Bank Act (S.C. 1991, c. 46)

Interpretation

Marginal note:References to “authorized foreign bank”

2.1 References in this Act to the carrying on of business in Canada by an authorized foreign bank and to the business in Canada of an authorized foreign bank are deemed, respectively, to be references to the carrying on of business in Canada, or to business in Canada, under Part XII.1.

Marginal note:Major shareholder

2.2 For the purposes of this Act, a person is a major shareholder of a body corporate if

• (a) the aggregate of the shares of any class of voting shares of the body corporate that are beneficially owned by the person and that are beneficially owned by any entities controlled by the person is more than 20 per cent of the outstanding shares of that class of voting shares of the body corporate; or

• (b) the aggregate of the shares of any class of non-voting shares of the body corporate that are beneficially owned by the person and that are beneficially owned by any entities controlled by the person is more than 30 per cent of the outstanding shares of that class of non-voting shares of the body corporate.

Marginal note:Widely held

2.3 For the purposes of this Act, an entity is widely held if it is

• (a) a body corporate that has no major shareholder;

• (a.1) a federal credit union;

• (b) an insurance company incorporated or formed under a mutual plan;

• (c) an association to which the Cooperative Credit Associations Act applies; or

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

Marginal note:Regulations — distributing bank or bank holding company

• 2.4 (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations respecting the determination of what constitutes a distributing bank or distributing bank holding company for the purposes of this Act.

• Marginal note:Exemption — bank or bank holding company

  (2) On the application of a bank or bank holding company, the Superintendent may determine that it is not or was not a distributing bank or distributing bank holding company, as the case may be, if the Superintendent is satisfied that the determination would not prejudice any security holder of that bank or bank holding company or any holder of a membership share of that bank.

• Marginal note:Exemption — class of banks or bank holding companies

  (3) The Superintendent may determine that members of a class of banks or bank holding companies are not or were not distributing banks or distributing bank holding companies, as the case may be, if the Superintendent is satisfied that the determination would not prejudice any security holder of a member of the class or any holder of a membership share of a bank that is a member of the class.

Marginal note:Control

• 3 (1) For the purposes of this Act,

  • (a) a person controls a body corporate if securities of the body corporate to which are attached more than 50 per cent of the votes that may be cast to elect directors of the body corporate are beneficially owned by the person and the votes attached to those securities are sufficient, if exercised, to elect a majority of the directors of the body corporate;

  • (a.1) a person controls a federal credit union if the person and all of the entities controlled by the person have the right to exercise more than 50 per cent of the votes that may be cast at an annual meeting or to elect the majority of the directors of the federal credit union;

  • (b) a person controls an unincorporated entity, other than a limited partnership, if more than 50 per cent of the ownership interests, however designated, into which the entity is divided are beneficially owned by that person and the person is able to direct the business and affairs of the entity;

  • (c) the general partner of a limited partnership controls the limited partnership; and

  • (d) a person controls an entity if the person has any direct or indirect influence that, if exercised, would result in control in fact of the entity.

• Marginal note:Deemed control

  (2) A person who controls an entity is deemed to control any entity that is controlled, or deemed to be controlled, by the entity.

• Marginal note:Deemed control

  (3) A person is deemed to control, within the meaning of paragraph (1)(a) or (b), an entity if the aggregate of

  • (a) any securities of the entity that are beneficially owned by that person, and

  • (b) any securities of the entity that are beneficially owned by any entity controlled by that person

  is such that, if that person and all of the entities referred to in paragraph (b) that beneficially own securities of the entity were one person, that person would control the entity.

• Marginal note:Guidelines

  (4) The Minister may, for any purpose of any provision of this Act that refers to control within the meaning of paragraph (1)(d), make guidelines respecting what constitutes such control, including guidelines describing the policy objectives that the guidelines and the relevant provisions of the Act are intended to achieve and, if any such guidelines are made, the reference to paragraph (1)(d) in that provision shall be interpreted in accordance with the guidelines.

