Sections 8-101.02 to 8-1,143 shall be known and may be cited as the Nebraska Banking Act.

For purposes of the Nebraska Banking Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Access device means a code, a transaction card, or any other means of access to a customer's account, or any combination thereof, that may be used by a customer for the purpose of initiating an electronic funds transfer at an automatic teller machine or a point-of-sale terminal;

(2) Acquiring financial institution means any financial institution establishing a point-of-sale terminal;

(3) Automatic teller machine means a machine established and located in the State of Nebraska, whether attended or unattended, which utilizes electronic, sound, or mechanical signals or impulses, or any combination thereof, and from which electronic funds transfers may be initiated and at which banking transactions as defined in section 8-157.01 may be conducted. An unattended automatic teller machine shall not be deemed to be a branch operated by a financial institution;

(4) Automatic teller machine surcharge means a fee that an operator of an automatic teller machine imposes upon a consumer for an electronic funds transfer, if such operator is not the financial institution that holds an account of such consumer from which the electronic funds transfer is to be made;

(5) Bank or banking corporation means any incorporated banking institution which was incorporated under the laws of this state as they existed prior to May 9, 1933, and any corporation duly organized under the laws of this state for the purpose of conducting a bank within this state under the act. Bank means any such banking institution which is, in addition to the exercise of other powers, following the practice of repaying deposits upon check, draft, or order and of making loans. Bank or banking corporation includes a digital asset depository institution as defined in section 8-3003. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision, a digital asset depository institution is subject to the provisions of subdivision (2)(b) of section 8-3005;

(6)(a) Bank subsidiary means a corporation or limited liability company that:

(i) Has a bank as a shareholder, member, or investor; and

(ii) Is organized for purposes of engaging in activities which are part of the business of banking or incidental to such business except for the receipt of deposits.

(b) A bank subsidiary may include a corporation organized under the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act.

(c) A bank subsidiary is not to be considered a branch of its bank shareholder;

(7) Capital or capital stock means capital stock;

(8) Data processing center means a facility, wherever located, at which electronic impulses or other indicia of a transaction originating at an automatic teller machine are received and either authorized or routed to a switch or other data processing center in order to enable the automatic teller machine to perform any function for which it is designed;

(9) Department means the Department of Banking and Finance;

(10) Digital asset depository means a financial institution that securely holds liquid assets when such assets are in the form of controllable electronic records, either as a corporation organized, chartered, and operated pursuant to the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act as a digital asset depository institution, or a financial institution operating a digital asset depository business as a digital asset depository department under a charter granted by the director;

(11) Director means the Director of Banking and Finance;

(12) Financial institution means a bank, savings bank, building and loan association, savings and loan association, or credit union, whether chartered by the United States, the department, or a foreign state agency; any other similar organization which is covered by federal deposit insurance; a trust company; or a digital asset depository that is not a digital asset depository institution;

(13) Financial institution employees includes parent holding company and affiliate employees;

(14) Foreign state agency means any duly constituted regulatory or supervisory agency which has authority over financial institutions and which is created under the laws of any other state, any territory of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or the Virgin Islands or which is operating under the code of law for the District of Columbia;

(15) Impulse means an electronic, sound, or mechanical impulse, or any combination thereof;

(16) Insolvent means a condition in which (a) the actual cash market value of the assets of a bank is insufficient to pay its liabilities to its depositors, (b) a bank is unable to meet the demands of its creditors in the usual and customary manner, (c) a bank, after demand in writing by the director, fails to make good any deficiency in its reserves as required by law, or (d) the stockholders of a bank, after written demand by the director, fail to make good an impairment of its capital or surplus;

(17) Making loans includes advances or credits that are initiated by means of credit card or other transaction card. Transaction card and other transactions, including transactions made pursuant to prior agreements, may be brought about and transmitted by means of an electronic impulse. Such loan transactions including transactions made pursuant to prior agreements shall be subject to sections 8-815 to 8-829 and shall be deemed loans made at the place of business of the financial institution;

(18) Order includes orders transmitted by electronic transmission;

(19) Point-of-sale terminal means an information processing terminal which utilizes electronic, sound, or mechanical signals or impulses, or any combination thereof, which are transmitted to a financial institution or which are recorded for later transmission to effectuate electronic funds transfer transactions for the purchase or payment of goods and services and which are initiated by an access device. A point-of-sale terminal is not a branch operated by a financial institution. Any terminal owned or operated by a seller of goods and services shall be connected directly or indirectly to an acquiring financial institution; and

(20) Switch means any facility where electronic impulses or other indicia of a transaction originating at an automatic teller machine are received and are routed and transmitted to a financial institution or data processing center, wherever located. A switch may also be a data processing center.

(1) The department shall, under the laws of this state specifically made applicable to each, have general supervision and control over banks, trust companies, credit unions, building and loan associations, savings and loan associations, and digital asset depositories, all of which are hereby declared to be quasi-public in nature and subject to regulation and control by the state.

(2) The director may prescribe conditions on banks, trust companies, credit unions, building and loan associations, savings and loan associations, and digital asset depositories, and their holding companies, if any, as part of any written order, decision, or determination required to be made pursuant to the Credit Union Act, the Nebraska Banking Act, the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act, and Chapter 8, article 3.

(1)(a) The director shall have charge of and full supervision over the examination of banks and the enforcement of compliance with the statutes by banks and their holding companies in their business and functions and shall constructively aid and assist banks in maintaining proper banking standards and efficiency.

(b) The director shall also have charge of and full supervision over the examination of and the enforcement of compliance with the statutes by trust companies, building and loan associations, savings and loan associations, and credit unions in their business and functions and shall constructively aid and assist trust companies, building and loan associations, savings and loan associations, and credit unions in maintaining proper standards and efficiency.

(2) If the director is financially interested directly or indirectly in any financial institution chartered by the department, the financial institution shall be under the direct supervision of the Governor, and as to such financial institution, the Governor shall exercise all the supervisory powers otherwise vested in the director by the laws of this state, and reports of examination by state bank examiners, foreign state bank examiners, examiners of the Federal Reserve Board, examiners of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, examiners of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and examiners of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau shall be transmitted to the Governor.

(3)(a) Neither the director nor any person employed by the department as a deputy director, a counsel, an attorney, or a financial institution examiner shall borrow money from any financial institution chartered by the department, except that such person may borrow money in the normal course of business from the Nebraska State Employees Credit Union. If the credit union is acquired by, or merged into, a Nebraska state-chartered credit union, persons employed by the department may borrow money in the normal course of business from the successor credit union.

(b) In the event a loan to a person employed by the department as a deputy director, a counsel, an attorney, or a financial institution examiner is sold or otherwise transferred to a financial institution chartered by the department, no violation of this section occurs if (i) such person did not solicit the sale or transfer of the loan and (ii) such person gives notice to the director of such sale or transfer. The director, in his or her discretion, may require such person to make all reasonable efforts to seek another lender.

(4) Any person who intentionally violates this section or who aids, abets, or assists in a violation of this section is guilty of a Class IV felony.

The director shall, before assuming the duties of office, take and subscribe to the constitutional oath of office, file the oath in the office of the Secretary of State, and be bonded or insured as required by section 11-201.

(1) The director may employ such deputies, counsels, examiners, and other assistants as he or she may need to discharge in a proper manner the duties imposed upon him or her by law. The deputies, counsels, examiners, and other assistants shall perform such duties as are assigned to them. The employment of any person in the work of the department is subject to section 49-1499.07.

(2) Deputies and financial institution examiners shall hold office at the will of the director and shall receive such salary as set by the director and approved by the Governor based upon the level of credentials for the positions.

(3) The deputies, counsels, examiners, and other assistants, before assuming the duties of office, shall be bonded or insured as required by section 11-201.

The director may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for the governance of banks under his or her supervision as may in his or her judgment seem wise and expedient and which do not in any way conflict with any of the provisions of law. In adopting and promulgating such rules and regulations, the director shall consider generally recognized sound banking principles, the financial soundness of banks, competitive conditions, and general economic conditions.

The department has the authority to require the officers of any bank, or any of them, to open and keep such books or accounts as the department in its discretion may determine and prescribe for the purpose of keeping accurate and convenient records of the transactions and accounts of such bank. Any bank that refuses or neglects to open and keep such books or accounts as may be prescribed by the department shall be subject to a penalty of ten dollars for each day it neglects or fails to open and keep such books and accounts after receiving written notice from the department. Such penalty may be collected in the manner prescribed for the collection of fees for the examination of such bank.

(1)(a) The director, the director's deputy, or any duly appointed examiner has the authority to make a thorough examination into all the books, papers, and affairs of any bank or other financial institution chartered by the department or a holding company or bank subsidiary of such bank or financial institution, if any, and in so doing to administer oaths and affirmations, to examine on oath or affirmation the officers, agents, and clerks of such bank, financial institution, holding company, or bank subsidiary touching the matter which they may be authorized and directed to inquire into and examine, and to subpoena the attendance of any person or persons in this state to testify under oath or affirmation in relation to the affairs of such bank, financial institution, holding company, or bank subsidiary. The director, deputy, or examiner has the authority to examine and monitor by electronic means the books, papers, and affairs of any such bank, financial institution, holding company, or bank subsidiary. The director may provide any examination or report to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or a foreign state agency.

(b) The director may accept any examination or report from a foreign state agency and may accept any examination or report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency, or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in lieu of an examination or report required under the Nebraska Banking Act. Any such examination or report accepted by the director remains the property and confidential record of the foreign state agency or federal agency which provided the examination or report to the director. A request or subpoena for any such examination or report shall be directed to the foreign state agency or federal agency which provided the examination or report to the director.

(2) The department has the authority to examine the books, papers, and affairs of any electronic data processing center which has contracted with a bank or financial institution to conduct the bank's or financial institution's electronic data processing business. The department may charge the electronic data processing center for the time spent by examiners in such examination at the rate set forth in section 8-606 for examiners' time spent in examinations of banks or financial institutions.

If any financial institution examiner has knowledge of the insolvency or unsafe condition of any financial institution chartered by the department, that there are bad or doubtful assets in any such financial institution, that any such financial institution or any of its officers has violated any law governing the conduct of the financial institution, or that it is unsafe and inexpedient to permit any such financial institution to continue business, and the financial institution examiner fails to immediately report such fact in writing over his or her signature to the director, he or she is guilty of a Class II misdemeanor and shall forfeit his or her office.

The department shall require each bank to obtain a fidelity bond, naming the bank as obligee, in an amount to be fixed by the director. The bond shall be issued by an authorized insurer and shall be conditioned to protect and indemnify the bank from loss which it may sustain, of money or other personal property, including that for which the bank is responsible through or by reason of the fraud, dishonesty, forgery, theft, embezzlement, wrongful abstraction, misapplication, misappropriation, or any other dishonest or criminal act of or by any of its officers or employees. Such bond may contain a deductible clause in an amount to be approved by the director. An executed copy of the bond shall be filed with and approved by the director and shall remain a part of the records of the department. The director may provide for such copies to be filed electronically. If the premium of the bond is not paid, the bond shall not be canceled or subject to cancellation unless at least ten days' advance notice, in writing, is filed with the department. No bond which is current with respect to premium payments shall be canceled or subject to cancellation unless at least forty-five days' advance notice, in writing, is filed with the department. The bond shall be open to public inspection during the office hours of the department. In the event a bond is canceled, the director may take whatever action he or she deems appropriate in connection with the continued operation of the bank involved.

The director may convey any real estate title which is vested in the department by operation of law or otherwise. Such conveyance shall be signed by the director, sealed with the seal of the department, and acknowledged by the director.

(1) The director shall keep, as records of his or her office, proper books showing all acts, matters, and things done under the jurisdiction of the department. Neither the director nor anyone connected with the department shall in any instance disclose the name of any customer, including a depositor, debtor, beneficiary, member, or account holder of any financial institution or other entity regulated by the department or the amount of any deposit, debt, or account holdings of any of them, except insofar as may be necessary in the performance of his or her official duty, except that the department may maintain a record of debtors from the financial institutions and may give information concerning the total liabilities of any such debtor to any financial institution owning obligations of such debtor.

(2) Examination reports, investigation reports, and documents and information relating to such reports are confidential records of the department and may be released or disclosed only (a) insofar as is necessary in the performance of the official duty of the department or (b) pursuant to a properly issued subpoena to the department and upon entry of a protective order from a court of competent jurisdiction to protect and keep confidential the names of borrowers or depositors or to protect the public interest.

(3) Examination reports, investigation reports, and documents and information relating to such reports remain confidential records of the department, even if such examination reports, investigation reports, and documents and information relating to such reports are transmitted to a financial institution or other entity regulated by the department which is the subject of such reports or documents and information, and may not be otherwise released or disclosed by any such financial institution or other entity regulated by the department.

(4) The restrictions listed in subsections (2) and (3) of this section shall also apply to any representative or agent of the financial institution or other entity regulated by the department.

(5) If examination reports, investigation reports, or documents and information relating to such reports are subpoenaed from the department, the party issuing the subpoena shall give notice of the issuance of such subpoena at least three business days in advance of the entry of a protective order to the financial institution or other entity regulated by the department which is the subject of such reports or documents and information, unless the financial institution or other entity regulated by the department is already a party to the underlying proceeding or unless such notice is otherwise prohibited by law or by court order.

(1) No individual, firm, company, corporation, or association doing business in the State of Nebraska, unless organized as a bank under the Nebraska Banking Act or the authority of the director or federal government, a digital asset depository that is not a digital asset depository institution, or as a building and loan association, savings and loan association, or savings bank under Chapter 8, article 3, or the authority of the federal government, shall use the word bank or any derivative thereof as any part of a title or description of any business activity.

(2) This section does not apply to:

(a) Banks, building and loan associations, savings and loan associations, or savings banks chartered and supervised by a foreign state agency;

(b) Bank holding companies registered pursuant to section 8-913 if the term holding company is also used as any part of the title or description of any business activity or if the derivative banc is used;

(c) Affiliates or subsidiaries of (i) a bank organized under the Nebraska Banking Act or the authority of the federal government or chartered and supervised by a foreign state agency, (ii) a building and loan association, savings and loan association, or savings bank organized under Chapter 8, article 3, or the authority of the federal government or chartered and supervised by a foreign state agency, or (iii) a bank holding company registered pursuant to section 8-913 if the term holding company is also used as any part of the title or description of any business activity or if the derivative banc is used;

(d) Organizations substantially owned by (i) a bank organized under the Nebraska Banking Act or the authority of the federal government or chartered and supervised by a foreign state agency, (ii) a building and loan association, savings and loan association, or savings bank organized under Chapter 8, article 3, or the authority of the federal government or chartered and supervised by a foreign state agency, (iii) a bank holding company registered pursuant to section 8-913 if the term holding company is also used as any part of the title or description of any business activity or if the derivative banc is used, or (iv) any combination of entities listed in subdivisions (i) through (iii) of this subdivision;

(e) Mortgage bankers licensed or registered under the Residential Mortgage Licensing Act, if the word mortgage immediately precedes the word bank or its derivative;

(f) Digital asset depository institutions chartered under the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act, if the term digital asset is also used as any part of the title or description of any business activity or if any derivative of the word bank is used in such title or description of any such business activity;

(g) Organizations which are described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as defined in section 49-801.01, which are exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the code, and which are not providing or arranging for financial services subject to the authority of the department, a foreign state agency, or the federal government;

(h) Trade associations which are exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(6) of the code and which represent a segment of the banking or savings and loan industries, and any affiliate or subsidiary thereof;

(i) Firms, companies, corporations, or associations which sponsor incentive-based solid waste recycling programs that issue reward points or credits to persons for their participation therein; and

(j) Such other firms, companies, corporations, or associations as have been in existence and doing business prior to December 1, 1975, under a name composed in part of the word bank or some derivative thereof.

(3) This section does not apply to an individual, firm, company, corporation, or association doing business in Nebraska which uses the word bank or any derivative thereof as any part of a title or description of any business activity if such use is unlikely to mislead or confuse the public or give the impression that such individual, firm, company, corporation, or association is lawfully organized and operating as a bank under the Nebraska Banking Act or the authority of the federal government, or as a building and loan association, savings and loan association, or savings bank under Chapter 8, article 3, or the authority of the federal government.

(4) Any violation of this section is a Class V misdemeanor.

(1) It is unlawful for any person to conduct a bank within this state except by means of a corporation duly organized for such purpose under the laws of this state. It is unlawful for any corporation to receive money upon deposit or conduct a bank under the laws of this state until such corporation has complied with all the provisions and requirements of the Nebraska Banking Act.

(2) Any violation of this section is a Class V misdemeanor for each day of the continuation of such offense and is cause for the appointment of a receiver as provided in the act to wind up such banking business.

No corporation shall conduct a bank or digital asset depository in this state without having first obtained a charter in the manner provided in the Nebraska Banking Act or the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act, respectively.

When an application required by section 8-120 is made by a corporation, the following procedures shall be followed:

(1) Except as provided for in subdivision (2) of this section, when application is made for a new bank charter, a public hearing shall be held on each application. Notice of the filing of the application shall be published by the department for three weeks in a legal newspaper published in or of general circulation in the county where the applicant proposes to operate the bank. The date for hearing the application shall be not less than thirty days after the last publication of notice of hearing and not more than ninety days after the application has been accepted for filing by the director as substantially complete unless the applicant agrees to a later date. Notice of the filing of the application shall be sent by the department to all financial institutions located in the county where the applicant proposes to operate;

(2) When application is made for a new bank charter and the director determines, in his or her discretion, that the conditions of subdivision (3) of this section are met, then the public hearing requirement of subdivision (1) of this section shall only be required if, (a) after publishing a notice of the proposed application in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the main office of the applicant is to be located and (b) after giving notice to all financial institutions located within such county, the director receives a substantive objection to the application within fifteen days after the first day of publication;

(3) The director shall consider the following in each application before the public hearing requirement of subdivision (1) of this section may be waived:

(a) Whether the experience, character, and general fitness of the applicant and of the applicant's officers and directors are such as to warrant belief that the applicant will operate the business honestly, fairly, and efficiently;

(b) Whether the length of time that the applicant or a majority of the applicant's officers, directors, and shareholders have been involved in the business of banking in this state has been for a minimum of five consecutive years; and

(c) Whether the condition of financial institutions currently owned by the applicant, the applicant's holding company, if any, or the applicant's officers, directors, or shareholders is such as to indicate that a hearing on the current application would not be necessary;

(4) Except as provided in subdivision (6) of this section, when application is made for transfer of a bank charter and move of the main office of a bank to any location other than within the corporate limits of the city or village of its original charter or, if such bank charter is not located in a city or village, then for transfer outside the county in which it is located, the director shall hold a hearing on the matter if he or she determines, in his or her discretion, that the condition of the applicant warrants a hearing. If the director determines that the condition of the applicant does not warrant a hearing, the director shall (a) publish a notice of the filing of the application in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the proposed main office and charter of the applicant would be located and (b) give notice of such application to all financial institutions located within the county where the proposed main office and charter would be located and to such other interested parties as the director may determine. If the director receives any substantive objection to the proposed relocation within fifteen days after the first day of publication, he or she shall hold a hearing on the application. Notice of a hearing held pursuant to this subdivision shall be published for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the main office would be located. The date for hearing the application shall be not less than thirty days after the last publication of notice of hearing and not more than ninety days after the application has been accepted for filing by the director as substantially complete unless the applicant agrees to a later date. When the persons making application for transfer of a main office and charter are officers or directors of the bank, there is a rebuttable presumption that such persons are parties of integrity and responsibility;

(5) Except as provided in subdivision (6) of this section, when application is made for a move of any bank's main office within the city, village, or county, if not chartered within a city or village, of its original charter, the director shall publish notice of the proposed move in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the main office of the applicant is located and shall give notice of such intended move to all financial institutions located within the county where such bank is located. If the director receives a substantive objection to such move within fifteen days after publishing such notice, he or she shall publish an additional notice and hold a hearing as provided in subdivision (1) of this section;

(6) With the approval of the director, a bank may move its main office and charter to the location of a branch of the bank without public notice or hearing as long as (a) the condition of the bank, in the discretion of the director, does not warrant a hearing and (b) the branch (i) is located in Nebraska, (ii) has been in operation for at least one year as a branch of the bank or was acquired by the bank pursuant to section 8-1506 or 8-1516, and (iii) is simultaneously relocated to the original main office location;

(7) The director shall send any notice to financial institutions required by this section by first-class mail, postage prepaid, or electronic mail. Electronic mail may be used if the financial institution agrees in advance to receive such notices by electronic mail. A financial institution may designate one office for receipt of any such notice if it has more than one office located within the county where such notice is to be sent or a main office in a county other than the county where such notice is to be sent;

(8) The expense of any publication and mailing required by this section shall be paid by the applicant but payment shall not be a condition precedent to approval by the director; and

(9) Notwithstanding any provision of this section, the director shall take immediate action on any charter application or applications concerned without the benefit of a hearing in the case of an emergency so declared by the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the director.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a charter for a bank shall not be issued unless the corporation applying therefor has surplus and paid-up capital stock in an amount not less than the amount necessary for compliance with subsection (1) of section 8-702 for the insurance of deposits.

