVISION 9

INVESTMENTS

Interpretation

Definitions

925. (1) The definitions in subsection 464(1) apply in respect of bank holding companies, except that the reference to ``section 468'' in the definition ``permitted entity'' is to be read as a reference to ``section 930'' and the reference to ``bank'' in that definition is to be read as a reference to ``bank holding company''.

Members of a bank holding company's group

(2) For the purpose of this Division, a member of a bank holding company's group is any of the following:

    (a) an entity referred to in any of paragraphs 930(1)(a) to (f) that controls the bank holding company;

    (b) a subsidiary of the bank holding company or of an entity referred to in any of paragraphs 930(1)(a) to (f) that controls the bank holding company;

    (c) an entity in which the bank holding company, or an entity referred to in any of paragraphs 930(1)(a) to (f) that controls the bank holding company, has a substantial investment; or

    (d) a prescribed entity in relation to the bank holding company.

Non-applicati on of Division

(3) This Division does not apply in respect of

    (a) the holding of a security interest in real property, unless the security interest is prescribed under paragraph 941(a) to be an interest in real property; or

    (b) the holding of a security interest in securities of an entity.

Investments

Investments

926. Subject to this Division, a bank holding company may invest its funds in the shares of or ownership interests in any entity or make any other investment that its directors consider necessary or advisable to manage the bank holding company's liquidity.

General Constraints on Investments

Investment standards

927. The directors of a bank holding company shall establish and the bank holding company shall adhere to investment and lending policies, standards and procedures that a reasonable and prudent person would apply to avoid undue risk of loss and obtain a reasonable return.

Restriction on control and substantial investments

928. (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), no bank holding company shall acquire control of, or hold, acquire or increase a substantial investment in, any entity other than a permitted entity.

Exception: indirect investments

(2) A bank holding company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity other than a permitted entity by way of

    (a) an acquisition of control of an entity referred to in any of paragraphs 930(1)(a) to (j), a specialized financing entity or a prescribed entity that controls or has a substantial investment in the entity; or

    (b) an acquisition of shares or ownership interests in the entity by

      (i) an entity referred to in any of paragraphs 930(1)(a) to (j), a specialized financing entity or a prescribed entity that is controlled by the bank holding company, or

      (ii) an entity controlled by an entity referred to in any of paragraphs 930(1)(a) to (j), a specialized financing entity or a prescribed entity that is controlled by the bank holding company.

Exception: temporary investments, realizations and loan workouts

(3) A bank holding company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity by way of

    (a) a temporary investment permitted by section 933;

    (b) an acquisition of shares of a body corporate or of ownership interests in an unincorporated entity permitted by section 934; or

    (c) a realization of security permitted by section 935.

Exception: uncontrolled event

(4) A bank holding company is deemed not to contravene subsection (1) if the bank holding company acquires control of, or acquires or increases a substantial investment in, an entity solely as the result of an event not within the control of the bank holding company.

Regulations re limits

929. The Governor in Council may make regulations

    (a) respecting the determination of the amount or value of loans, investments and interests for the purposes of this Division;

    (b) respecting the loans and investments, and the maximum aggregate amount of all loans and investments, that may be made or acquired by a bank holding company and its prescribed subsidiaries to or in a person and any persons connected with that person;

    (c) specifying the classes of persons who are connected with any person for the purposes of paragraph (b); and

    (d) prescribing terms and conditions under which a bank holding company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, a specialized financing entity.

Subsidiaries and Equity Investments

Permitted investments

930. (1) Subject to subsections (4) to (6), a bank holding company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in

    (a) a bank;

    (b) a bank holding company;

    (c) a body corporate to which the Trust and Loan Companies Act applies;

    (d) an association to which the Cooperative Credit Associations Act applies;

    (e) an insurance company or a fraternal benefit society incorporated or formed by or under the Insurance Companies Act;

    (f) an insurance holding company;

    (g) a trust, loan or insurance corporation incorporated or formed by or under an Act of the legislature of a province;

    (h) a cooperative credit society incorporated or formed, and regulated, by or under an Act of the legislature of a province;

    (i) an entity that is incorporated or formed by or under an Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province and that is primarily engaged in dealing in securities; or

    (j) an entity that is incorporated or formed, and regulated, otherwise than by or under an Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province and that is primarily engaged outside Canada in a business that, if carried on in Canada, would be the business of banking, the business of a cooperative credit society, the business of insurance, the business of providing fiduciary services or the business of dealing in securities.