• Marginal note:Guidelines — federal credit union

  (5) The Minister may, for any purpose of any provision of this Act that refers to control within the meaning of paragraph (1)(d), make guidelines respecting what constitutes such control of a federal credit union, including guidelines describing the policy objectives that the guidelines and the relevant provisions of the Act are intended to achieve and, if any such guidelines are made, the reference to paragraph (1)(d) in that provision is to be interpreted in accordance with the guidelines.

Marginal note:Holding body corporate

4 A body corporate is the holding body corporate of any entity that is its subsidiary.

Marginal note:Subsidiary

5 An entity is a subsidiary of another entity if it is controlled by the other entity.

Marginal note:Affiliated entities

• 6 (1) One entity is affiliated with another entity if one of them is controlled by the other or both are controlled by the same person.

• Marginal note:Affiliated entities

  (2) Despite subsection (1), for the purposes of subsections 265(1) and 283(1), one entity is affiliated with another entity if one of them is controlled, determined without regard to paragraph 3(1)(d), by the other or both are controlled, determined without regard to paragraph 3(1)(d), by the same person.

Marginal note:Shareholder

• 7 (1) For the purposes of this Act, a person is a shareholder of a body corporate when, according to the securities register of the body corporate, the person is the owner of one or more shares of the body corporate or is entitled to be entered in the securities register or like record of the body corporate as the owner of the share or shares.

• Marginal note:Holder of a share

  (2) A reference in this Act to the holding of a share by or in the name of any person is a reference to the fact that the person is registered or is entitled to be registered in the securities register or like record of the body corporate as the holder of that share.

Marginal note:Holder of membership share

• 7.1 (1) For the purposes of this Act, a person is a holder of a membership share of a federal credit union if the person is the owner of one or more membership shares according to the federal credit union’s members register or is entitled to be entered in that register, or like record of the federal credit union, as the owner of one or more membership shares.

• Marginal note:References to holding membership share

  (2) A reference in this Act to the holding of a membership share by or in the name of any person is a reference to the fact that the person is registered or is entitled to be registered in a federal credit union’s members register, or like record of the federal credit union, as the holder of that membership share.

Marginal note:Significant interest

• 8 (1) A person has a significant interest in a class of shares of a bank or a bank holding company if the aggregate of

  • (a) any shares of that class beneficially owned by the person, and

  • (b) any shares of that class beneficially owned by entities controlled by the person

  exceeds 10 per cent of all of the outstanding shares of that class of shares of the bank or bank holding company.

• Marginal note:Significant interest — membership shares

  (1.1) A person has a significant interest in the membership shares of a federal credit union if the aggregate of membership shares beneficially owned by the person and membership shares beneficially owned by entities controlled by the person exceeds 10 per cent of all of the outstanding membership shares.

• Marginal note:Increasing significant interest

  (2) A person who has a significant interest in a class of shares of a bank or bank holding company increases that significant interest in the class of shares if the person or any entity controlled by the person

  • (a) acquires beneficial ownership of additional shares of that class, or

  • (b) acquires control of any entity that beneficially owns shares of that class,

  in such number as to increase the percentage of shares of that class that are beneficially owned by the person and by any entities controlled by the person.

• Marginal note:Increasing significant interest — membership shares

  (3) A person who has a significant interest in the membership shares of a federal credit union increases that significant interest in the membership shares if the person or any entity controlled by the person acquires beneficial ownership of additional membership shares, or acquires control of any entity that beneficially owns membership shares, of the federal credit union in such number as to increase the percentage of membership shares that are beneficially owned by the person and by any entities controlled by the person.

Marginal note:Acting in concert

• 9 (1) For the purposes of Part VII and Division 7 of Part XV, if two or more persons have agreed, under any agreement, commitment or understanding, whether formal or informal, verbal or written, to act jointly or in concert in respect of

  • (a) shares of a bank or of a bank holding company that they beneficially own,

  • (b) shares or ownership interests that they beneficially own of any entity that beneficially owns shares of a bank or of a bank holding company, or

  • (c) shares or ownership interests that they beneficially own of any entity that controls any entity that beneficially owns shares of a bank or bank holding company,

  those persons are deemed to be a single person who is acquiring beneficial ownership of the aggregate number of shares of the bank or bank holding company or shares or ownership interests of the entity that are beneficially owned by them.