(2) The director has the authority to determine the minimum amount of paid-up capital stock and surplus required for any corporation applying for a bank charter, which amount shall not be less than the amount provided in subsection (1) of this section.

With the approval of the director, any bank may at any time, through action of its board of directors and without requiring any action of its stockholders, issue and sell its capital notes or debentures. Such capital notes or debentures shall be subordinate and subject to the claims of depositors and may be subordinated and subjected to the claims of other creditors. Before any such capital notes or debentures are retired or paid by the bank, any existing deficiency of its capital, disregarding the notes or debentures to be retired, must be paid in, in cash, to the end that the sound capital assets shall at least equal the capital or capital stock of the bank. Such capital notes or debentures shall in no case be subject to any assessment. The holders of such capital notes or debentures shall not be held individually responsible as such holders for any debts, contracts, or engagements of such bank and shall not be held liable for assessments to restore impairments in the capital of such bank.

(1)(a) The director may grant approval for a conditional bank charter which may remain inactive for an initial period of up to eighteen months.

(b) The purpose for which a conditional bank charter may be granted is limited to the acquisition or potential acquisition of a financial institution which (i) is located in this state or which has a branch in this state and (ii) has been determined to be troubled or failing by its primary state or federal regulator.

(2) A person or persons organizing for and desiring to obtain a conditional bank charter shall make, under oath, and transmit to the department an application prescribed by the department, to include, but not be limited to:

(a) The name of the proposed bank;

(b) A draft copy of the articles of incorporation of the proposed bank;

(c) The names, addresses, financial condition, and business history of the proposed stockholders, officers, and directors of the proposed bank;

(d) The sources and amounts of capital that would be available to the proposed bank; and

(e) A preliminary business plan describing the operations of the proposed bank.

(3) Upon receipt of a substantially completed application for a conditional bank charter and payment of the fee required by section 8-602, the director may, in his or her discretion, hold a public hearing on the application. If a hearing is to be held, notice of the filing of the application and the date of hearing thereon shall be published by the department for three weeks in a minimum of two newspapers with general circulation in Nebraska. The newspapers shall be selected at the director's discretion, except that the director shall consider the county or counties of residence of the proposed members of the board of directors of the proposed conditional bank charter in making such selection. The date for hearing the application shall be not less than thirty days after the last publication of notice of hearing. Notice shall also be sent by first-class mail to the main office of all financial institutions doing business in the state. Electronic mail may be used if a financial institution agrees in advance to receive such notice by electronic mail.

(4) If the director determines that a hearing on the application for a conditional bank charter is not necessary, then the department shall publish a notice of the proposed application in a minimum of two newspapers of general circulation in Nebraska. The newspapers shall be selected in accordance with subsection (3) of this section. The department shall send notice of the application by first-class mail to the main office of all financial institutions doing business in the state. Electronic mail may be used if a financial institution agrees in advance to receive such notice by electronic mail. If the director receives a substantive objection to the application within fifteen days after the publication or notice, whichever occurs last, a hearing shall be scheduled on the application.

(5) The expense of any publication and mailing required by this section shall be paid by the applicant but payment shall not be a condition precedent to approval by the director.

(6) If the director upon investigation and after any public hearing on the application is satisfied that (a) the stockholders, officers, and directors of the proposed corporation applying for such conditional bank charter are parties of integrity and responsibility, (b) the applicant has sufficient sources and amounts of capital available to the proposed bank, and (c) the applicant has a business plan describing the operations of the proposed bank that indicates the proposed bank has a reasonable probability of usefulness and success, the department shall, upon the payment of any required fees and costs, grant a conditional bank charter effective for a period not to exceed eighteen months from the date of issuance.

(7) A conditional bank charter may be converted to a full bank charter upon proof satisfactory to the director that:

(a) The financial institution to be acquired is in a troubled or failing status as required by subsection (1) of this section;

(b) The requirements of section 8-110 have been met;

(c) The requirements of section 8-702 have been met;

(d) Capital stock and surplus in amounts determined pursuant to section 8-116 have been paid in;

(e) The fees required by section 8-602 have been paid to the department; and

(f) Any other conditions imposed by the director have been complied with.

(8) A conditional bank charter may be extended for successive periods of one year if the holder of the charter files a written request for an extension of such charter at least ninety days prior to the expiration date of such charter. Such request shall be accompanied by (a) any information deemed necessary by the director to assure the department that the requirements of subsection (6) of this section continue to be met and (b) the fee required by section 8-602.

(9) The department shall issue a notice of expiration of a conditional bank charter if eighteen months have passed since the issuance of such charter and the holder of such charter (a) has not converted to a full bank charter pursuant to subsection (7) of this section, (b) has not made a request for an extension pursuant to subsection (8) of this section, or (c) has made a request for an extension pursuant to subsection (8) of this section which was not approved by the director.

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person for hire (a) to promote or attempt to promote the organization of a corporation to conduct the business of a bank in this state or (b) to sell the capital stock of such a corporation prior to the issuance of a charter to such corporation authorizing its operation as a bank.

(2) Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a Class II misdemeanor.

No corporation organized for the purpose of conducting a bank under the laws of this state shall be granted the charter provided in section 8-122 until the corporation has filed with the department a statement, under oath, of the president or cashier of such corporation that no premium, bonus, commission, compensation, reward, salary, or other form of remuneration has been paid, or promised to be paid, to any person for selling the stock of such corporation. The president or cashier of any such corporation who shall be found guilty of filing a false statement under the provisions of this section is guilty of a Class I misdemeanor. If, after such charter has been delivered, the director determines, after a public hearing, that such statement is false, the department shall cancel such charter, and a receiver shall be appointed for such corporation in the manner provided for in case of a corporation which is conducting a bank in an unsafe or unauthorized manner.

(1) Every corporation organized for and desiring to conduct a bank or to conduct a bank for purposes of a merger with an existing bank shall make under oath and transmit to the department a complete detailed application giving (a) the name of the proposed bank; (b) a copy of the proposed articles of incorporation; (c) the names of the stockholders; (d) the county, city, or village and the exact location therein in which such bank is proposed to be located; (e) the nature of the proposed banking business; (f) the proposed amounts of paid-up capital stock and surplus, and the items of actual cash and property, as reported and approved at a meeting of the stockholders, to be included in such amounts; and (g) a statement that at least twenty percent of the amounts stated in subdivision (f) of this subsection have in fact been paid in to the corporation by its stockholders.

(2) In the case of a merger, the existing bank which is to be merged into shall complete an application and meet the requirements of this section.

(3) This section also applies when application is made for transfer of a bank charter and move of a bank's main office to any location other than (a) within the corporate limits of the city or village of its original charter, (b) within the county in which it is located if such bank charter is not located in a city or village, or (c) as provided in subdivision (6) of section 8-115.01.

(1) After the examination and approval by the Director of Banking and Finance of the application required by section 8-120, if the director upon investigation and after any public hearing on the application held pursuant to section 8-115.01 shall be satisfied that the stockholders, directors, and officers of the corporation applying for such charter are parties of integrity and responsibility, that the requirements of section 8-702 have been met, and that the public necessity, convenience, and advantage will be promoted by permitting such corporation to engage in business as a bank, the department shall, upon the payment of the required fees, and, upon the filing with the department of a statement, under oath, of the president, secretary, or treasurer, that the paid-up capital stock and surplus have been paid in, as determined by the Director of Banking and Finance in accordance with section 8-116, issue to such corporation a charter to transact the business of a bank in this state provided for in its articles of incorporation. In the case of a bank organized to merge with an existing bank, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the public necessity, convenience, and advantage will be met by the merger of the two banks, except that such presumption shall not apply when the new bank that is formed by the merger is at a different location than that of the former existing bank. Any application for merger under this subsection shall be subject to section 8-1516.

(2) On payment of the required fees and the receipt of the charter, such corporation may begin to conduct a bank.

(1) The affairs and business of any bank shall be managed or controlled by a board of directors of not less than five and not more than twenty-five members, who shall be selected at such time and in such manner as may be provided by the articles of incorporation of the corporation and in conformity with the Nebraska Banking Act. The board of directors shall select a president. No person shall act as president if he or she is not a member of the board of directors.

(2) The board of directors shall hold at least one regular meeting in each calendar quarter, and at one of such meetings in each year a thorough examination of the books, records, funds, and securities held by the bank shall be made and recorded in detail upon its record book. In lieu of the one annual examination required, the board of directors may accept one annual audit by an accountant or accounting firm approved by the Director of Banking and Finance. The board of directors shall submit such audit to the department within one hundred twenty days after the completion of the audit or, for a periodic audit, within one hundred twenty days after the end of the calendar year.

At any time that a vacancy on the board of directors of a bank occurs, the bank shall, within thirty days, notify the department of the vacancy. Vacancies shall be filled within ninety days by appointment by the remaining directors, and any director so appointed shall serve until the next election of directors, except that if the vacancy created leaves a minimum of five directors, appointment shall be optional. When the vacancy has been filled, the bank shall make application to the department for approval of the director appointed in accordance with section 8-126.

A full and complete record of the proceedings and business of all meetings of the board of directors shall be recorded in the bank's minutes. Such record of the meetings shall show the gross earnings and disposition thereof by indicating expenses and taxes paid, worthless items charged off, depreciation in assets, amount carried to surplus fund, and amount of dividend, and shall also indicate the amount of undivided profits remaining. Published statements of assets and liabilities shall show for undivided profits only the net amount after deducting all expenses.

(1) A majority of the members of the board of directors of any bank shall have their residences in this state or within twenty-five miles of the main office of the bank. Reasonable efforts shall be made to acquire members of such board of directors from the county in which the main office of such bank is located and from counties in which branches of such bank are located.

(2) Directors of banks shall be persons of good moral character, known integrity, business experience, and responsibility. No person shall act as a member of the board of directors of any bank until such bank applies for and obtains approval from the department.

(3) If the department, upon investigation, determines that any director of a bank is conducting the business of the bank in an unsafe or unauthorized manner or is endangering the interests of the stockholders or depositors, the Director of Banking and Finance has the authority, following notice and opportunity for hearing, to revoke such approval to act as a member of the board of directors.

(4) The Director of Banking and Finance may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations and prescribe forms to carry out this section.

(1) Every bank shall cause to be kept at all times a full and correct list of the names and residences of all its stockholders, the number of shares held by each, and the amount of paid-up capital represented thereby. Such list shall be subject to the inspection of all stockholders of the bank during all business hours, and shall be kept in the business office where all stockholders may have ready access to it.

(2) Any person violating this section is guilty of a Class III misdemeanor.

The paid-in capital stock of any bank may be increased or decreased in the following manner: The stockholders at any regular meeting or at any special meeting duly called for such purpose shall by vote of those owning two-thirds of the capital stock authorize an officer of the bank to notify the department of the proposed increase or reduction of paid-in capital stock, and a notice containing a statement of the amount of any proposed reduction of paid-in capital stock shall be published for two weeks in some newspaper published and of general circulation in the county where the main office of such bank is located. Reduction of paid-in capital stock shall be discretionary with the director, but shall be denied if granting the same would reduce the paid-in capital stock below the requirements of the Nebraska Banking Act or would impair the security of the depositors. The bank shall notify the department when the proposed increase or decrease of the paid-in capital stock has been consummated.

Whenever the director deems it expedient, he or she may call a meeting of the stockholders of any bank by sending notice of such meeting to each stockholder five days previous thereto. All necessary expenses incurred in the giving of such notice shall be borne by the bank whose stockholders are required to convene.

Any bank or trust company, organized under the laws of this state, may subscribe to the capital stock of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Missouri, and become a member of the federal reserve system created and organized under an act of Congress of the United States, approved December 23, 1913, and known as the Federal Reserve Act, and may assume such liabilities and exercise such powers as a member of such system as are prescribed by the provisions of such act, or amendments thereto. So long as such bank or trust company shall remain a member of such system, it shall be subject to examination by the legally constituted authorities, and to all provisions of such Federal Reserve Act and regulations made pursuant thereto by the Federal Reserve Board which are applicable to such bank or trust company as a member of the federal reserve system. The director may, in his or her discretion, accept examinations and audits made under the provisions of the Federal Reserve Act in lieu of examinations required of banks or trust companies organized under the laws of this state.

(1) The available funds of a bank shall consist of cash on hand and balances due from other solvent banks. Cash shall include lawful money of the United States and exchange for any clearinghouse association. Whenever the available funds or any reserve of any bank are deemed deficient by the director, such bank shall not make any new loans or discount otherwise than by discounting or purchasing bills of exchange payable at sight or make any dividends of its profits until it has on hand available funds and reserve deemed sufficient for operation by the director. The department shall notify any bank, in case its available funds or reserves are deemed deficient or its capital is impaired, to make good such available funds, reserves, or capital within such time as the director may direct, and any failure of such bank to make good any deficiency in the amount of its available funds, reserve, or capital within the time directed shall be cause for the department to take possession of such bank, declare it insolvent, and liquidate it as provided in the Nebraska Banking Act.

(2) The capital of any bank shall be deemed to be unimpaired when the amount of capital notes and debentures as represented by cash or sound assets exceeds an impairment as found by the department.

(1)(a) Except as provided in this section, a bank may pay interest at any rate on any deposits made or retained in the bank.

(b) A bank shall not pay to any officer, director, principal stockholder, or employee a greater rate of interest on the deposits of such officer, director, principal stockholder, or employee than that paid to other depositors on similar deposits with such bank. Any person who causes the payment of a greater rate of interest on such deposits is guilty of a Class IV felony. Any officer, director, principal stockholder, or employee who requests or receives a greater rate of interest on his or her deposits than that paid to other depositors on similar deposits with such bank is guilty of a Class IV felony.

(2) Any officer, director, principal stockholder, or employee of a bank or any other person who, directly or indirectly, and either personally or for the bank, pledges any assets of the bank, except as provided in this section or otherwise by law, for making or retaining a deposit in the bank is guilty of a Class IV felony. Any depositor who accepts any such pledge of assets is guilty of a Class IV felony. Deposits made in violation of this section are not entitled to priority of payment from the assets of the bank.

(3) A bank may secure deposits made by a trustee under 11 U.S.C. 101 et seq. by pledge of the assets of the bank or by furnishing a surety bond as provided in 11 U.S.C. 345.

(4) A bank may secure deposits made by the United States Secretary of the Interior on behalf of any individual Indian or any Indian tribe under 25 U.S.C. 162a by a pledge of the assets of the bank or by furnishing an acceptable bond as provided in 25 U.S.C. 162a.

(5) A bank may secure deposits by a pledge of the assets of the bank or by furnishing an acceptable bond as provided in the Public Funds Deposit Security Act.

(6) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a bank or any officer, director, stockholder, or employee thereof from providing to a depositor a guaranty bond which provides coverage for the deposits of the depositor which are in excess of the amounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

(7) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a bank or any officer, director, stockholder, or employee thereof from providing to a depositor an irrevocable, nontransferable, unconditional standby letter of credit issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka which provides coverage for the deposits of the depositor which are in excess of the amounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

(8) For purposes of this section, principal stockholder means a person owning ten percent or more of the voting shares of the bank.

Banks may, by agreement, provide that deposits received under agreement shall be repaid only on presentation of pass books and may require notice to be given before such deposits are repaid.

(1) All persons, regardless of age, may become depositors in any bank and shall be subject to the same duties and liabilities respecting their deposits. Whenever a deposit is accepted by any bank in the name of any person, regardless of age, the deposit may be withdrawn by the depositor by any of the following methods:

(a) Check or other instrument in writing. The check or other instrument in writing constitutes a receipt or acquittance if the check or other instrument in writing is signed by the depositor and constitutes a valid release and discharge to the bank for all payments so made; or

(b) Electronic means through:

(i) Preauthorized direct withdrawal;

(ii) An automatic teller machine;

(iii) A debit card;

(iv) A transfer by telephone;

(v) A network, including the Internet; or

(vi) Any electronic terminal, computer, magnetic tape, or other electronic means.

(2) All persons, individually or with others and regardless of age, may enter into an agreement with a bank for the lease of a safe deposit box and shall be bound by the terms of the agreement.

(3) This section shall not be construed to affect the rights, liabilities, or responsibilities of participants in an electronic fund transfer under the federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act, 15 U.S.C. 1693 et seq., as such act existed on January 1, 2024, and shall not affect the legal relationships between a minor and any person other than the bank.

No officer or employee of any bank shall certify any check drawn upon such bank unless the person, firm, or corporation drawing the check has on deposit with the bank at the time such check is certified an amount of credit, on the depositors' ledger of such bank, subject to the payment of such check, equal to the amount specified in such check. The amount of such check shall not be recoverable from the payee or holder except in case of fraud. Whenever a check drawn upon any bank is certified by any officer or employee of such bank, the amount of the check shall be immediately charged against the account of the person, firm, or corporation drawing the check.

No bank shall accept or receive on deposit for any purpose any money, bank bills, United States treasury notes or currency, or other notes, bills, checks, drafts, credits, or currency, when such bank is insolvent. If any bank receives or accepts on deposit any such deposits when such bank is insolvent, the officer, agent, or employee knowingly receiving or accepting or being accessory to, permitting, or conniving at the receiving or accepting on deposit of such bank any such deposit, is guilty of a Class III felony.