Permitted investments

(2) Subject to subsections (3) to (6), a bank holding company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity, other than an entity referred to in any of paragraphs (1)(a) to (j), whose business is limited to one or more of the following:

    (a) engaging in any financial service activity that a bank is permitted to engage in under any of paragraphs 409(2)(a) to (d) or any other activity that a bank is permitted to engage in under section 410 or 411;

    (b) acquiring or holding shares of, or ownership interests in, entities in which a bank holding company is permitted under this Division to hold or acquire;

    (c) engaging in the provision of any services exclusively to any or all of the following, so long as the entity is providing those services to the bank holding company or any member of the bank holding company's group:

      (i) the bank holding company,

      (ii) any member of the bank holding company's group,

      (iii) any entity that is primarily engaged in the business of providing financial services,

      (iv) any permitted entity in which an entity referred to in subparagraph (iii) has a substantial investment, or

      (v) any prescribed person, if it is doing so under prescribed terms and conditions, if any are prescribed;

    (d) engaging in any activity that a bank is permitted to engage in, other than an activity referred to in paragraph (a) or (e), that relates to

      (i) the promotion, sale, delivery or distribution of a financial product or financial service that is provided by any member of the bank holding company's group, or

      (ii) if a significant portion of the business of the entity involves an activity referred to in subparagraph (i), the promotion, sale, delivery or distribution of a financial product or financial service that is provided by any other entity that is primarily engaged in the business of providing financial services;

    (e) engaging in the activities referred to in the definition ``mutual fund entity'', ``mutual fund distribution entity'' or ``real property brokerage entity'' in subsection 464(1); and

    (f) engaging in prescribed activities, under prescribed terms and conditions, if any are prescribed.

Restriction

(3) A bank holding company may not acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity whose business includes any activity referred to in any of paragraphs (2)(a) to (e) if the entity engages in the business of accepting deposit liabilities or if the activities of the entity include

    (a) activities that a bank is not permitted to engage in under any of sections 412, 417 and 418;

    (b) dealing in securities, except as may be permitted under paragraph (2)(e) or as may be permitted to a bank under paragraph 409(2)(c);

    (c) activities that a bank is not permitted to engage in under section 416 if the entity engages in the activities of a finance entity or of any other entity as may be prescribed;

    (d) acquiring control of or acquiring or holding a substantial investment in another entity unless

      (i) in the case of an entity that is controlled by the bank holding company, a bank would be permitted under Part IX to acquire a substantial investment in the other entity, or

      (ii) in the case of an entity that is not controlled by the bank holding company, a bank would be permitted to acquire a substantial investment in the other entity under subsection 466(2), paragraph 466(3)(b) or (c) or subsection 466(4) or 468(1) or (2); or

    (e) any prescribed activity.

Control

(4) Subject to subsection (8) and the regulations, a bank holding company may not acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in,

    (a) an entity referred to in paragraph (1)(a) or (b), unless

      (i) the bank holding company controls, within the meaning of paragraphs 3(1)(a) and (d), the entity or would thereby acquire control, within the meaning of those paragraphs, of the entity, or

      (ii) the bank holding company is permitted by regulations made under paragraph 936(a) to acquire or increase the substantial investment;

    (b) an entity referred to in any of paragraphs (1)(c) to (j), unless

      (i) the bank holding company controls, within the meaning of paragraph 3(1)(d), the entity, or would thereby acquire control, within the meaning of that paragraph, of the entity, or

      (ii) the bank holding company is permitted by regulations made under paragraph 936(a) to acquire or increase the substantial investment;

    (c) an entity whose business includes one or more of the activities referred to in paragraph (2)(a) and that engages, as part of its business, in any financial intermediary activity that exposes the entity to material market or credit risk, including a finance entity, a factoring entity and a financial leasing entity, unless

      (i) the bank holding company controls, within the meaning of paragraph 3(1)(d), the entity, or would thereby acquire control, within the meaning of that paragraph, of the entity, or

      (ii) the bank holding company is permitted by regulations made under paragraph 936(a) to acquire or increase the substantial investment; or

    (d) an entity whose business includes an activity referred to in paragraph (2)(b), including a specialized financing entity, unless

      (i) the bank holding company controls, within the meaning of paragraph 3(1)(d), the entity, or would thereby acquire control, within the meaning of that paragraph, of the entity,

      (ii) the bank holding company is permitted by regulations made under paragraph 936(a) to acquire or increase the substantial investment, or

      (iii) subject to prescribed terms and conditions, if any are prescribed, the activities of the entity do not include the acquisition or holding of control of, or the acquisition or holding of shares or other ownership interests in, an entity referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (c) or an entity that is not a permitted entity.

Minister's approval

(5) Subject to the regulations, a bank holding company may not, without the prior written approval of the Minister,