• Marginal note:Acting in concert

  (2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), any agreement, commitment or understanding by or between two or more persons who beneficially own shares of a bank or bank holding company or shares or ownership interests of any entity referred to in paragraph (1)(b) or (c),

  • (a) whereby any of them or their nominees may veto any proposal put before the board of directors of the bank or bank holding company, or

  • (b) under which no proposal put before the board of directors of the bank or bank holding company may be approved except with the consent of any of them or their nominees,

  is deemed to be an agreement, commitment or understanding referred to in subsection (1).

• Marginal note:Exceptions

  (3) For the purposes of this section, persons shall be presumed not to have agreed to act jointly or in concert solely by reason of the fact that

  • (a) one is the proxyholder of one or more of the others in respect of shares or ownership interests referred to in subsection (1); or

  • (b) they vote the voting rights attached to shares or ownership interests referred to in subsection (1) in the same manner.

• Marginal note:Designation

  (4) Where in the opinion of the Superintendent it is reasonable to conclude that an agreement, commitment or understanding referred to in subsections (1) and (2) exists by or among two or more persons, the Superintendent may designate those persons as persons who have agreed to act jointly or in concert.

• Marginal note:Contravention

  (5) A person contravenes a provision of Part VII or Division 7 of Part XV if the person agrees to act jointly or in concert with one or more other persons in such a manner that a deemed single person contravenes the provision.

Marginal note:Acting in concert — members’ rights to vote

• 9.1 (1) For the purposes of Part VII, if two or more members have agreed, under any agreement, commitment or understanding, whether formal or informal, verbal or written, to act jointly or in concert in respect of the exercise of any right to vote at a meeting of members, those members are deemed to be a single member.

• Marginal note:Exceptions

  (2) For the purposes of this section, members are presumed not to have agreed to act jointly or in concert solely by reason of the fact that

  • (a) their membership voting rights are vested in the same delegate or delegates; or

  • (b) they exercise their membership voting rights in the same manner.

• Marginal note:Designation

  (3) If in the opinion of the Superintendent it is reasonable to conclude that an agreement, commitment or understanding referred to in subsection (1) exists by or among two or more members, the Superintendent may designate those members as members who have agreed to act jointly or in concert.

• Marginal note:Contravention

  (4) A member contravenes a provision of Part VII if the member agrees to act jointly or in concert with one or more other members in such a manner that a deemed single member contravenes that provision.

Marginal note:Acting in concert — shareholders and members’ right to vote

• 9.2 (1) For the purposes of Part VII, if one or more members of a federal credit union and one or more shareholders of the federal credit union have agreed, under any agreement, commitment or understanding, whether formal or informal, verbal or written, to act jointly or in concert in respect of the exercise of their respective rights to vote, those persons are deemed to be a single person.

• Marginal note:Exceptions

  (2) For the purposes of this section, persons are presumed not to have agreed to act jointly or in concert solely by reason of the fact that

  • (a) one or more of the members is the proxyholder of one or more of the shareholders;

  • (b) one or more of the shareholders is a delegate of one or more of the members; or

  • (c) they exercise their respective voting rights in the same manner.

• Marginal note:Designation

  (3) If in the opinion of the Superintendent it is reasonable to conclude that an agreement, commitment or understanding referred to in subsection (1) exists by or among one or more members and one or more shareholders, the Superintendent may designate those members and shareholders as persons who have agreed to act jointly or in concert.

• Marginal note:Contravention

  (4) A shareholder or a member contravenes a provision of Part VII if the shareholder or member agrees to act jointly or in concert with one or more other shareholders or members in such a manner that a deemed single person contravenes that provision.