(1) No loan or investment shall be made by a bank, directly or indirectly, without the approval of an active executive officer.

(2) Executive officers of banks shall be persons of good moral character, known integrity, business experience and responsibility, and be capable of conducting the affairs of a bank on sound banking principles.

(3) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, no person shall act as an active executive officer of any bank until such bank has applied for and obtained from the department a license for such person to act as an active executive officer. If the director, upon investigation, is satisfied that any active executive officer of a bank is conducting the business of the bank in an unsafe or unauthorized manner or is endangering the interests of the stockholders or depositors of the bank, the department may revoke the license of such active executive officer or suspend the ability of such active executive officer to continue to act as an active executive officer.

(4) Any person (a) whose license has been revoked or whose authority has been suspended by the department under subsection (3) of this section or who lacks a license and on whose behalf no election was made under subsection (6) of this section and (b) who acts or attempts to act as an active executive officer of a bank is guilty of a Class III felony.

(5) As part of any order of revocation or suspension under subsection (3) of this section, the director may levy a civil penalty against the active executive officer personally in an amount not to exceed ten thousand dollars. The civil penalty shall not be paid out of the assets of the bank in which the active executive officer is employed or otherwise performing services pursuant to contract. The department shall remit the civil penalty collected to the State Treasurer for distribution in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska. Any person whose authority has been revoked or suspended with prejudice under this section shall not be eligible to act as an executive officer at any other bank without authorization to do so from the department.

(6) A bank has the right, on or after August 24, 2017, to elect for its active executive officers to be exempt from the requirement to apply for and obtain a license from the department. An election, once made, shall remain in effect with respect to all active executive officers of the bank until and unless the election is revoked by the bank. An election or revocation shall be made in a form and manner established by the department. Within thirty days after revoking such election, such bank shall apply for and obtain from the department a license for any person acting or desiring to act as an active executive officer of the bank.

(7) For purposes of this section, active executive officer means any employee of a bank or any person under contract to perform services for a bank who is determined by the department to be a policy-dominant individual in the bank or who exercises (a) management functions, (b) major policymaking functions, or (c) substantial employee supervision, including the power to terminate employment. An active executive officer includes, but is not limited to, a president, a vice-president, a cashier, an assistant cashier, a chief executive officer, a loan officer, or an investment officer.

(8) The director may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations and prescribe forms to be used to carry out the intent of this section.

Any financial institution chartered by the department that employs a mortgage loan originator, as defined in section 45-702, shall register such employee with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry, as defined in section 45-702, by furnishing the following information concerning the employee's identity to the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry:

(1) Fingerprints for submission to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and any governmental agency or entity authorized to receive such information, for a state and national criminal history background check; and

(2) Personal history and experience, including authorization for the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry to obtain information related to any administrative, civil, or criminal findings by any governmental jurisdiction.

(1) No bank shall directly or indirectly loan to any single corporation, limited liability company, firm, or individual, including in such loans all loans made to the several members or shareholders of such corporation, limited liability company, or firm, for the use and benefit of such corporation, limited liability company, firm, or individual, more than twenty-five percent of the paid-up capital, surplus, and capital notes and debentures or fifteen percent of the unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus of such bank, whichever is greater. Such limitations shall be subject to the following exceptions:

(a) Obligations of any person, partnership, limited liability company, association, or corporation in the form of notes or drafts secured by shipping documents or instruments transferring or securing title covering livestock or giving a lien on livestock, when the market value of the livestock securing the obligation is not at any time less than one hundred fifteen percent of the face amount of the notes covered by such documents, shall be subject under this section to a limitation of ten percent of such capital, surplus, and capital notes and debentures or ten percent of such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus, whichever is greater, in addition to such twenty-five percent of such capital and surplus or such fifteen percent of such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus;

(b) Obligations of any person, partnership, limited liability company, association, or corporation secured by not less than a like amount of bonds or notes of the United States issued since April 24, 1917, or certificates of indebtedness of the United States, treasury bills of the United States, or obligations fully guaranteed both as to principal and interest by the United States shall be subject under this section to a limitation of ten percent of such capital, surplus, and capital notes and debentures or ten percent of such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus, whichever is greater, in addition to such twenty-five percent of such capital and surplus or such fifteen percent of such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus;

(c) Obligations of any person, partnership, limited liability company, association, or corporation which are secured by negotiable warehouse receipts in an amount not less than one hundred fifteen percent of the face amount of the note or notes secured by such documents shall be subject under this section to a limitation of ten percent of such capital, surplus, and capital notes and debentures or ten percent of such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus, whichever is greater, in addition to such twenty-five percent of such capital and surplus or such fifteen percent of such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus; or

(d) Obligations of any person, partnership, limited liability company, association, or corporation which are secured by readily marketable collateral having a market value, as determined by reliable and continuously available price quotations, in an amount at least equal to the face amount of the note or notes secured by such collateral, shall be subject under this section to a limitation of ten percent of such capital, surplus, and capital notes and debentures or ten percent of such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus, whichever is greater, in addition to such twenty-five percent of such capital and surplus or such fifteen percent of such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus.

(2)(a) For purposes of this section, the discounting of bills of exchange, drawn in good faith against actually existing values, and the discounting of commercial paper actually owned by the persons negotiating the bills of exchange or commercial paper shall not be considered as the lending of money.

(b) Loans or obligations shall not be subject to any limitation under this section, based upon such capital and surplus or such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus, to the extent that such capital and surplus or such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus are secured or covered by guaranties, or by commitments or agreements to take over or to purchase such capital and surplus or such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus, made by any federal reserve bank or by the United States Government or any authorized agency thereof, including any corporation wholly owned directly or indirectly by the United States, or general obligations of any state of the United States or any political subdivision of the state. The phrase general obligation of any state or any political subdivision of the state means an obligation supported by the full faith and credit of an obligor possessing general powers of taxation, including property taxation, but does not include municipal revenue bonds and sanitary and improvement district warrants which are subject to the limitations set forth in this section.

(c) Any bank may subscribe to, invest in, purchase, and own single-family mortgages secured by the Federal Housing Administration or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and mortgage-backed certificates of the Government National Mortgage Association which are guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by the Government National Mortgage Association. Such mortgages and certificates shall not be subject under this section to any limitation based upon such capital and surplus or such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus.

(d) Obligations representing loans to any national banking association or to any banking institution organized under the laws of any state, when such loans are approved by the director by rule and regulation or otherwise, shall not be subject under this section to any limitation based upon such capital and surplus or such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus.

(e) Loans or extensions of credit secured by a segregated deposit account in the lending bank shall not be subject under this section to any limitation based on such capital and surplus or such unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus. The director may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations governing the terms and conditions of such security interest and segregated deposit account.

(f) For the purpose of determining lending limits, partnerships shall not be treated as separate entities. Each individual shall be charged with his or her personal debt plus the debt of every partnership in which he or she is a partner, except that for purposes of this section (a) an individual shall only be charged with the debt of any limited partnership in which he or she is a partner to the extent that the terms of the limited partnership agreement provide that such individual is to be held liable for the debts or actions of such limited partnership and (b) no individual shall be charged with the debt of any general partnership in which he or she is a partner beyond the extent to which (i) his or her liability for such partnership debt is limited by the terms of a contract or other written agreement between the bank and such individual and (ii) any personal debt of such individual is incurred for the use and benefit of such general partnership.

(3) A loan made within lending limits at the initial time the loan was made may be renewed, extended, or serviced without regard to changes in the lending limit of a bank following the initial extension of the loan if (a) the renewal, extension, or servicing of the loan does not result in the extension of funds beyond the initial amount of the loan or (b) the accrued interest on the loan is not added to the original amount of the loan in the process of renewal, extension, or servicing.

(4) Any bank may purchase or take an interest in life insurance contracts for any purpose incidental to the business of banking. A bank's purchase of any life insurance contract, as measured by its cash surrender value, from any one life insurance company shall not at any time exceed twenty-five percent of the paid-up capital, surplus, and capital notes and debentures of such bank or fifteen percent of the unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus of such bank, whichever is greater. A bank's purchase of life insurance contracts, as measured by their cash surrender values, in the aggregate from all life insurance companies shall not at any time exceed thirty-five percent of the paid-up capital, surplus, undivided profits, and capital notes and debentures of such bank. The limitations under this subsection on a bank's purchase of life insurance contracts, in the aggregate from all life insurance companies, shall not apply to any contract purchased prior to April 5, 1994.

(5) On and after January 21, 2013, the director has the authority to determine the manner and extent to which credit exposure resulting from derivative transactions, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, securities lending transactions, and securities borrowing transactions shall be taken into account for purposes of determining compliance with this section. In making such determinations, the director may, but is not required to, act by rule and regulation or order.

(6) For purposes of this section:

(a) Derivative transaction means any transaction that is a contract, agreement, swap, warrant, note, or option that is based, in whole or in part, on the value of, any interest in, or any quantitative measure or the occurrence of any event relating to, one or more commodities, securities, currencies, interest or other rates, indices, or other assets;

(b) Loan includes:

(i) All direct and indirect advances of funds to a person made on the basis of any obligation of that person to repay the funds or repayable from specific property pledged by or on behalf of that person;

(ii) To the extent specified by rule and regulation or order of the director, any liability of a state bank to advance funds to or on behalf of a person pursuant to a contractual commitment; and

(iii) Any credit exposure to a person arising from a derivative transaction, repurchase agreement, reverse repurchase agreement, securities lending transaction, or securities borrowing transaction between the bank and the person; and

(c) Unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus means:

(i) For qualifying banks that have elected to use the community bank leverage ratio framework, as set forth under the Capital Adequacy Standards of the appropriate federal banking agency:

(A) The bank's tier 1 capital as reported according to the capital guidelines of the appropriate federal banking agency; and

(B) The bank's allowance for loan and lease losses or allowance for credit losses, as applicable, as reported in the most recent consolidated report of condition filed under 12 U.S.C. 1817(a)(3), as such section existed on January 1, 2024; and

(ii) For all other banks:

(A) The bank's tier 1 and tier 2 capital included in the bank's risk-based capital under the capital guidelines of the appropriate federal banking agency, based on the bank's most recent consolidated report of condition filed under 12 U.S.C. 1817(a)(3), as such section existed on January 1, 2024; and

(B) The balance of the bank's allowance for loan and lease losses not included in the bank's tier 2 capital for purposes of the calculation of risk-based capital by the appropriate federal banking agency, based on the bank's most recent consolidated report of condition filed under 12 U.S.C. 1817(a)(3), as such section existed on January 1, 2024.

(7) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 8-1,140, the director may, by order, deny or limit the inclusion of goodwill in the calculation of a bank's unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus or in the calculation of a bank's paid-up capital and surplus.

Any officer, employee, director, or agent of any bank who knowingly violates or knowingly permits a violation of section 8-141 is guilty of:

(1) A Class IV felony when the violation, either separately or as part of one scheme or course of conduct, results in the insolvency of the bank;

(2) A Class I misdemeanor when the violation, either separately or as part of one scheme or course of conduct, (a) results in a monetary loss to the bank of over twenty thousand dollars or (b) exceeds the authorized limit under section 8-141 by forty thousand dollars or more;

(3) A Class II misdemeanor when the violation, either separately or as part of one scheme or course of conduct, (a) results in a monetary loss to the bank of ten thousand dollars or more, but not more than twenty thousand dollars, or (b) exceeds the authorized limit under section 8-141 by twenty thousand dollars or more, but less than forty thousand dollars; or

(4) A Class III misdemeanor when the violation, either separately or as part of one scheme or course of conduct, (a) results in no monetary loss to the bank or a monetary loss to the bank of less than ten thousand dollars, or (b) exceeds the authorized limit under section 8-141 by ten thousand dollars or more, but less than twenty thousand dollars.

If the directors of any bank knowingly violate or knowingly permit any of the officers, employees, or agents of the bank to violate section 8-141, all rights, privileges, and franchises of the bank shall be forfeited. Before the charter of the bank is declared forfeited, the violation shall be determined and adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction in an action brought for that purpose by the Director of Banking and Finance in his or her own name. In case of such violation, every director of the bank who participated in or knowingly assented to the violation or permission to violate section 8-141 shall be liable in his or her personal and individual capacity for all damages which the bank, its shareholders, or any other person has sustained in consequence of such violation.

(1) No bank shall extend credit to any of its executive officers, directors, or principal shareholders or to any related interest of such persons in an amount that, when aggregated with the amount of all other extensions of credit by the bank to that person and to all related interests of that person, exceeds the higher of twenty-five thousand dollars or five percent of the bank's unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus unless (a) the extension of credit has been approved in advance by a majority vote of the entire board of directors of the bank, a record of which shall be made and kept as a part of the records of such bank, and (b) the interested party has abstained from participating directly or indirectly in such vote.

(2) No bank shall extend credit to any of its executive officers, directors, or principal shareholders or to any related interest of such persons in an amount that, when aggregated with the amount of all other extensions of credit by the bank to that person and to all related interests of that person, exceeds five hundred thousand dollars except by complying with the requirements of subdivisions (1)(a) and (b) of this section.

(3) No bank shall extend credit to any of its executive officers, and no such executive officer shall borrow from or otherwise become indebted to his or her bank, except in the amounts and for the purposes set forth in subsection (4) of this section.

(4) A bank shall be authorized to extend credit to any of its executive officers:

(a) In any amount to finance the education of such executive officer's children;

(b)(i) In any amount to finance or refinance the purchase, construction, maintenance, or improvement of a residence of such executive officer if the extension of credit is secured by a first lien on the residence and the residence is owned or is expected to be owned after the extension of credit by the executive officer and (ii) in the case of a refinancing, only the amount of the refinancing used to repay the original extension of credit, together with the closing costs of the refinancing, and any additional amount thereof used for any of the purposes enumerated in this subdivision are included within this category of credit;

(c) In any amount if the extension of credit is (i) secured by a perfected security interest in bonds, notes, certificates of indebtedness, or treasury bills of the United States or in other such obligations fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States, (ii) secured by unconditional takeout commitments or guarantees of any department, agency, bureau, board, commission, or establishment of the United States or any corporation wholly owned directly or indirectly by the United States, or (iii) secured by a perfected security interest in a segregated deposit account in the lending bank; or

(d) For any other purpose not specified in subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) of this subsection if the aggregate amount of such other extensions of credit to such executive officer does not exceed, at any one time, the greater of two and one-half percent of the bank's unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus or twenty-five thousand dollars, but in no event greater than one hundred thousand dollars or the amount of the bank's lending limit as prescribed in section 8-141, whichever is less.

(5)(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) of this subsection, the board of directors of a bank may obtain a credit report from a recognized credit agency, on an annual basis, for any or all of its executive officers.

(b) Subdivision (a) of this subsection does not apply to any executive officer if such officer is excluded by a resolution of the board of directors or by the bylaws of the bank from participating in the major policymaking functions of the bank and does not actually participate in the major policymaking functions of the bank.

(6) No bank shall extend credit to any of its executive officers, directors, or principal shareholders or to any related interest of such persons in an amount that, when aggregated with the amount of all other extensions of credit by the bank to that person and to all related interests of that person, exceeds the lending limit of the bank as prescribed in section 8-141.

(7)(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) of this subsection, no bank shall extend credit to any of its executive officers, directors, or principal shareholders or to any related interest of such persons unless the extension of credit (i) is made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as, and following credit-underwriting procedures that are not less stringent than, those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions by the bank with other persons that are not covered by this section and who are not employed by the bank and (ii) does not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features.

(b) Nothing in subdivision (a) of this subsection shall prohibit any extension of credit made by a bank pursuant to a benefit or compensation program under the provisions of 12 C.F.R. 215.4(a)(2), as such regulation existed on January 1, 2024.

(8) For purposes of this section:

(a) Executive officer means a person who participates or has authority to participate, other than in the capacity of director, in the major policymaking functions of the bank, whether or not the officer has an official title, the title designates such officer as an assistant, or such officer is serving without salary or other compensation. Executive officer includes the chairperson of the board of directors, the president, all vice presidents, the cashier, the corporate secretary, and the treasurer, unless the executive officer is excluded by a resolution of the board of directors or by the bylaws of the bank from participating, other than in the capacity of director, in the major policymaking functions of the bank, and the executive officer does not actually participate in such functions. A manager or assistant manager of a branch of a bank shall not be considered to be an executive officer unless such individual participates or is authorized to participate in the major policymaking functions of the bank; and

(b) Unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus means the sum of:

(i) The total equity capital of the bank reported on its most recent consolidated report of condition filed under section 8-166;

(ii) Any subordinated notes and debentures approved as an addition to the bank's capital structure by the appropriate federal banking agency; and

(iii) Any valuation reserves created by charges to the bank's income reported on its most recent consolidated report of condition filed under section 8-166.

(9) Any executive officer, director, or principal shareholder of a bank or any other person who intentionally violates this section or who aids, abets, or assists in a violation of this section is guilty of a Class IV felony.

(10) The Director of Banking and Finance may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out this section, including rules and regulations defining or further defining terms used in this section, consistent with the provisions of 12 U.S.C. 84 and implementing Regulation O as such section and regulation existed on January 1, 2024.

Any officer or employee of any bank who willfully and knowingly violates any provision of sections 8-141 to 8-143.01 shall be liable under his or her bond for any loss to the bank resulting therefrom.

Any stockholder or director, officer, agent, or employee of any bank who, for the use or benefit of himself or herself or any person other than the bank, solicits, asks for, or receives or agrees to receive from any person any gift or compensation or reward or inducement of any kind for (1) procuring or endeavoring to procure any loan from such bank to any person, (2) procuring or endeavoring to procure the purchase by such bank from any person of any negotiable or nonnegotiable instrument of any kind by discount or otherwise, (3) procuring or endeavoring to procure the purchase by such bank from any person of any real or personal property of any kind, or (4) procuring or endeavoring to procure such bank to permit any person to overdraw his or her account with such bank, is guilty of a Class I misdemeanor.

(1) The aggregate amount of direct borrowing of any bank shall at no time exceed the amount of its paid-up capital, surplus, undivided profits, capital reserves, capital notes, and debentures, except with the prior written permission of the director. Direct borrowing does not include:

(a) Money borrowed on the bank's bills payable secured by (i) direct or indirect obligations of the United States Government or (ii) obligations guaranteed by agencies of the United States Government;

(b) Rediscounts, bills payable, borrowings, or other liabilities with or to the federal reserve system or the federal reserve banks, if the bank is a member of the federal reserve system;

(c) Rediscounts, bills payable, borrowings, or other liabilities with or to the Federal Home Loan Bank System or the Federal Home Loan Banks, if the bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank System; or

(d) Rediscounts, bills payable, borrowings, or other liabilities with or to the federal intermediate credit banks.

(2) The aggregate amount of the loans and investments of any bank shall at no time exceed fifteen times the amount of its paid-up capital, surplus, undivided profits, capital reserves, capital notes, and debentures. For purposes of this section, loans and investments shall not include a bank's (a) cash reserves, (b) real estate and buildings at which the bank is authorized to conduct its business, (c) furniture and fixtures, and (d) obligations set forth in subdivisions (1)(a), (b), and (c) of this section.

(3) Any bank becoming a member of the federal reserve system or the Federal Home Loan Bank System shall have the same privileges to the same extent as national banks.

(4) With the prior written permission of the director, a bank may rediscount paper in an amount in excess of its paid-up capital stock.

(5) Any transfer of assets of a bank in violation of this section is void as against the creditors of the bank.

(6) Any officer, director, or employee of a bank who does, or permits to be done, any act in violation of this section and any other person who knowingly assists in the violation of this section is guilty of a Class IV felony.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) or (3) of this section, a bank shall not make any loan or discount on the security of the shares of its own capital stock or the capital stock of its holding company, if any, be the purchaser or holder of any such shares, or purchase any securities convertible into stock or, except as provided in this section and sections 8-148.01, 8-148.02, 8-148.04, 8-148.06, 8-149, and 21-2109, the shares of any corporation, unless such security or purchase is necessary to prevent loss upon a debt previously contracted in good faith. Such stock so purchased or acquired shall, within six months after the time of its purchase unless written approval of a longer holding period is obtained from the director, be sold or disposed of at public or private sale, or in default thereof, a receiver may be appointed to close up the business of the bank, except that such stock, if shares of another bank or a bank holding company, shall be sold or disposed of as required by the director. In no case shall the amount of stock so held at any one time exceed ten percent of the paid-up capital of such bank.

(2) Any bank may subscribe to, invest, purchase, and own shares of investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 when the investment companies' assets consist of and are limited to obligations that are eligible for investment by the bank. The director may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations governing the amounts, terms, and conditions of such subscriptions, investments, purchases, and ownership.

(3) Any bank may subscribe to, invest, purchase, and own Student Loan Marketing Association stock, Government National Mortgage Association stock, Federal National Mortgage Association stock, Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation stock, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation stock, or stock issued by any authorized agency of the United States Government, including any corporation or enterprise wholly owned directly or indirectly by the United States, or with the authority to borrow directly from the United States treasury, which the director has approved by rule and regulation or order. The director may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations governing the amounts, terms, and conditions of such subscriptions, investments, purchases, and ownerships, except that a bank shall not obligate more than five percent of its capital, surplus, undivided profits, and unencumbered reserves for such stock.

Any bank may invest not more than ten percent of its capital and surplus either in stock of a corporation operating a computer center or directly, alone or with others, in a computer center. With written approval of the director, such additional percentage of its capital and surplus may be so invested as the director shall approve. Such investment is not subject to the provisions of sections 8-148, 8-149, and 8-150.

Any bank may subscribe to, invest, buy, and own stock in any agricultural credit corporation or livestock loan company, or its affiliate, the principal business of which corporation must be the extension of short and intermediate term credit to farmers and ranchers, including partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations engaged in farming and ranching, for agricultural purposes, including the breeding, raising, fattening, or marketing of livestock. The bank shall not obligate more than thirty-five percent of its paid-up capital, surplus, undivided profits, capital reserves, capital notes, and debentures for such purposes, except that if the bank owns at least eighty percent of the voting stock of such agricultural credit corporation or livestock loan company, the limitation on the amount of obligation for such purposes shall not apply. Such subscription, investment, possession, or ownership is not subject to the provisions of sections 8-148, 8-149, and 8-150.

Bonds of the State of Israel are hereby made securities in which banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies, and credit unions may properly and legally invest funds.

(1) Any bank may make a community development investment or investments either directly or through purchasing an equity interest in or an evidence of indebtedness of an entity primarily engaged in making community development investments, if the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) An investment under this subsection does not expose the bank to unlimited liability; and

(b) The bank's aggregate investment under this subsection does not exceed fifteen percent of its capital and surplus. If the bank's investment in any one entity will exceed five percent of its capital and surplus, the prior written approval of the director must be obtained.

(2) Nothing in this section prevents a bank from charging off as a contribution an investment made pursuant to subsection (1) of this section.

(3) The subscription, investment, possession, or ownership is not subject to sections 8-148, 8-149, and 8-150.

(4) For purposes of this section, community development investments means investments of a predominantly civic, community, or public nature and not merely private and entrepreneurial.

(1) Any bank may deal in, underwrite, and purchase for its own account qualified Canadian Government obligations to the same extent that such bank may deal in, underwrite, and purchase for its own account obligations of the United States Government or general obligations of any state thereof.

(2) For purposes of this section:

(a) Qualified Canadian Government obligation means any debt obligation which is backed by Canada or any Canadian province to a degree which is comparable to the liability of the United States Government or any state thereof for any obligation which is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government or any state thereof. Qualified Canadian Government obligations also includes any debt obligation of any agent of Canada or any Canadian province if:

(i) The obligation of the agent is assumed in such agent's capacity as agent for Canada or any Canadian province; and

(ii) Canada or any Canadian province, on whose behalf such agent is acting with respect to such obligation, is ultimately and unconditionally liable for such obligation; and

(b) The term Canadian province means a province of Canada and includes the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories and their successors.

Any bank may subscribe to, invest in, buy, own, and sell the common stock, obligations, and other securities of one or more bank subsidiaries organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. A bank shall not obligate more than thirty-five percent of its paid-up capital stock, surplus, undivided profits, capital reserves, and capital notes and debentures for such purposes. An additional percentage of its paid-up capital stock, surplus, undivided profits, capital reserves, and capital notes and debentures may be invested with written approval of the director. The subscription, investment, possession, or ownership is not subject to sections 8-148, 8-149, and 8-150.

A bank subsidiary shall engage in only those activities:

(1) Prescribed under subdivision (6) of section 8-101.03; or

(2) That its bank shareholder, shareholders, member, members, investor, or investors are authorized to perform under the laws of this state and shall engage in those activities only at locations in this state where the bank shareholder, shareholders, member, members, investor, or investors could be authorized to perform activities.

A bank subsidiary is subject to examination and regulation by the department to the same extent as its bank shareholder, shareholders, member, members, investor, or investors.

(1) Any bank may subscribe to, invest, buy, and own stock of another financial institution if the transaction is part of the merger or consolidation of the other financial institution with the acquiring bank, or the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of the other financial institution by the acquiring bank, and if:

(a) The merger, consolidation, or asset acquisition occurs on the same day as the acquisition of the shares of the other financial institution and the other financial institution will not be operated by the acquiring bank as a separate entity; and

(b) The transaction receives the prior approval of the director.

(2) Any bank may subscribe to, invest, buy, and own stock of a company controlling another financial institution if the transaction is part of (a) the merger or consolidation of the company controlling the other financial institution with the company controlling the acquiring bank, or the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of the company controlling the other financial institution by the company controlling the acquiring bank, and (b) the merger or consolidation of the other financial institution with the acquiring bank, or the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of the other financial institution by the acquiring bank, and if:

(i) The merger, consolidation, or asset acquisition occurs on the same day as the acquisition of the shares of the company controlling the other financial institution, and neither the company controlling the other financial institution nor the other financial institution will be operated by the acquiring bank as a separate entity; and

(ii) The transaction receives the prior approval of the director.

(3) Any bank that acquires stock of another financial institution or company controlling another financial institution pursuant to this section shall not be deemed to be a bank holding company for purposes of the Nebraska Bank Holding Company Act of 1995, so long as the conditions of subdivision (1)(a) or (2)(b)(i) of this section, as applicable, are satisfied.

(4) For purposes of this section, financial institution means a bank, savings bank, credit card bank, savings and loan association, digital asset depository institution, building and loan association, trust company, or credit union organized under the laws of any state or organized under the laws of the United States.

Any financial institution as defined in section 8-3003 other than a digital asset depository institution as defined in section 8-3003 may invest not more than ten percent of its capital and surplus either in stock of a corporation operating a digital asset depository institution or directly, alone, or with others, in a digital asset depository institution. With written approval of the director, such additional percentage of its capital and surplus may be so invested as the director shall approve. Such investment is not subject to sections 8-148, 8-149, and 8-150.

(1) No bank shall, without the written approval of the director, (a) invest in bank premises or in the stock, bonds, debentures, or other such obligations of any corporation holding the premises of such bank, or (b) make loans to or upon the security of the stock of any such corporation, if the aggregate of all such investments and loans will exceed the paid-up capital stock, surplus, and capital notes and debentures of such bank. Stock held as authorized by this section shall not be subject to the provisions of section 8-148.

(2) Investments by a bank in bank premises necessary for the transaction of its business shall include, but not be limited to:

(a) Premises that are owned and occupied, or to be occupied if under construction, by the bank, its branches, or its consolidated subsidiaries;

(b) Real estate acquired and intended, in good faith, for use in future expansions;

(c) Parking facilities that are used by customers or employees of the bank, its branches, or its consolidated subsidiaries;

(d) Residential property for the use of officers or employees of the bank, its branches, or its consolidated subsidiaries who are:

(i) Located in areas where suitable housing at a reasonable price is not readily available; or

(ii) Temporarily assigned to a foreign country, including foreign nationals temporarily assigned to the United States; and

(e) Property for the use of officers, employees, or customers of the bank, its branches, and its consolidated subsidiaries or for the temporary lodging of such persons in areas where suitable commercial lodging is not readily available, if the purchase and operation of the property qualifies as a deductible business expense for federal tax purposes.

(1) Any bank may purchase, hold, and convey real estate that is (a) acquired pursuant to section 8-149, (b) conveyed to it for debts due the bank, or (c) purchased at sale under judgments, decrees, deeds of trust, or mortgages held by the bank or purchased to secure debts due to it upon its securities, but the bank at such sale shall not bid a larger amount than required to satisfy such judgments or decrees with costs. Real estate acquired in satisfaction of debts or at a sale upon judgments, decrees, deeds of trust, or mortgages shall be sold at private or public sale within five years unless authority shall be given in writing by the director to hold it for a longer period.

(2) The total amount of real estate held by any bank for purposes of subdivisions (1)(b) and (c) of this section shall not be entered on the records of the bank as an asset at a value greater than (a) the unpaid balance of the debts due the bank plus its out-of-pocket expenses incurred in acquiring clear title, (b) its judgments or decrees with costs, or (c) the appraised value of such real estate, whichever is less, except that a bank may expend funds as necessary for repairs or to complete a project in order to market such property.

(3) A bank may utilize property acquired by it under subdivisions (1)(b) and (c) of this section in any manner authorized by the director.

A bank may make loans secured by real estate or may participate with other financial institutions in such loans whether such participation occurs at the inception of the loan or at any time after the loan was made.

All checks, unless sent to banks as special collection items, shall have preprinted the magnetically encoded routing and transit symbol of the bank and either the name of the maker or the magnetically encoded account number of the maker. Except for checks sent to banks as special collection items or checks presented for payment by the payee in person, all checks drawn on any bank shall be cleared at par by the bank on which they are drawn. The term at par applies only to the settlement of checks between collecting and paying or remitting banks and does not apply to or prohibit a bank from deducting a fee from the face amount of the check for paying the check if the check is presented to the bank by the payee in person.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 8-2103, the general business of every bank shall be transacted at the place of business specified in its charter.

(2)(a)(i) Except as provided in subdivision (2)(a)(ii) of this section, with the approval of the director, any bank located in this state may establish and maintain in this state an unlimited number of branches at which all banking transactions allowed by law may be made.

(ii) Any bank that owns or controls more than twenty-two percent of the total deposits in Nebraska, as described in subdivision (2)(c) of section 8-910 and computed in accordance with subsection (3) of section 8-910, or any bank that is a subsidiary of a bank holding company that owns or controls more than twenty-two percent of the total deposits in Nebraska, as described in subdivision (2)(c) of section 8-910 and computed in accordance with subsection (3) of section 8-910, shall not establish and maintain an unlimited number of branches as provided in subdivision (2)(a)(i) of this section. With the approval of the director, a bank as described in this subdivision may establish and maintain in the county in which the main office of such bank is located an unlimited number of branches at which all banking transactions allowed by law may be made, except that if the main office of such bank is located in a Class I or Class III county, such bank may establish and maintain in Class I and Class III counties an unlimited number of branches at which all banking transactions allowed by law may be made.

(iii) Any bank which establishes and maintains branches pursuant to subdivision (2)(a)(i) of this section and which subsequently becomes a bank as described in subdivision (2)(a)(ii) of this section shall not be subject to the limitations as to location of branches contained in subdivision (2)(a)(ii) of this section with regard to any such established branch and shall continue to be entitled to maintain any such established branch as if such bank had not become a bank as described in subdivision (2)(a)(ii) of this section.

(b) With the approval of the director, any bank or any branch may establish and maintain a mobile branch at which all banking transactions allowed by law may be made. Such mobile branch may consist of one or more vehicles which may transact business only within the county in which such bank or such branch is located and within counties in this state which adjoin such county.

(c) For purposes of this subsection:

(i) Class I county means a county in this state with a population of four hundred thousand or more as determined by the most recent federal decennial census;

(ii) Class II county means a county in this state with a population of at least two hundred thousand and less than four hundred thousand as determined by the most recent federal decennial census;

(iii) Class III county means a county in this state with a population of at least one hundred thousand and less than two hundred thousand as determined by the most recent federal decennial census; and

(iv) Class IV county means a county in this state with a population of less than one hundred thousand as determined by the most recent federal decennial census.

(3) With the approval of the director, a bank may establish and maintain branches acquired pursuant to section 8-1506 or 8-1516. All banking transactions allowed by law may be made at such branches.

(4) With the approval of the director, a bank may acquire the assets and assume the deposits of a branch of another financial institution in Nebraska if the acquired branch is converted to a branch of the acquiring bank. All banking transactions allowed by law may be made at a branch acquired pursuant to this subsection.

(5) With the approval of the director, a bank may establish a branch pursuant to subdivision (6) of section 8-115.01. All banking transactions allowed by law may be made at such branch.

(6) The name given to any branch established and maintained pursuant to this section shall not be substantially similar to the name of any existing bank or branch which is unaffiliated with the newly created branch and is located in the same city, village, or county. The name of such newly created branch shall be approved by the director.

(7) A bank which has a main chartered office or an approved branch located in the State of Nebraska may, through any of its executive officers, including executive officers licensed as such pursuant to section 8-139, or designated agents, conduct a loan closing at a location other than the place of business specified in the bank's charter or any branch thereof.

(8) A bank which has a main chartered office or approved branch located in the State of Nebraska may, upon notification to the department, establish savings account programs at any elementary or secondary school, whether public or private, that has students who reside in the same city or village as the main chartered office or branch of the bank, or, if the main office of the bank is located in an unincorporated area of a county, at any school that has students who reside in the same unincorporated area. The savings account programs shall be limited to the establishment of individual student accounts and the receipt of deposits for such accounts.

(9) Upon receiving an application for a branch to be established pursuant to subdivision (2)(a) of this section, to establish a mobile branch pursuant to subdivision (2)(b) of this section, to acquire a branch of another financial institution pursuant to subsection (4) of this section, to establish or acquire a branch pursuant to subsection (1) of section 8-2103, or to move the location of an established branch other than a move made pursuant to subdivision (6) of section 8-115.01, the director shall hold a public hearing on the matter if he or she determines, in his or her discretion, that the condition of the applicant bank warrants a hearing. If the director determines that the condition of the bank does not warrant a hearing, the director shall publish a notice of the filing of the application in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the proposed branch or mobile branch would be located, the expense of which shall be paid by the applicant bank. If the director receives any substantive objection to the proposed branch or mobile branch within fifteen days after publication of such notice, he or she shall hold a hearing on the application. Notice of a hearing held pursuant to this subsection shall be published for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the proposed branch or mobile branch would be located. The date for hearing the application shall not be more than ninety days after the filing of the application and not less than thirty days after the last publication of notice of hearing. The expense of any publication required by this section shall be paid by the applicant but payment shall not be a condition precedent to approval by the director.

(1) Any establishing financial institution may establish and maintain any number of automatic teller machines at which all banking transactions, defined as receiving deposits of every kind and nature and crediting such to customer accounts, cashing checks and cash withdrawals, transferring funds from checking accounts to savings accounts, transferring funds from savings accounts to checking accounts, transferring funds from either checking accounts and savings accounts to accounts of other customers, transferring payments from customer accounts into accounts maintained by other customers of the financial institution or the financial institution, including preauthorized draft authority, preauthorized loans, and credit transactions, receiving payments payable at the financial institution or otherwise, account balance inquiry, and any other transaction incidental to the business of the financial institution or which will provide a benefit to the financial institution's customers or the general public, may be conducted. Any automatic teller machine owned by a nonfinancial institution third party shall be sponsored by an establishing financial institution. Neither such automatic teller machines nor the transactions conducted thereat shall be construed as the establishment of a branch or as branch banking.

(2) Any financial institution may become a user financial institution by agreeing to pay the establishing financial institution the automatic teller machine usage fee. Such agreement shall be implied by the use of such automatic teller machines.

(3)(a)(i) All automatic teller machines shall be made available on a nondiscriminating basis for use by Nebraska customers of a user financial institution and (ii) all Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions initiated by Nebraska customers of a user financial institution shall be made on a nondiscriminating basis.

(b) It shall not be deemed discrimination if (i) an automatic teller machine does not offer the same transaction services as other automatic teller machines, (ii) there are no automatic teller machine usage fees charged between affiliate financial institutions for the use of automatic teller machines, (iii) the automatic teller machine usage fees of an establishing financial institution that authorizes and directly or indirectly routes Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions to multiple switches, all of which comply with the requirements of subdivision (3)(d) of this section, differ solely based upon the fees established by the switches, (iv) automatic teller machine usage fees differ based upon whether the transaction initiated at an automatic teller machine is subject to a surcharge or provided on a surcharge-free basis, or (v) the automatic teller machines established or sponsored by an establishing financial institution are made available for use by Nebraska customers of any user financial institution which agrees to pay the automatic teller machine usage fee and which conforms to the operating rules and technical standards established by the switch to which a Nebraska automatic teller machine transaction is directly or indirectly routed.

(c) The director, upon notice and after a hearing, may terminate or suspend the use of any automatic teller machine if he or she determines that the automatic teller machine is not made available on a nondiscriminating basis or that Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions initiated at such automatic teller machine are not made on a nondiscriminating basis.

(d) A switch (i) shall provide to all financial institutions that have a main office or approved branch located in the State of Nebraska and that conform to the operating rules and technical standards established by the switch an equal opportunity to participate in the switch for the use of and access thereto; (ii) shall be capable of operating to accept and route Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions, whether receiving data from an automatic teller machine, an establishing financial institution, or a data processing center; and (iii) shall be capable of being directly or indirectly connected to every data processing center for any automatic teller machine.

(e) The director, upon notice and after a hearing, may terminate or suspend the operation of any switch with respect to all Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions if he or she determines that the switch is not being operated in the manner required under subdivision (3)(d) of this section.

(f) Subject to the requirement for a financial institution to comply with this subsection, no user financial institution or establishing financial institution shall be required to become a member of any particular switch.

(4) Any consumer initiating an electronic funds transfer at an automatic teller machine for which an automatic teller machine surcharge will be imposed shall receive notice in accordance with the provisions of 15 U.S.C. 1693b(d)(3)(A) and (B), as such section existed on January 1, 2024. Such notice shall appear on the screen of the automatic teller machine or appear on a paper notice issued from such machine after the transaction is initiated and before the consumer is irrevocably committed to completing the transaction.

(5) A point-of-sale terminal may be established at any point within this state by a financial institution, a group of two or more financial institutions, or a combination of a financial institution or financial institutions and a third party or parties. Such parties may contract with a seller of goods and services or any other third party for the operation of point-of-sale terminals.

(6) A seller of goods and services or any other third party on whose premises one or more point-of-sale terminals are established shall not be, solely by virtue of such establishment, a financial institution and shall not be subject to the laws governing, or other requirements imposed on, financial institutions, except for the requirement that it faithfully perform its obligations in connection with any transaction originated at any point-of-sale terminal on its premises.

(7) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit nonbank employees from assisting in transactions originated at automatic teller machines or point-of-sale terminals, and such assistance shall not be deemed to be engaging in the business of banking.

(8)(a) Annually by September 1, any entity operating as a switch in Nebraska shall file a notice with the department setting forth its name, address, and contact information for an officer authorized to answer inquiries related to its operations in Nebraska.

(b) Any entity intending to operate in Nebraska as a switch shall file a notice with the department setting forth its name, address, and contact information for an officer authorized to answer inquiries related to its operations in Nebraska. Such notice shall be filed at least thirty days prior to the date on which the switch commences operations, and thereafter annually by September 1.

(9) Nothing in this section prohibits ordinary clearinghouse transactions between financial institutions.

(10) Nothing in this section shall prevent any financial institution which has a main chartered office or an approved branch located in the State of Nebraska from participating in a national automatic teller machine program to allow its customers to use automatic teller machines located outside of the State of Nebraska which are established by out-of-state financial institutions or foreign financial institutions or to allow customers of out-of-state financial institutions or foreign financial institutions to use its automatic teller machines. Such participation and any automatic teller machine usage fees charged or received pursuant to the national automatic teller machine program or usage fees charged for the use of its automatic teller machines by customers of out-of-state financial institutions or foreign financial institutions shall not be considered for purposes of determining (a) if an automatic teller machine has been made available or Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions have been made on a nondiscriminating basis for use by Nebraska customers of a user financial institution or (b) if a switch complies with subdivision (3)(d) of this section.

(11) An agreement to operate or share an automatic teller machine may not prohibit, limit, or restrict the right of the operator or owner of the automatic teller machine to charge a customer conducting a transaction using an account from a foreign financial institution an access fee or surcharge not otherwise prohibited under state or federal law.

(12) Switch fees shall not be subject to this section or be regulated by the department.

(13) Nothing in this section shall prevent a group of two or more credit unions, each of which has a main chartered office or an approved branch located in the State of Nebraska, from participating in a credit union service organization organized on or before January 1, 2015, for the purpose of owning automatic teller machines, provided that all participating credit unions have an ownership interest in the credit union service organization and that the credit union service organization has an ownership interest in each of the participating credit unions' automatic teller machines. Such participation and any automatic teller machine usage fees associated with Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions initiated by customers of participating credit unions at such automatic teller machines shall not be considered for purposes of determining if such automatic teller machines have been made available on a nondiscriminating basis or if Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions initiated at such automatic teller machines have been made on a nondiscriminating basis, provided that all Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions initiated by customers of participating credit unions result in the same automatic teller machine usage fees for essentially the same service routed over the same switch.

(14) Nebraska automatic teller machine usage fees and any agreements relating to Nebraska automatic teller machine usage fees shall comply with subsection (3) of this section.

(15) For purposes of this section:

(a) Access means the ability to utilize an automatic teller machine or a point-of-sale terminal to conduct permitted banking transactions or purchase goods and services electronically;

(b) Account means a checking account, a savings account, a share account, or any other customer asset account held by a financial institution. Such an account may also include a line of credit which a financial institution has agreed to extend to its customer;

(c) Affiliate financial institution means any financial institution which is a subsidiary of the same bank holding company;

(d) Automatic teller machine usage fee means any per transaction fee established by a switch or otherwise established on behalf of an establishing financial institution and collected from the user financial institution and paid to the establishing financial institution for the use of the automatic teller machine. An automatic teller machine usage fee shall not include switch fees;

(e) Electronic funds transfer means any transfer of funds, other than a transaction originated by check, draft, or similar paper instrument, that is initiated through a point-of-sale terminal, an automatic teller machine, or a personal terminal for the purpose of ordering, instructing, or authorizing a financial institution to debit or credit an account;

(f) Essentially the same service means the same Nebraska automatic teller machine transaction offered by an establishing financial institution irrespective of the user financial institution, the Nebraska customer of which initiates the Nebraska automatic teller machine transaction. A Nebraska automatic teller machine transaction that is subject to a surcharge is not essentially the same service as the same banking transaction for which a surcharge is not imposed;

(g) Establishing financial institution means any financial institution which has a main chartered office or approved branch located in the State of Nebraska that establishes or sponsors an automatic teller machine or any out-of-state financial institution that establishes or sponsors an automatic teller machine;

(h) Financial institution means a bank, savings bank, building and loan association, savings and loan association, or credit union, whether chartered by the department, the United States, or a foreign state agency; any other similar organization which is covered by federal deposit insurance; or a subsidiary of any such entity;

(i) Foreign financial institution means a financial institution located outside the United States;

(j) Nebraska automatic teller machine transaction means a banking transaction as defined in subsection (1) of this section which is (i) initiated at an automatic teller machine established in whole or in part or sponsored by an establishing financial institution, (ii) for an account of a Nebraska customer of a user financial institution, and (iii) processed through a switch regardless of whether it is routed directly or indirectly from an automatic teller machine;

(k) Personal terminal means a personal computer and telephone, wherever located, operated by a customer of a financial institution for the purpose of initiating a transaction affecting an account of the customer;

(l) Sponsoring an automatic teller machine means the acceptance of responsibility by an establishing financial institution for compliance with all provisions of law governing automatic teller machines and Nebraska automatic teller machine transactions in connection with an automatic teller machine owned by a nonfinancial institution third party;

(m) Switch fee means a fee established by a switch and assessed to a user financial institution or to an establishing financial institution other than an automatic teller machine usage fee; and

(n) User financial institution means any financial institution which has a main chartered office or approved branch located in the State of Nebraska which avails itself of and provides its customers with automatic teller machine services.

Any bank may be appointed and shall have power to act, either by itself or jointly with any natural person or persons, as personal representative of the estate of any deceased person or as special administrator of the estate of any deceased person under the appointment of a court of record having jurisdiction of the estate of such deceased person. When a bank is so appointed and an oath is required to be made, whether in order to qualify or for any other purpose, the president, vice president, or secretary of the bank may, on behalf of the bank, make and subscribe to the required oath.

Any bank, having adopted or amended its articles of incorporation to authorize the conduct of a trust business as defined in the Nebraska Trust Company Act, may be further chartered by the director to transact a trust company business in a trust department in connection with such bank.

The director has the authority to issue to banks amendments to their charters of authority to transact trust business as defined in the Nebraska Trust Company Act and has general supervision and control over such trust department of banks.

The director, before granting to any bank the right to operate a trust department, shall require such bank to make an application for amendment of its charter, setting forth such information as the director may require. If, upon investigation, the director is satisfied that the trust department of the bank requesting such amendment will be operated by officers of integrity and responsibility, the department shall, with such additional capital as the director shall require, issue to such bank an amendment to its charter, entitling it to operate a trust department and entitling it to transact the business provided for in the Nebraska Trust Company Act.

The trust department of a bank when chartered under sections 8-159 to 8-161 shall be separate and apart from every other department of the bank and shall have all of the powers, duties, and obligations of a trust company provided in the Nebraska Trust Company Act.

Any bank authorized to transact a trust company business in a trust department pursuant to sections 8-159 to 8-162 may conduct such trust company business at the office of any bank which is a subsidiary of the same bank holding company as the authorized bank.

(1) A bank may deposit or have on deposit funds of a fiduciary account controlled by the bank's trust department unless prohibited by applicable law.

(2) To the extent that the funds are awaiting investment or distribution and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a bank shall set aside collateral as security under the control of appropriate fiduciary officers and bank employees. The bank shall place pledged assets of fiduciary accounts in the joint custody or control of not fewer than two of the fiduciary officers or employees of the bank designated for that purpose by the board of directors. The bank may maintain the investments of a fiduciary account off-premises if consistent with applicable law and if the bank maintains adequate safeguards and controls. The market value of the collateral shall at all times equal or exceed the amount of the uninsured or unguaranteed fiduciary funds awaiting investment or distribution.

(3) A bank may satisfy the collateral requirements of this section with any of the following: (a) Direct obligations of the United States or other obligations fully guaranteed by the United States as to principal and interest; (b) readily marketable securities of the classes in which banks, trust companies, or other corporations exercising fiduciary powers are permitted to invest fiduciary funds under applicable state law; and (c) surety bonds, to the extent the surety bonds provide adequate security, unless prohibited by applicable law.

(4) A bank, acting in its fiduciary capacity, may deposit funds of a fiduciary account that are awaiting investment or distribution with an affiliated insured depository institution unless prohibited by applicable law. The bank may set aside collateral as security for a deposit by or with an affiliate of fiduciary funds awaiting investment or distribution, as it would if the deposit was made at the bank, unless such action is prohibited by applicable law.

(5) Public funds deposited in and held by a bank are not subject to this section.

(6) This section does not apply to a fiduciary account in which, pursuant to the terms of the governing instrument, full investment authority is retained by the grantor or is vested in persons or entities other than the bank and the bank, acting in its fiduciary capacity, does not have the power to exert any influence over investment decisions.

(1) No bank shall withdraw or permit to be withdrawn, either in the form of dividends or otherwise, any part of its capital or surplus without the written permission of the director. If losses have at any time been sustained equal to or exceeding the retained net income, no dividends shall be made without the written permission of the director. No dividend shall be made by any bank in an amount greater than the retained net income without the written permission of the director.

(2) As used in this section, retained net income means the sum of the bank's net income, as reported in its most recent report of condition and income, less any dividends declared during such year, for the current and two prior calendar years. Retained net income is reduced by any net losses incurred during that year not already reported in net income and by any transfers out of undivided profits to fund the retirement of preferred stock. Transfers out of undivided profits to the surplus account will not be treated as reductions to retained net income.

The board of directors of any bank may declare dividends on its capital stock but only under the following conditions:

(1) All bad debts required to be charged off by either the board of directors or the department shall first have been charged off. All debts due any bank on which interest is past due and unpaid for a period of six months, unless such debts are well secured or in the process of collection, shall be considered bad debts within the meaning of this section; and

(2) Twenty percent of the net profits accumulated since the preceding dividend shall first have been carried to the surplus fund unless such surplus fund equals or exceeds the amount of the paid-up capital stock.

Any losses sustained by any bank in excess of its undivided profits shall be charged to its surplus fund. Its surplus fund shall thereafter be reimbursed from the earnings, and no dividends shall thereafter be declared or paid by any such bank, without the written permission of the director, until such surplus fund shall be fully restored to its former amount.

(1) Every bank shall make to the department not less than two reports during each year according to the form which may be prescribed by the department, which report shall be certified as correct, in the manner prescribed by the department, by the president, vice president, cashier, or assistant cashier and in addition by two members of the board of directors.

(2) The director may waive the requirements of this section if a bank files its reports electronically with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or an electronic collection agent of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Federal Reserve Board.

Each report required by section 8-166 shall exhibit in detail and under appropriate headings the resources and liabilities of the bank at the close of business on any past day specified by the call for report and shall be submitted to the department within thirty days, or as may be required by the department, after the receipt of requisition for the report.

A bank shall furnish special reports as may be required by the director to enable the department to obtain full and complete knowledge of the condition of the bank.

Any bank that fails, neglects, or refuses to make or furnish any report or any published statement required by the Nebraska Banking Act shall pay to the department a penalty of fifty dollars for each day such failure shall continue, unless the director shall extend the time for filing such report.

(1) Banks shall not be required to preserve or keep their records or files or copies thereof for a period longer than six years next after the first day of January of the year following the time of the making or filing of such records or files except as provided in subsection (2) of this section.

(2)(a) Ledger sheets showing unpaid balances in favor of depositors of banks shall not be destroyed unless the bank has remitted such unpaid balances to the State Treasurer in accordance with the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. Banks shall retain a record of every such remittance for ten years following the date of such remittance.

(b) Corporate records that relate to the corporation or the corporate existence of the bank shall not be destroyed.

(3) All records or files or copies thereof shall be readable or legible.

No liability shall accrue against any bank destroying any records or files in accordance with sections 8-170 to 8-174. In any cause or proceedings in which any such records or files may be called into question or be demanded of the bank or any officer or employee of the bank, a showing that such records or files have been destroyed in accordance with the terms of sections 8-170 to 8-174 shall be a sufficient excuse for the failure to produce such records or files.

All causes of action against a bank based upon a claim or claims inconsistent with an entry or entries in any bank record or ledger, made in the regular course of business, shall accrue one year after the date of such entry or entries. No action founded upon such a cause shall be brought after the expiration of five years from the date of such accrual.

Sections 8-170 to 8-174, so far as may be permitted by the laws of the United States, shall apply to the records and files of national banks.

Any person who willfully and knowingly subscribes to, or makes, or causes to be made, any false statement or false entry in the books of any bank, knowingly subscribes to or exhibits false papers with the intent to deceive any person or persons authorized to examine into the affairs of any such bank, makes, states, or publishes any false statement of the amount of the assets or liabilities of any such bank, fails to make true and correct entry in the books and records of such bank of its business and transactions in the manner and form prescribed by the department, mutilates, alters, destroys, secretes, or removes any of the books or records of such bank without the written consent of the director, or makes, states, or publishes any false statement of the amount of the assets or liabilities of any such bank, is guilty of a Class III felony.

Any bank, which is in good faith winding up its business for the purpose of consolidating with some other financial institution, may transfer its resources and liabilities to the financial institution with which it is in the process of consolidation, but no consolidation shall be made without the consent of the director, nor shall such consolidation operate to defeat the claim of any creditor or hinder any creditor in the collection of his or her debt against any such bank or financial institution.

(1) Any national bank located and doing business within the State of Nebraska which follows the procedure prescribed by the laws of the United States may convert into a state bank or merge or consolidate with a state bank upon a vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the capital stock of such state bank when the resulting state bank meets the requirements of the state law as to the formation of a new state bank. If the national bank has been further chartered to conduct a trust company business within a trust department of the bank, the trust department to be converted shall meet the requirements of state law as to the formation of a trust company business within a trust department of a state bank.

(2) The public hearing requirement of subdivision (1) of section 8-115.01 and the rules and regulations of the director shall be required only if (a) after publishing a notice of the proposed conversion in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the main office of the national bank is located, the expense of which shall be paid by the applicant bank, the director receives an objection to the conversion within fifteen days after such publication or (b) in the discretion of the director, the condition of the bank warrants a hearing. If the national bank has been further chartered to conduct a trust company business within a trust department of the bank, the notice of the proposed conversion of the national bank shall include notice that the trust department will be converted in connection with the national bank conversion.

(1) The resulting state bank under section 8-178 shall file a statement with the department, under the oath of its president or cashier, (a) showing that the procedure prescribed by the laws of the United States and by this state have been followed, (b) setting forth in the statement the matter prescribed by sections 8-1901 to 8-1903, and (c) if the national bank has been further chartered to conduct a trust company business within a trust department of the bank, setting forth the matter prescribed by sections 8-159 to 8-162.01. Upon payment of all applicable fees, the department shall issue to such corporation, a charter to transact the business provided for in its articles of incorporation, and, if applicable, a charter to conduct a trust company business within a trust department of the bank.

(2) The department may accept good assets of any such national bank, worth not less than par, in lieu of the payment otherwise provided by law for the stock of such resulting bank. When the parties requesting the conversion, merger, or consolidation are officers or directors of either the national bank or of the state bank, they shall be accepted without investigation as parties of integrity and responsibility. Unless the resulting bank is at a different location than the former national or state bank, the department shall recognize the public necessity, convenience, and advantage of permitting the resulting bank and, if applicable, the trust company business within a trust department of the bank, to engage in business.

Any state bank, without the approval of any state authority, may, upon a vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of its capital stock, convert into and merge or consolidate with a national bank as provided by federal law.

When a national bank has converted into or merged or consolidated with a state bank, or a state bank has converted into or merged or consolidated with a national bank, the resulting bank shall be considered the same business and corporate entity as the former bank or banks and as a continuation thereof, and the ownership and title to all properties and assets and the obligations and liabilities of the converting, merging, or consolidating banks shall automatically pass to and become the properties and assets and the obligations and liabilities of the resulting bank. Upon the conversion, merger, or consolidation, when the resulting bank is a national bank, the franchise of the converting, merging, or consolidating state bank shall automatically terminate.

The owner of shares of a state bank which were voted against a conversion into or a merger or consolidation with a national bank under section 8-181 shall be entitled to receive, from the assets of such state bank, the value of such stock in cash, when the conversion, merger, or consolidation becomes effective, upon written demand made to the resulting bank at any time within thirty days after the effective date of the conversion, merger, or consolidation, accompanied by the surrender of the stock certificates. The value of such shares shall be determined, as of the date of the shareholders' meeting approving the conversion, merger, or consolidation, by three appraisers, one to be selected by the owners of two-thirds of the shares voting against the conversion, merger, or consolidation, one by the board of directors of the resulting state bank, and the third by the two so chosen. If the appraisal is not completed within sixty days after the conversion, merger, or consolidation becomes effective the department shall cause an appraisal to be made and such appraisal shall then govern. The expenses of appraisal shall be paid by the resulting bank.

Without approval by the director, no asset shall be carried on the books of the bank resulting pursuant to section 8-181, when the resulting bank is a state bank, at a valuation higher than that on the books of the converting, merging, or consolidating bank at the time of the examination, by a state or national bank examiner, last occurring before the effective date of the conversion, merger, or consolidation.

(1) Any state or federal savings association, whether formed as a mutual association or a capital stock association, may apply to the director to convert to a state bank.

(2) Any savings association seeking to convert its form of organization pursuant to this section shall first obtain approval of a plan of conversion by resolution adopted by not less than a two-thirds majority vote of the total number of directors authorized to vote.

(3) Upon approval of a plan of conversion by the board of directors, such plan and the resolution approving it shall be submitted to the director. The director shall approve the plan of conversion if he or she finds, after appropriate investigation, that:

(a) The plan of conversion is fair and equitable;

(b) The interests of the applicant, its members or shareholders, its savings account holders, and the public are adequately protected; and

(c) The converting savings association has complied with the requirements of this section.

(4) If the director approves the plan of conversion, the approval shall be in writing and sent to the home office of the converting savings association. As part of its approval, the director may prescribe terms and conditions to be fulfilled either before or after the conversion to cause the converting savings association to conform to the requirements of the Nebraska Banking Act.

(5) If the director disapproves the plan of conversion, the reasons for such disapproval shall be stated in writing and sent to the home office of the converting savings association, which shall be afforded an opportunity to amend and resubmit the plan within a reasonable period of time as prescribed by the director. In the event the director disapproves the plan after such resubmission, written notice of such final disapproval shall be sent by certified mail to the savings association's home office.

(1) If the director approves a plan of conversion in accordance with section 8-183.01, such plan shall be submitted for adoption to the members or shareholders of the converting savings association by vote at a meeting called to consider such action. At least three weeks prior to such meeting, a copy of the plan, together with an accurate summary plan description explaining the operation of the plan and the rights, duties, obligations, liabilities, conditions, and requirements which may be imposed upon such members or shareholders and the converted association as a result of the operation of the plan, shall be mailed to each member or shareholder eligible to vote at such meeting.

(2) The plan of conversion must be approved by not less than sixty percent of the total outstanding shares, which may be voted by proxy or in person at the meeting called to consider such conversion.

(3) A certified copy of the proceedings at such meeting shall be filed with the director within thirty days after such meeting.

(4) If the plan of conversion is approved, the board of directors of the savings association shall take action to obtain a state bank charter, adopt articles of incorporation, adopt bylaws, elect directors and officers, and take such other action as is required or appropriate for a state bank corporation.

(1) To obtain a state bank charter, a savings association shall meet the requirements of state law as to the formation of a new state bank. The public hearing requirement of subdivision (1) of section 8-115.01 shall only be required if (a) after publishing a notice of the proposed conversion in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the main office of the converting savings association is located, the expense of which shall be paid by the applicant savings association, the director receives a substantive objection to the conversion within fifteen days after such publication or (b) in the discretion of the director, the condition of the savings association warrants a hearing.

(2) If the savings association is a federal association, compliance with the procedure for conversion to a state bank prescribed by the laws of the United States, if any, shall be demonstrated to the director.

(3) When the persons requesting the conversion of the savings association are officers or directors of the savings association, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that such persons are parties of integrity and responsibility.

(4) If the main office of the resulting state bank is to be at the same location as the main office of the converting savings association, the director shall recognize that the public necessity, convenience, and advantage of the community will be met by permitting the resulting bank to engage in business.

(5) The director may make an examination of the applicant savings association prior to his or her decision on the application for a state bank charter. The cost of such examination shall be paid by the applicant savings association.

(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Nebraska Banking Act or any other Nebraska law, a state or federal savings association which was formed and in operation as a mutual savings association as of July 15, 1998, may elect to retain its mutual form of corporate organization upon conversion to a state bank.

(2) All references to shareholders or stockholders for state banks shall be deemed to be references to members for such a converted savings association.

(3) The amount and type of capital required for such a converted savings association shall be as required for federal mutual savings associations in 12 C.F.R. 5.21, as such regulation existed on January 1, 2024, except that if at any time the department determines that the capital of such a converted savings association is impaired, the director may require the members to make up the capital impairment.

(4) The director may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations governing such converted mutual savings associations. In adopting and promulgating such rules and regulations, the director may consider the provisions of sections 8-301 to 8-384 governing savings associations in mutual form of corporate organization.

(1) Upon the issuance of a state bank charter to a converting savings association, the corporate existence of the converting savings association shall not terminate, but such bank shall be a continuation of the entity so converted and all property of the converted savings association, including its rights, titles, and interests in and to all property of whatever kind, whether real, personal, or mixed, things in action, and every right, privilege, interest, and asset of any conceivable value or benefit then existing, or pertaining to it, or which would inure to it, immediately, by operation of law and without any conveyance or transfer and without any further act or deed, shall vest in and remain the property of such converted savings association, and the same shall have, hold, and enjoy the same in its own right as fully and to the same extent as the same was possessed, held, and enjoyed by the converting savings association.

(2) Upon issuance of the charter, the new state bank shall continue to have and succeed to all the rights, obligations, and relations of the converting savings association.

(3) All pending actions and other judicial proceedings to which the converting savings association is a party shall not be abated or discontinued by reason of such conversion but may be prosecuted to final judgment, order, or decree in the same manner as if such conversion had not been made, and such converted savings association may continue the actions in its new corporate name. Any judgment, order, or decree may be rendered for or against the converting savings association theretofore involved in the proceedings.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize a converted savings association to establish branches except as permitted by section 8-157 and the Interstate Branching and Merger Act. This subsection shall not be construed to require divestiture of any branches of a savings association in existence at the time of the conversion to a state bank charter.

Whenever any bank shall desire to go into voluntary liquidation, it shall first obtain the written consent of the director who may, before granting such request, order a special examination of the affairs of such bank, for which the same fees may be collected as in regular examination.

Any bank may voluntarily liquidate by paying off all its depositors in full. The bank so liquidating shall file a certified statement with the department, setting forth the fact that all its liabilities have been paid and naming its stockholders with the amount of stock held by each, and surrender its charter. The department shall cause an examination to be made of any such bank for the purpose of determining that all of its liabilities, except liabilities to stockholders, have been paid. Upon such examination, if it appears that all liabilities other than liabilities to stockholders have been paid, the bank shall cease to be subject to the Nebraska Banking Act.

Any bank may place its affairs and assets under the control of the department by posting on its door the following notice: This bank is in the hands of the Department of Banking and Finance. The posting of such notice, or the taking possession of any bank by the department or by any financial institution examiner shall be sufficient to place all of its assets of whatever nature immediately in the possession of the department, and shall operate as a bar to the levying of attachments or executions thereon, and shall operate to dissolve and release all levies, judgment liens, attachments, or other liens obtained through legal proceedings within sixty days next preceding the posting of such notice or the taking possession of such bank by the department.

Whenever it appears to the director from any examination or report provided for by the laws of this state that (1) the capital of any bank is impaired, (2) a bank is conducting its business in an unsafe or unauthorized manner, (3) a bank is endangering the interests of its depositors, (4) a bank, upon its failure, refuses to make any of the reports or statements required by the laws of this state, (5) the officers or employees of any bank refuse to submit its books, papers, and affairs to the inspection of any examiner, (6) any officer of a bank refuses to be examined upon oath touching the affairs of the bank, (7) from any examination or report provided for by law, the director has reason to conclude that a bank is in an unsafe or unsound condition to transact the business for which it is organized or that it is unsafe and inexpedient for the bank to continue its business, or (8) a bank neglects or refuses to observe any order of the director, the department may immediately take possession of the property and business of the bank, conduct the affairs of the bank, and retain possession of all money, rights, credits, assets, and property of every description belonging to the bank, as against any mesne or final process issued by any court against the bank whose property has been taken and retain possession for a sufficient time to make an examination of its affairs and dispose of such property as provided by law. All levies, judgment liens, attachments, or other liens obtained through legal proceedings against the bank or its property, acquired within sixty days next preceding the taking of possession of the bank, in the event the bank is liquidated and the business of the bank is not resumed or carried on after the taking of possession of the bank by the department, shall be void and the property affected by the levy, judgment lien, attachment, or other lien so obtained shall be wholly discharged and released from any levy, judgment lien, attachment, or other lien. The department shall retain possession of the property and business of the bank until the bank resumes business or its affairs are finally liquidated under the Nebraska Banking Act.

The director or any deputy, counsel, or examiner authorized by the director may, on behalf of the department, take possession of a bank by handing to the president, cashier, or any person in charge of the bank, a written notice that the bank is in the possession of the department.

Any officer, director, or employee of a bank who attempts to prevent the department from taking possession of such bank is guilty of a Class I misdemeanor.

Whenever any bank refuses or neglects to deliver possession of its affairs, assets, or property of whatever nature to the department or to any person ordered or appointed to take charge of such bank according to the Nebraska Banking Act, the director shall make an application to the district court of the county in which the main office of such bank is located or to any judge of such court for an order placing the department or such person in charge thereof and of its affairs and property. If the judge of the district court having jurisdiction is absent from the district at the time such application is to be made, any judge of the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court may grant such order, but the petition and order of possession shall be immediately transmitted to the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of such bank is located.

Upon taking possession of the property and business of any bank, the department shall immediately give notice of such fact by letter or electronic mail to all banks or trust companies holding or in possession of any assets of such bank, so far as known by the department. No bank or trust company so notified or knowing of such possession by the department shall have a lien or charge for any payment, advance, or clearance thereafter made, or liability thereafter incurred, against any of the assets of the bank of whose property and business the department shall have taken possession unless the bank be continued as a going concern.

Upon taking charge of any bank, the director shall cause to be made an inventory in triplicate of all the property, assets, and liabilities of the bank so far as the property, assets, and liabilities of the bank can be ascertained. One copy of the inventory shall be filed with the director, one copy of the inventory retained in the bank, and, after the declaration of insolvency of the bank as provided in section 8-194, one copy of the inventory shall be filed with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of the bank is located.

Whenever the officers, directors, stockholders, or owners of any insolvent bank give good and sufficient bond running to the department with an incorporated surety company authorized by the laws of this state to transact such business, conditioned upon the full settlement of all the liabilities of such bank by such officers, directors, stockholders, or owners within a stated time, and the bond is approved by the director, then the department shall turn over all the assets of such bank to the officers, directors, stockholders, or owners of the bank furnishing the bond, reserving the same right to require report of the condition and to examine into the affairs of the bank as existed in the department previous to its closing. If, upon such examination, it is found by the department that the officers, directors, stockholders, or owners are not closing up the affairs of the bank in such manner as to discharge its liabilities and to close up its affairs in a manner satisfactory to the department within a reasonable time, the department shall take immediate possession of the bank for liquidation under the Nebraska Banking Act.

Upon determination of insolvency of any bank by the director and failure of the stockholders or owners to restore solvency within the time and in the manner provided by law, or upon violation of the laws of the state by the bank, the director shall make a finding in writing of the condition of the affairs of such bank and a declaration of insolvency and such finding and declaration shall be filed with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of such bank is located.

Whenever any bank of whose property and business the department has taken possession or whose insolvency has been declared under section 8-194 deems itself aggrieved by such actions, it may, at any time not later than ten days after such declaration of insolvency has been filed with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of the bank is located, petition the district court to enjoin further proceedings. The court, after citing the Director of Banking and Finance to show cause why further proceedings should not be enjoined, hearing the allegations and proofs of the parties, and determining the facts, may, upon proof by the bank, its officers, or its directors that it is solvent, that the business of the bank has been and is being conducted as provided by law, that it is not endangering the interests of its depositors and other creditors, and that the Director of Banking and Finance has acted arbitrarily and abused his or her discretion either by taking possession of the bank or by finding and declaring the bank to be insolvent and ordering its liquidation, set aside such declaration of insolvency and enjoin the director from proceeding further, and direct him or her to surrender the business and property to the bank. On proof that the bank is insolvent and that its stockholders or owners have failed to restore solvency as provided by law, or that the bank is being operated in violation of law, and that the director has acted within his or her powers, the petition shall be dismissed by the court.

An appeal under section 8-195 shall operate as a stay of judgment of the district court, and no bond need be given if the appeal is taken by the director. If the appeal is taken by the bank, a bond shall be given as required by law for an appeal in civil cases.

(1) Pending final judgment on the petition to enjoin under section 8-195, the department shall retain possession of the property and business of the bank. If not enjoined, the director shall proceed to liquidate the affairs of the bank as provided in the Nebraska Banking Act, except that: (a) The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation may, under the laws of this state, accept the appointment as receiver or liquidating agent of any insolvent bank the deposits of which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; or (b) when any bank is declared insolvent and ordered to be liquidated and the deposits of such bank are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, then depositors and other creditors of such insolvent bank, representing fifty-one percent or more of the deposits and other claims in number and in amount of the total thereof, shall have the right to liquidate such insolvent bank by and through liquidating trustees, who shall have the same power as the department and the director to liquidate such bank if, within thirty days after the filing of the declaration of insolvency, articles of trusteeship executed and acknowledged by fifty-one percent or more of the depositors and other creditors in number, representing fifty-one percent or more of the total of all deposits and claims in such bank, are filed with the director. The articles creating the trusteeship shall be in writing, shall name the trustees, shall state the terms and conditions of such trust, and shall become effective when it is determined by the director that fifty-one percent or more of the depositors and other creditors in number, representing fifty-one percent or more of the total of all deposits and claims in such bank, have signed and acknowledged the same. All nonconsenting depositors and other creditors of the insolvent bank shall be held to be subject to the terms and conditions of such trusteeship to the same extent and with the same effect as if they had joined in the execution thereof, and their respective claims shall be treated in all respects as if they had joined in the execution of such articles of trusteeship. Upon finding that such articles have been executed and acknowledged as provided in this section, the director shall thereupon transfer all of the assets of the insolvent bank to such liquidating trustees and take their receipt therefor, and all duties and responsibilities of the department and the director as otherwise provided by law with respect to such liquidation shall be assumed by such liquidating trustees. The director shall then be relieved from further responsibility in connection therewith, and the director and the person who issued the applicable bond or equivalent commercial insurance policy shall be released from further liability on the director's official bond or equivalent commercial insurance policy in respect to such liquidation. The trustees shall then proceed to liquidate such bank as nearly as may be in the manner provided by law for the liquidation of insolvent banks by the department acting as receiver and liquidating agent.

(2) When the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any party other than the department is appointed receiver and liquidating agent of an insolvent bank or other financial institution chartered by the department, all references to the department or the director as provided in the act for the liquidation of such banks and financial institutions shall mean the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or other appointed receiver and liquidating agent.

The department may be designated the receiver and liquidating agent for any financial institution chartered by the department and, subject to the district court's supervision and control, may proceed to liquidate such financial institution or reorganize it in accordance with the Nebraska Banking Act.

Whenever the department has been designated receiver for a financial institution chartered by the department, the department shall have all the powers and privileges provided by the laws of this state with respect to any other receiver and such incidental powers as shall be necessary to carry out an orderly and efficient liquidation or reorganization of any such financial institution for which the department may have become receiver, either by operation of law or by judicial appointment. Acting by and through the director, the department may in its own name as such receiver enforce on behalf of such financial institution or its creditors, shareholders, or owners, by actions at law or in equity, all debts or other obligations of whatever kind or nature due to such financial institution or the creditors or shareholders thereof. In like manner, the department may make, execute, and deliver any and all deeds, assignments, and other instruments necessary and proper to effectuate any sale of real or personal property, or the settlement of any obligations belonging or due to such financial institution for which the department may have become receiver, or its creditors, shareholders, or owners, when such sale or settlement is approved by the district court of the county in which the main office of such financial institution is located. The director shall receive no fees, salary, or other compensation for his or her services in connection with the liquidation or reorganization of such financial institutions other than his or her salary.

The director may, under his or her hand and official seal, appoint such special deputies or assistants as he or she may find necessary for the efficient and economical liquidation of insolvent banks, with powers specified in the certificate of appointment, to assist him or her in the liquidation. The certificate shall be filed with the director and a certified copy with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of such bank is located. He or she may also employ such counsel and expert assistance as may be necessary to perform the work of liquidation. He or she shall, subject to the approval of the district court of the county in which the main office of the insolvent bank is located, fix the compensation for the services rendered by such special deputies, assistants, and counsel, which shall be taxed as costs of the liquidation. He or she may discharge such special deputies, assistants, or counsel at any time or may assign them to one or more liquidations or transfer them from one liquidation to another.

Upon the declaration of insolvency, the director shall require bonds or equivalent commercial insurance policies from the special deputies or assistants in sums and with such condition as the director shall specify, to be approved by the district court. The costs of any such bond or policy shall be taxed as costs in the liquidation. Such bond or policy shall be conditioned for the faithful performance of duty, and include indemnity to the department as receiver and liquidating agent.

Upon the declaration of insolvency of a bank by the director, the department shall become the receiver and liquidating agent to wind up the business of that bank, and the department shall be vested with the title to all of the assets of such bank wherever the assets may be situated and whatever kind and character such assets may be, as of the date of the filing of the declaration of insolvency with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of such bank is located. All levies, judgment liens, attachments, or other liens obtained through legal proceedings against such bank or its property acquired within sixty days next preceding the filing of the declaration of insolvency shall be void, and the property affected by the levy, judgment lien, attachment, or other lien obtained through legal proceedings, shall be wholly discharged and released therefrom. If at any time within sixty days prior to the taking over by the director of a bank which is later declared insolvent any transfers of the assets of such bank are made to prevent liquidation and distribution of such assets to the bank's creditors as provided in the Nebraska Banking Act or if any transfers are made so as to create a preference of one creditor over another, such transfers shall be void and the director shall be entitled to recover such assets for the benefit of the trust.

For the purpose of executing and performing any of the powers and duties hereby conferred upon him or her, the director may, in the name of the department or the insolvent bank or in his or her own name as director, prosecute and defend any and all actions and other legal proceedings and may, in the name of the department or the insolvent bank or in his or her own name as director, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all deeds, assignments, releases, and other instruments necessary and proper to effectuate any sale of real or personal property or sale or compromise authorized by order of the court as provided in the Nebraska Banking Act. Any deed or other instrument executed pursuant to such authority shall be valid and effectual for all purposes as though the same had been executed by the officers of the insolvent bank by authority of its board of directors.

Upon taking possession of the property and business of any bank, the director shall collect all money due to such bank and do such other acts as are necessary to conserve its assets and business and, on declaration of insolvency, he or she shall proceed to liquidate the affairs of the bank under the Nebraska Banking Act. He or she shall collect all debts due to and belonging to the bank. If he or she desires to sell or compromise any or all bad or doubtful debts or any or all of the real and personal property of such bank, he or she shall apply to the district court of the county in which the main office of the bank is located for an order permitting such sale or compromise on such terms and in such manner as the court may direct. All money so collected by the director may be, from time to time, deposited in one or more state banks or national banks. No deposits of such money shall be made unless a pledge of assets, a guaranty bond, or both are given as security for such deposit. All depository banks are authorized to give such security. The director may invest a portion or all of such money in short-time interest-bearing securities of the federal government.

In any proceeding in connection with the insolvency, liquidation, or reorganization of a bank of which a district court has jurisdiction, a judge of the district court shall exercise such jurisdiction in any county in the judicial district for which he or she was appointed to perform any official act in the manner and with the same effect as he or she might exercise in the county in which the matter arose, or to which it may have been transferred, and he or she may perform any such act in chambers with the same effect as in open court.

The director, within twenty days after the declaration of insolvency of a bank, shall file with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of such bank is located, a list setting forth the name and address of each of the creditors of such bank as shown by the books thereof or who are known by the director to be creditors, and within thirty days after filing the list of creditors, he or she shall also file an order fixing the time and place for filing claims against such bank. The time fixed for filing claims shall not be more than sixty days nor less than thirty days from the date of the filing of the order, and within seven days after the filing of such order, the director shall mail to each known creditor of such bank a copy of the order and a blank form for proof of claim. The director shall also post a copy of the order on the door of the bank, and within two weeks from the date of the order he or she shall cause notice to be given by publication, in such newspapers as he or she may direct, once each week for two successive weeks, calling on all persons who may have claims against the bank to present them to the director within the time and the place provided for in the order and to make proof thereof. Such claims shall be sworn to by the creditor or his or her representative. Any claim, other than claims for deposits and exchange, not presented and filed within the time fixed by such order shall be forever barred. Claims for deposits or exchange as shown by the books of the bank presented after the expiration of the time fixed in the order for filing claims may be allowed by the director upon a showing being made by the creditor, within six months from the date of the expiration of the time for filing claims as fixed by the order, that he or she did not have knowledge of the closing of the bank and did not receive notice within time to permit the filing of his or her claim before the time fixed for filing claims had expired.

(1) Upon the expiration of the time fixed for presentation of claims, the director shall thoroughly investigate all claims and file with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of the insolvent bank is located a complete list of all claims against which he or she knows of no defense and which, in his or her judgment, are valid, designating their priority of payment, together with a list of the claims which, in his or her judgment, are invalid. He or she shall also file an order allowing or rejecting such claims as classified.

(2) When the director reclassifies or rejects a claim, which rejection shall be made when he or she doubts the legality of a claim, he or she shall serve written notice of such reclassification or rejection upon the claimant by either registered or certified mail and file, with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of the bank is located, an affidavit of the service of such notice, which affidavit shall be prima facie evidence of such service. Such notice shall state the time and place for the filing by claimant of his or her objections to the classification, reclassification, or rejection of his or her claim.

Any person objecting to the classification of his or her claim and the order based thereon must, within thirty days of the filing of the classification and order with the clerk of the district court, begin an action in that court asking to reclassify his or her claim and to set aside the order of the director. Notice of this action shall be given by the service of a copy of the petition therein upon the director, who shall, within thirty days of such service, file his or her answer or other pleading. The court shall then set the matter for hearing at the earliest convenient date and shall try and determine the issues according to the usual procedure in matters of equity.

Upon the allowance of a claim against an insolvent bank, the director shall, upon request of the claimant, issue and deliver to the claimant a certificate of indebtedness showing the amount of the claim, the date of the allowance thereof, and whether such claim is one having priority of payment or is a general claim. Any assignment of a claim or certificate of indebtedness shall be filed with the director and shall not be binding until so filed. Upon payment of any distribution on a claim, evidenced by a certificate of indebtedness, such certificate shall be presented and an endorsement of such payment shall be made on the certificate.

The claims of depositors for deposits not otherwise secured and claims of holders of exchange shall have priority over all other claims, except federal, state, county, and municipal taxes. Such claims shall, at the time of the declaration of insolvency of a bank, be a first lien on all the assets of the bank from which they are due. No claim to priority shall be allowed which is based upon any evidence of indebtedness in the hands of or originally issued to any stockholder, officer, or employee of such bank and which represents money obtained by such stockholder, officer, or employee from himself, herself, or some other person, firm, corporation, or bank in lieu of or for the purpose of effecting a loan of funds to such failed bank.

When a bank whose deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation becomes insolvent, neither the deposits in the bank nor the exchange of such bank shall be deemed to be otherwise secured by reason of such insurance for purposes of section 8-1,110.

At any time after the expiration of the date fixed for the presentation of claims, the district court may by order, upon the application of the director, authorize the director to declare out of the funds remaining in his or her hands, after the payment of expenses, one or more distributions, and at the earliest possible date the director shall declare a final distribution as may be directed by the district court of the county in which the main office of such bank is located.

The director shall from time to time allocate to the various banks in liquidation the expenses of the department by reason of such liquidation, other than the compensation and expense of the special deputy or assistant in charge and the fees for legal services directly incident to the bank in liquidation. The director shall certify to the various district courts of the counties in which the banks in process of liquidation are located the amount of the expenses allocated, which shall be taxed and paid as costs in the liquidation.

The director shall from time to time make and file with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the main office of the insolvent bank is located a report of his or her acts of liquidation of each insolvent bank. He or she shall, upon the completion of the liquidation, file a final report, notice of which shall be given as the court may direct, and on hearing thereon and approval thereof by the court such liquidation shall be declared closed and the corporation dissolved. The director shall then cancel the charter issued to such bank pursuant to section 8-122.

After the department has taken possession of any bank under the Nebraska Banking Act, the stockholders of the bank may repair its credit, restore or substitute its reserves, and otherwise place it in safe condition. Such bank shall not be permitted to reopen its business until the director, after careful investigation of its affairs, is of the opinion that its stockholders have complied with the law, that the bank's credit and funds are in all respects repaired, that its reserves are restored or are sufficiently substituted, and that it should be permitted again to reopen for business, at which time the director may issue written permission for resumption of business under its charter.

If the capital of a bank becomes impaired, whether the department has taken possession of the bank or not, and if stockholders representing eighty-five percent or more of the common capital stock of the bank, with a view of restoring the impaired capital, shall, with the approval of the department, authorize the board of directors of the bank to levy and collect assessments on the common capital stock in such amount as the board of directors may determine necessary for such purpose, the board of directors shall levy the assessments so authorized and shall notify all common stockholders of record of the assessments by either registered or certified mail. If any common stockholder fails to pay his or her assessment within three weeks from the date of mailing such notice, the pro rata amount of such assessment shall be a lien upon his or her common capital stock and the board of directors shall immediately sell such shares of common capital stock at public or private sale without further notice and apply the proceeds of the sale to the payment of such assessment. Any balance shall be paid to the delinquent shareholder. Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the levy and collections of assessments on the preferred capital stock of the bank.

If the director, with a view to restoring the solvency of any bank which the department has taken possession of pursuant to law, approves a contract or plan whereby the bank is permitted to receive deposits and pay checks and do a limited banking business, entered into between the unsecured depositors and unsecured creditors representing eighty-five percent or more of the total amount of deposits and unsecured claims of such bank on the one hand and the bank or its board of directors on the other, all other depositors and unsecured creditors shall be held subject to such agreement to the same extent and with the same effect as if they had joined in the execution of the agreement, and their claims shall be treated in all other respects as if they had joined in the execution of such agreement in the event such bank is permitted to reopen for business as limited by such contract. All deposits received after the adoption of such plan and the assets of the bank created thereby, and before the restoration of the bank to solvency, shall be a trust fund for the security and the repayment of the deposits so received and shall not be subject to the payment of any deposit, debt, claim, or demand of the bank previously created. Such money and assets shall be kept and invested in the manner directed by the director. Section 8-138 does not apply to banks operating under this section. Any county, city, village, township, or school district through its governing body, and the state through the Governor, may enter into such contract except when the funds of such county, city, village, township, or school district are adequately secured. Whenever a bank is permitted to operate under the provisions of this section, such bank shall pay all costs incurred by the department in the approval of such plan, including examiners' expenses, attorneys' fees, and clerk hire, and incurred in special examinations required by the director.

Where no other punishment is provided in the Nebraska Banking Act, any person violating any provision of the act is guilty of a Class III misdemeanor.

As used in sections 8-1,124 to 8-1,129, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Emergency means any condition or occurrence, actual or threatened, which interferes physically with the conduct of normal business operations at one or more or all of the offices of a financial institution, or which poses an imminent or existing threat to the safety or security of persons or property, or both, including, but not limited to, fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, wind, rain, snow storm, labor dispute and strike, power failure, transportation failure, interruption of a communication facility, shortage of fuel, housing, food, transportation, or labor, robbery or attempted robbery, actual or threatened enemy attack, epidemic or other catastrophe, riot, civil commotion, and any other act of lawlessness or violence, actual or threatened;

(2) Financial institution means a bank, savings bank, building and loan association, savings and loan association, credit union, or trust company, or any office thereof, chartered by the department;

(3) Office means any place at which a financial institution transacts its business or conducts operations related to its business; and

(4) Officers means the person or persons designated by the board of directors, supervisory committee, or other governing body of a financial institution, to act for such financial institution in an emergency or, in the absence of any such designation or of such officer or officers, the president or any other officer in charge of such financial institution or of such office or offices.

(1) Whenever the director is of the opinion that an emergency exists, or is impending, he or she may, by proclamation, authorize any financial institution located in the affected area to close any or all of its offices. In addition, if the director is of the opinion that an emergency exists, or is impending, which affects, or may affect, a particular financial institution, or a particular office of such financial institution, but not banks located in the area generally, he or she may authorize the particular financial institution or office of the financial institution affected to close. Any office so closed shall remain closed until the director proclaims that the emergency has ended or until such time as the officers of the financial institution determine that one or more offices closed because of the emergency should reopen, whichever occurs first, and, in either event, for such further time thereafter as may reasonably be required to reopen.

(2)(a) Whenever the director authorizes a financial institution to close pursuant to subsection (1) of this section or to remain closed pursuant to section 8-1,126, he or she, in writing, may further authorize the financial institution to open a temporary office at a designated location for the period of time during which the financial institution or office is to remain closed, subject to extensions requested by the financial institution and authorized by the director, except that in no event may the director authorize a temporary office to operate for a total period of longer than thirty months.

(b) The director may authorize a financial institution to open a temporary office after consideration of (i) the ability of the financial institution to conduct its business in the area where the financial institution or the office of the financial institution was closed without opening a temporary office and (ii) the proximity of the financial institution or office of the financial institution to the proposed temporary office.

(c) The director may authorize a mobile branch to operate as a temporary office for any closed office of a financial institution other than its main office.

(d) The director may orally authorize a financial institution to open a temporary office to operate for a period no longer than four business days.

Whenever the officers of a financial institution are of the opinion that an emergency exists, or is impending, which affects, or may affect, one or more or all of a financial institution's offices, they shall have the authority, in the reasonable and proper exercise of their discretion, to determine not to open any one or more or all of such offices on any business or banking day or, if having opened, to close any one or more or all of such offices during the continuation of such emergency, even if the director has not issued and does not issue a proclamation of emergency. Any such closed office may remain closed until such time as the officers determine that the emergency has ended, and for such further time thereafter as may reasonably be required to reopen. In no case shall such office remain closed for more than forty-eight consecutive hours, excluding other legal holidays, without requesting the approval of the director pursuant to section 8-1,125.

The officers of a financial institution may close any one or all of the financial institution's offices on any day, designated by proclamation of the President of the United States or the Governor, as a day or days of mourning, rejoicing, or other special observance.

A financial institution closing an office pursuant to the authority granted under section 8-1,126 shall give as prompt notice of its action as conditions will permit and by any means available, to the director.

(1) Any day on which a financial institution, or any one or more of its offices, is closed during all or any part of its normal business hours pursuant to the authorization granted under sections 8-1,124 to 8-1,129 shall be, with respect to such financial institution or, if not all of its offices are closed, with respect to any office or offices which are closed, a legal holiday for all purposes with respect to any financial institution business of any character. No liability, or loss of rights of any kind, on the part of any financial institution, or director, officer, or employee thereof, shall accrue or result by virtue of any closing authorized by sections 8-1,124 to 8-1,129.

(2) Sections 8-1,124 to 8-1,129 shall be construed and applied as being in addition to, and not in substitution for or limitation of, any other law of this state or of the United States authorizing the closing of a financial institution or excusing delay by a financial institution in the performance of its duties and obligations because of emergencies or conditions beyond its control or otherwise.

Any bank, building and loan association, or savings and loan association may accept investments in savings accounts or shares in the name of any administrator, personal representative, custodian, conservator, guardian, trustee, or other fiduciary for a named beneficiary or beneficiaries. Any such fiduciary shall have the power to open, make additions to, and withdraw any such account, in whole or in part, or to purchase such shares, purchase additional shares, or sell all or any part of such shares, and any such fiduciary who is the owner of shares shall have power to vote as a member as if the membership were held absolutely. The withdrawal value of any such account or shares, and earnings thereon, or other rights relating thereto may be paid or delivered, in whole or in part, to such fiduciary without regard to any notice to the contrary as long as such fiduciary is living. The payment or delivery to any such fiduciary or a receipt or acquittance signed by any such fiduciary to whom any such payment or any such delivery of right is made shall be a valid and sufficient release and discharge of the bank or association for the payment or delivery so made. Whenever a person holding an account or shares in a fiduciary capacity dies and no written notice of the revocation or termination of the fiduciary relationship has been given to the bank or association and the bank or association has no written notice of any other disposition of the beneficial estate, the withdrawal value of such account or shares, and earnings thereon, or other rights relating thereto may, at the option of the bank or association, be paid or delivered, in whole or in part, to the beneficiary or beneficiaries. Whenever an account or share shall be designated by any person describing himself or herself in opening such account or acquiring such share as trustee for another and no other or further notice of the existence and terms of a legal and valid trust than such description has been given in writing to the bank or association, or whenever an account is opened or shares are acquired specifically designated as a trust account or share held in trust and which contains a trust agreement as a part thereof, in the event of the death of the person so described as trustee, the withdrawal value of such account or shares or any part thereof, together with the earnings thereon, may be paid to the person for whom the account or shares are so described. The payment or delivery to any such beneficiary, beneficiaries, or designated person or a receipt or acquittance signed by any such beneficiary, beneficiaries, or designated person for any such payment or delivery shall be a valid and sufficient release and discharge of the bank or association for the payment or delivery so made. No bank or association paying any such fiduciary, beneficiary, or designated person in accordance with this section shall thereby be liable for any estate, inheritance, or succession taxes which may be due this state.

(1) All banks are qualified to act as trustee or custodian under the federal Self-Employed Individuals Tax Retirement Act of 1962, as amended, or under the terms and provisions of section 408(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, if the provisions of such retirement plan require the funds of such trust or custodianship to be invested exclusively in shares or accounts in the bank or in other banks. If any such retirement plan, within the judgment of the bank, constitutes a qualified plan under the federal Self-Employed Individuals Tax Retirement Act of 1962, or under the terms and provisions of section 408(a) of the Internal Revenue Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder at the time the trust was established and accepted by the bank, and is subsequently determined not to be such a qualified plan or subsequently ceases to be such a qualified plan, in whole or in part, the bank may continue to act as trustee of any deposits theretofore made under such plan and to dispose of the same in accordance with the directions of the member and beneficiaries thereof. No bank, in respect to savings made under this subsection, shall be required to segregate such savings from other liabilities of the bank. The bank shall keep appropriate records showing in proper detail all transactions engaged in under the authority of this subsection.

(2)(a) All banks are qualified to act as trustee or custodian of a medical savings account created within the provisions of section 220 of the Internal Revenue Code and a health savings account created within the provisions of section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code. If any such medical savings account or health savings account, within the judgment of the bank, constitutes a medical savings account under section 220 of the Internal Revenue Code or a health savings account under section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder at the time the trust was established and accepted by the bank, and is subsequently determined not to be such a medical savings account or health savings account, in whole or in part, the bank may continue to act as trustee of any deposits theretofore made under such plan and to dispose of the same in accordance with the directions of the account holder. No bank, in respect to savings made under this subsection, shall be required to segregate such savings from other liabilities of the bank. The bank shall keep appropriate records showing in proper detail all transactions engaged in under the authority of this subsection.

(b) Except for judgments against the medical savings account holder or health savings account holder or his or her dependents for qualified medical expenses as defined under section 223(d)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, funds credited to a medical savings account or health savings account below twenty-five thousand dollars are not susceptible to levy, execution, judgment, or other operation of law, garnishment, or other judicial enforcement and are not an asset or property of the account holder for purposes of bankruptcy law.

Any bank may engage, directly or indirectly, in the business of leasing personal property subject to rules and regulations as may be adopted and promulgated by the director.

(1) Whenever the director has reason to believe that a violation of any provision of Chapter 8 or of the Credit Union Act or any rule and regulation or order of the director has occurred, he or she may cause a written complaint to be served upon the alleged violator. The complaint shall specify the statutory provision or rule and regulation or order alleged to have been violated and the facts alleged to constitute a violation thereof and shall order that necessary corrective action be taken within a reasonable time to be prescribed in such order. Any such order shall become final as to any person named in the order unless such person requests, in writing, a hearing before the director no later than ten days after the date such order is served. In lieu of such order, the director may require that the alleged violator appear before the director at a time and place specified in the notice and answer the charge complained of. The notice shall be delivered to the alleged violator or violators in accordance with subsection (4) of this section not less than ten days before the time set for the hearing.

(2) The director shall provide an opportunity for a fair hearing to the alleged violator at the time and place specified in the notice or any modification of the notice. On the basis of the evidence produced at the hearing, the director shall make findings of fact and conclusions of law and enter such order as in his or her opinion will best further the purposes of Chapter 8 or the Credit Union Act and the rules and regulations and orders of the director. Written notice of such order shall be given to the alleged violator and to any other person who appeared at the hearing and made written request for notice of the order. If the hearing is held before any person other than the director, such person shall transmit a record of the hearing together with findings of fact and conclusions of law to the director. The director, prior to entering his or her order on the basis of such record, shall provide opportunity to the parties to submit for his or her consideration exceptions to the findings or conclusions and supporting reasons for such exceptions. The order of the director shall become final and binding on all parties unless appealed to the district court of Lancaster County as provided in section 8-1,135. As part of such order, the director may impose a fine, in addition to the costs of the investigation, upon a person found to have violated any provision of Chapter 8, the Credit Union Act, or the rules and regulations or orders of the director. The fine shall not exceed ten thousand dollars per violation for the first offense and twenty-five thousand dollars per violation for a second or subsequent offense involving a violation of the same provision of Chapter 8, the Credit Union Act, the rules and regulations of the director, or the same order of the director. The fines and costs shall be in addition to all other penalties imposed by the laws of this state. The director shall collect the fines and costs and remit them to the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer shall credit the costs to the Financial Institution Assessment Cash Fund and distribute the fines in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska. If a person fails to pay the fine or costs of the investigation, a lien in the amount of the fine and costs shall be imposed upon all of the assets and property of such person in this state and may be recovered by an action by the director. The lien shall attach to the real property of such person when notice of the lien is filed and indexed against the real property in the office of the register of deeds in the county where the real property is located. The lien shall attach to any other property of such person when notice of the lien is filed against the property in the manner prescribed by law.

(3) Whenever the director finds that an emergency exists requiring immediate action to protect the safety and soundness of the financial institutions chartered by the department, the director may, without notice or hearing, issue an order reciting the existence of an emergency and requiring that such action be taken as the director deems necessary to meet the emergency. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, the order shall be effective immediately. Any person to whom such order is directed shall comply immediately, but on application to the director shall be afforded a hearing as soon as possible and not later than ten days after such application by the affected person. On the basis of the hearing, the director shall continue the order in effect, revoke it, or modify it. This subsection shall not apply to a determination of necessary acquisition made by the department pursuant to sections 8-1506 to 8-1510.

(4) Except as otherwise expressly provided, any notice, order, or other instrument issued by or under authority of the director shall be served on any person affected thereby either personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested. Proof of service shall be filed with the office of the director.

Every certificate or affidavit of service made and filed as provided in this subsection shall be prima facie evidence of the facts stated in the certificate or affidavit, and a certified copy shall have the same force and effect as the original.

(5) Any hearing provided for in this section may be conducted by the director, or by any member of the department acting on behalf of the director, or the director may designate hearing officers who shall have the power and authority to conduct such hearings in the name of the director at any time and place. A verbatim record of the proceedings of such hearings shall be taken and filed with the director, together with findings of fact and conclusions of law made by the director or hearing officer. The director may subpoena witnesses, and any witness who is subpoenaed shall receive the same fees as in civil actions in the district court and mileage as provided in section 81-1176. In case of contumacy or refusal to obey a notice of hearing or subpoena issued under this section, the district court of Lancaster County shall have jurisdiction, upon application of the director, to issue an order requiring such person to appear and testify or produce evidence as the case may require. Failure to obey such order of the court may be punished by such court as contempt.

If requested to do so by any party concerned with such hearing, the full stenographic notes, or tapes of an electronic transcribing device, of the testimony presented at such hearing shall be taken and filed. The stenographer shall, upon the payment of the stenographer's fee allowed by the court, furnish a certified transcript of all or any part of the stenographer's notes to any party to the action requiring and requesting such notes.

(6) The director may close to the public the hearing, or any portion of the hearing, provided for in this section when he or she finds that the closure is (a) necessary to protect any person against unwarranted injury or (b) in the public interest. The director shall close no more of the public hearing than is necessary to attain the objectives of this subsection.

Any person aggrieved by a final order of the director made pursuant to section 8-1,134 may appeal the order, and the appeal shall be in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

Whenever it appears to the director that any person has engaged or is about to engage in any act or practice constituting a violation of any provision of Chapter 8 or the Credit Union Act, he or she may bring an action in the name of the director and the department in any court of competent jurisdiction to enjoin any such acts or practices and to enforce compliance with the provisions of Chapter 8 or the Credit Union Act. Upon a proper showing, a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order, or writ of mandamus shall be granted and a receiver or conservator may be appointed for the defendant's assets. The director shall not be required to post a bond.

The director may refer such evidence as may be available concerning violations of the Nebraska Criminal Code or of any rule and regulation or order under Chapter 8 or under the Credit Union Act to the Attorney General or the proper county attorney. It shall be the duty of each county attorney or the Attorney General to whom the director reports a violation to cause appropriate proceedings to be instituted, if appropriate, without delay.

(1) Any person who violates any of the provisions of a final order issued by the director shall be liable to any person or entity who suffers damage proximately caused by such violation.

(2) Any person who knowingly violates any final order issued by the director pursuant to section 8-1,134 is guilty of a Class I misdemeanor.

An officer, director, agent, or employee of a bank, trust company, building and loan association, savings and loan association, credit union, or other similar entity which is chartered, licensed, regulated, or examined by the department who willfully misapplies any of the money, funds, or credits of any such entity or any money, funds, assets, or securities entrusted to the care or custody of such entity or the custody or care of any such officer, director, agent, or employee is guilty of a Class IV felony.

Notwithstanding any of the other provisions of the Nebraska Banking Act or any other Nebraska statute, any bank incorporated under the laws of this state and organized under the provisions of the act, or under the laws of this state as they existed prior to May 9, 1933, shall directly, or indirectly through a department, a subsidiary, or subsidiaries, have all the rights, powers, privileges, benefits, and immunities which may be exercised as of January 1, 2024, by a federally chartered bank doing business in Nebraska, including the exercise of all powers and activities that are permitted for a financial subsidiary of a federally chartered bank. Such rights, powers, privileges, benefits, and immunities shall not relieve such bank from payment of state taxes assessed under any applicable laws of this state.

(1) The provisions of this section are cumulative and not exclusive as an optional framework for enhanced supervision of controllable electronic record custody.

(2) If a financial institution is authorized to provide digital asset services under this section, it shall comply with all provisions of this section.

(3) A financial institution may serve as a qualified custodian, as specified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in 17 C.F.R. 275.206(4)-2 or any other federal rule or regulation. In performing custodial services under this section, a financial institution shall:

(a) Implement all accounting, account statement, internal control, notice, and other standards specified by applicable state or federal law and rules for custodial services;

(b) Maintain information technology best practices relating to controllable electronic records held in custody. The director may specify required best practices by rule and regulation;

(c) Fully comply with applicable federal anti-money laundering, customer identification, and beneficial ownership requirements; and

(d) Take other actions necessary to carry out this section, which may include exercising fiduciary powers similar to those permitted to national banks and ensuring compliance with federal law governing controllable electronic records classified as commodities.

(4) A financial institution providing custodial services shall enter into an agreement with an independent public accountant to conduct an examination conforming to the requirements of 17 C.F.R. 275.206(4)-2(a)(4) and (6), at the cost of the financial institution. The accountant shall transmit the results of the examination to the director within ninety days of the examination and may file the results with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission as its rules may provide. Material discrepancies in an examination shall be reported to the director within one day. The director shall review examination results upon receipt within a reasonable time and during any regular examination conducted under section 8-108.

(5) Controllable electronic records held in custody under this section are not depository liabilities or assets of the financial institution. A financial institution or a subsidiary may register as an investment adviser, investment company, or broker dealer as necessary. A financial institution shall maintain control over a controllable electronic record while in custody. A customer shall elect, pursuant to a written agreement with the financial institution, one of the following relationships for each controllable electronic record held in custody:

(a) Custody under a bailment as a nonfungible or fungible asset. Assets held under this subdivision shall be strictly segregated from other assets; or

(b) Custody under a bailment pursuant to subsection (6) of this section.

(6) If a customer makes an election under subdivision (5)(b) of this section, the financial institution may, based only on customer instructions, undertake transactions with the controllable electronic record. A financial institution maintains control pursuant to subsection (5) of this section by entering into an agreement with the counterparty to a transaction which contains a time for return of the asset. The financial institution shall not be liable for any loss suffered with respect to a transaction under this subsection, except for liability consistent with fiduciary and trust powers as a custodian under this section.

(7) A financial institution and a customer shall agree in writing regarding the source code version the financial institution will use for each controllable electronic record and the treatment of each record under the Uniform Commercial Code, if necessary. Any ambiguity under this subsection shall be resolved in favor of the customer.

(8) A financial institution shall provide clear, written notice to each customer and require written acknowledgment of the following:

(a) Prior to the implementation of any updates, material source code updates relating to controllable electronic records held in custody, except in emergencies which may include security vulnerabilities;

(b) The heightened risk of loss from transactions under subsection (6) of this section;

(c) That some risk of loss as a pro rata creditor exists as the result of custody as a fungible asset or custody under subdivision (5)(b) of this section;

(d) That custody under subdivision (5)(b) of this section may not result in the controllable electronic records of the customer being strictly segregated from other customer assets; and

(e) That the financial institution is not liable for losses suffered under subsection (6) of this section, except for liability consistent with fiduciary and trust powers as a custodian under this section.

(9) A financial institution and a customer shall agree in writing to a time period within which the financial institution must return a controllable electronic record held in custody under this section. If a customer makes an election under subdivision (5)(b) of this section, the financial institution and the customer may also agree in writing to the form in which the controllable electronic record shall be returned.

(10) All ancillary or subsidiary proceeds relating to controllable electronic records held in custody under this section shall accrue to the benefit of the customer, except as specified by a written agreement with the customer. The financial institution may elect not to collect certain ancillary or subsidiary proceeds, as long as the election is disclosed in writing. A customer who makes an election under subdivision (5)(a) of this section may withdraw the controllable electronic record in a form that permits the collection of the ancillary or subsidiary proceeds.

(11) A financial institution shall not authorize or permit rehypothecation of controllable electronic records under this section and shall not engage in any activity to use or exercise discretionary authority relating to a controllable electronic record except based on customer instructions.

(12) A financial institution shall not take any action under this section which would likely impair the solvency or the safety and soundness of the financial institution, as determined by the director after considering the nature of custodial services customary in the banking industry.

(13) To offset the costs of supervision and administration of this section, a financial institution which provides custodial services under this section shall pay the assessment as provided for in sections 8-601 and 8-605, which assessment shall not be less than two thousand dollars, and the costs of any examination or investigation as provided in sections 8-108 and 8-606.

(14) For purposes of this section, financial institution means a bank, savings bank, building and loan association, savings and loan association, whether chartered by the United States, the department, or a foreign state agency; or a trust company.

The director may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to implement sections 8-1,141 to 8-1,143.

The courts of Nebraska shall have jurisdiction to hear claims in both law and equity relating to controllable electronic records, including those arising under sections 8-1,141 to 8-1,143 and the Uniform Commercial Code.

The Director of Banking and Finance shall have the power to issue to corporations desiring to transact business as trust companies charters of authority to transact trust company business as defined in the Nebraska Trust Company Act. He or she shall have general supervision and control over such trust companies. Any three or more persons may adopt articles of incorporation and become a body corporate for the purpose of engaging in and conducting the business of a trust company, upon complying with the requirements of the act and the general laws of this state relating to the organization of corporations and upon obtaining a charter to transact business as a trust company from the director.

Every corporation organized for and desiring to transact a trust company business shall, before commencing such business, make under oath and transmit to the Department of Banking and Finance a complete statement including:

(1) The name of the proposed trust company;

(2) A certified copy of the articles of incorporation;

(3) The names of the stockholders;

(4) The names of the proposed members of the board of directors of the trust company, who shall be approved by the department in accordance with section 8-204;

(5) The name of the county, city, or village in which the trust company is located;

(6) The amount of paid-up capital stock; and

(7) A statement sworn to by the president and secretary, each of whom have been selected in accordance with section 8-204, that the capital stock has been paid in as provided for.

The corporation shall also pay the fee prescribed by section 8-602 for investigation of such statement.

If upon investigation the department is satisfied that the parties requesting the charter are parties of integrity and responsibility, that the corporation will apply safe and sound methods for the purpose of carrying out trust company duties, and that the public necessity, convenience, and advantage will be promoted by permitting the corporation to transact business as a trust company, the department shall issue to the corporation a charter entitling it to transact the business provided for in the act. Upon payment of the required fees, the pledging of assets required by section 8-209, and the receipt of the charter, the corporation may begin to transact business as a trust company. It shall be unlawful for any corporation, except a foreign corporate trustee to the extent authorized under section 30-3820, to engage in business as a trust company or to act in any other fiduciary capacity unless it has first obtained from the Department of Banking and Finance a charter of authority to do business.

The Department of Banking and Finance may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the governance of trust companies under its supervision.

Sections 8-201 to 8-235 shall be known and may be cited as the Nebraska Trust Company Act.

The articles of incorporation shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State, and a certified copy shall be filed and recorded in the office of the county clerk of the county in which the corporation has its principal office. Articles of incorporation and other records relating to the corporate existence of the trust company shall be maintained as a permanent record of the trust company.

The trust company shall have power:

(1) To have a corporate name;

(2) To have a corporate seal;

(3) To sue and be sued and complain and defend in all courts of law and equity;

(4) To receive reasonable compensation for all services performed by it under the Nebraska Trust Company Act;

(5) To make bylaws not inconsistent with the act or its articles of incorporation for the management of its affairs; and

(6) To appoint or elect such officers and agents as the business of the corporation may require.

(1) The control of the business affairs of a trust company shall be vested in a board of directors of not less than five persons who shall be selected at such time and in such manner as may be provided by the articles of incorporation of the trust company and in conformity with the Nebraska Trust Company Act. Any vacancy on the board shall be filled within ninety days by appointment by the remaining directors, and any director so appointed shall serve until the next election of directors, except that if the vacancy leaves a minimum of five directors, appointment shall be optional. The person appointed to fill the vacancy shall not serve as a director until the trust company obtains approval from the Department of Banking and Finance in accordance with subsection (6) of this section.

(2) The board of directors shall select a president and secretary and shall appoint trust officers and committees as it deems necessary. No person shall act as president if such person is not a member of the board of directors. The officers and committee members shall hold their positions at the discretion of the board of directors.

(3) The board of directors shall hold at least one regular meeting in each calendar quarter and shall prepare and maintain complete and accurate minutes of the proceedings at such meetings.

(4) The board of directors shall make or cause to be made each year a thorough examination of the books, records, funds, and securities held for the trust company and customer accounts. The examination may be conducted by the members of the board of directors or the board may accept an annual audit by an accountant or accounting firm approved by the Department of Banking and Finance. Any such examination or audit must comply in scope with minimum standards established by the department.

(5) Unless the department otherwise approves, a majority of the members of the board of directors of any trust company shall be residents of this state. Reasonable efforts shall be made to acquire members of the board of directors from the county in which the trust company is located. Directors of trust companies shall be persons of good moral character and known integrity, business experience, and responsibility.

(6) No person shall act as such member of the board of directors of any trust company until the corporation applies for and obtains approval from the Department of Banking and Finance.

(1) No corporation, except a bank authorized by the Director of Banking and Finance to operate a trust department, shall be authorized to transact business as a trust company under the Nebraska Trust Company Act on or after August 1, 2000, unless it has capital stock of at least five hundred thousand dollars, all of which shall be fully paid up in cash before the corporation is authorized to commence business.

(2)(a) Corporations, except a bank authorized to operate a trust department, authorized to transact business as a trust company under the act before August 1, 2000, shall, on or after such date, maintain a capital stock of at least two hundred thousand dollars in cities of at least one hundred thousand or more inhabitants, one hundred thousand dollars in cities of at least fifty thousand inhabitants but fewer than one hundred thousand inhabitants, fifty thousand dollars in cities of at least ten thousand inhabitants but fewer than fifty thousand inhabitants, and twenty-five thousand dollars in cities and villages of fewer than ten thousand inhabitants. The population of a city for purposes of this subsection shall be the population as determined by the most recent federal decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by the United States Bureau of the Census.

(b) A corporation, except a bank authorized to operate a trust department, authorized to transact business as a trust company under the act before August 1, 2000, subject to the capital stock requirement of subdivision (2)(a) of this section, which complies with the capital stock requirement of subsection (1) of this section, shall be subject to the capital stock requirement of subsection (1) of this section and shall maintain a capital stock of at least the minimum amount required by subsection (1) of this section.

(c) A corporation, except a bank authorized to operate a trust department, authorized to transact business as a trust company under the act before August 1, 2000, subject to the capital stock requirement of subdivision (2)(a) of this section, which complies with the capital stock requirement of a corporation located in a larger city pursuant to subdivision (2)(a) of this section, shall be subject to the capital stock requirement of such a corporation located in a larger city pursuant to subdivision (2)(a) of this section and shall maintain a capital stock of at least the minimum amount required for such a corporation located in a larger city pursuant to subdivision (2)(a) of this section.

(d) A capital stock requirement once attained by a corporation pursuant to either this subsection or subsection (1) of this section shall not be reduced.

(3) If at any time the department determines that the capital stock of a trust company is impaired, it may require the shareholders of the trust company to make up the capital stock impairment.

Each trust company doing business under the Nebraska Trust Company Act shall obtain a fidelity bond, naming the trust company as obligee, in an amount to be fixed by the department. The bond shall be issued by an authorized insurer and shall be conditioned to protect and indemnify the trust company from loss of money or other personal property, including that for which the trust company is responsible, which it may sustain through or by reason of fraud, dishonesty, forgery, theft, embezzlement, wrongful abstraction, misapplication, misappropriation, or other dishonest or criminal act of or by any of its officers or employees. The bond may contain a deductible clause in an amount to be approved by the Director of Banking and Finance. An executed copy of the bond shall be filed with and approved by the director and shall remain a part of the records of the department. If the premium of the bond is not paid, the bond shall not be canceled or subject to cancellation unless at least ten days' advance notice, in writing, is filed with the department. No bond which is current with respect to premium payments shall be canceled or subject to cancellation unless at least forty-five days' advance notice, in writing, is filed with the department. The bond shall always be open to public inspection during the office hours of the department. In the event a bond is canceled, the department may take whatever action it deems appropriate in connection with the continued operation of the trust company involved.

A trust company created under the Nebraska Trust Company Act shall have power:

(1) To receive trust funds for investment or in trust upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon and to purchase, hold, and lease fireproof and burglar-proof and other vaults and safes from which revenue may be derived;

(2) To accept and execute all such trusts as may be committed to it by any corporation, person, or persons, act as assignee, receiver, trustee, and depositor, and accept and execute all such trusts as may be committed or referred to it by order, judgment, or decree of any court of record;

(3) To take, accept, and hold by the order, judgment, or decree of any such court or by gift, grant, assignment, transfer, devise, or bequest any real or personal property in trust, to care for, manage, and convey the same in accordance with such trusts, and to execute and perform any and all such trusts;

(4) To act as attorney in fact for any person or corporation, public or private;

(5) To act either by itself or jointly with any natural person or persons or with any other trust company or state or national bank doing business in this state as administrator of the estate of any deceased person, as personal representative, or as conservator or guardian of the estate of any incapacitated person;

(6) To act as trustee for any person or of the estate of any deceased person under the appointment of any court of record having jurisdiction of the estate of such person;

(7) To act as agent or in an agency capacity for any person or entity, public or private;

(8) To loan money upon real estate and upon collateral security when the collateral would of itself be a legal investment for such corporation;

(9) To buy, hold, own, and sell securities issued or guaranteed by the United States Government or any authorized agency thereof, including any corporation or enterprise wholly owned directly or indirectly by the United States, or with the authority to borrow directly from the United States Treasury, or securities secured by obligations of any of the foregoing, securities of any state or political subdivision thereof which possesses general powers of taxation, stock, warrants, bills of exchange, notes, mortgages, banker's acceptances, certificates of deposit in institutions whose accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, securities issued pursuant to the Nebraska Business Development Corporation Act, and other investment securities, negotiable and nonnegotiable, except stock or other securities of any corporation organized under the Nebraska Trust Company Act;

(10) To purchase, own, or rent real estate needed in the conduct of the business and to erect thereon buildings deemed expedient and necessary, the cost of such real estate and buildings not to exceed one hundred percent of the paid-up capital stock, except as otherwise approved in writing by the director, and to purchase, own, and improve such other real estate as it may be required to bid in under foreclosure or in payment of other debts;

(11) To borrow money, to execute and issue its notes payable at a future date, and to pledge its real estate, mortgages, or other securities therefor. With the approval of the Director of Banking and Finance, any trust company may at any time, through action of its board of directors and without requiring any action of its stockholders, issue and sell its capital notes or debentures. Such capital notes or debentures shall be subordinate and subject to the claims of trustors and beneficiaries of estates and trusts and may be subordinated and subject to the claims of other creditors. The holders of such capital notes or debentures shall not be held individually responsible as such holders for any debts, contracts, or engagements of the trust company and shall not be held liable for assessments to restore impairments in the capital of the trust company as may be from time to time determined by the director; and

(12) To perform all acts and exercise all powers connected with, belonging to or incident to, or necessary for the full and complete exercise and discharge of the rights, powers, and responsibilities granted in the Nebraska Trust Company Act, and all provisions of the act shall be liberally construed. None of the powers hereby granted shall extend to or be construed to authorize any such corporation to accept deposits or conduct the business of banking as defined in the Nebraska Banking Act.

Courts of this state may appoint a trust company receiver, assignee, trustee, guardian, conservator, personal representative, custodian, or special administrator. When a trust company is so appointed and an oath is required to be made, whether in order to qualify or for any other purpose, the president, vice president, secretary, or trust officer may, on behalf of the trust company, make and subscribe the required oath.

All conveyance of or other instruments affecting real estate owned or held in trust by a trust company shall be authorized, prior to or within ninety days after the conveyance or execution of an instrument affecting real estate owned or held in trust, by a resolution of the board of directors or a committee appointed by the board of directors and signed in the name of the trust company by its president or vice president.

(1) Any corporation organized to do business as a trust company under the Nebraska Trust Company Act shall make a pledge with the Department of Banking and Finance of approved securities.

(2) The amount of securities required to be pledged shall be based on the market value of trust assets held by the trust company as follows:

(a) Trust companies with trust assets with a market value of less than twenty-five million dollars shall pledge securities in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars in par value;

(b) Trust companies with trust assets with a market value of at least twenty-five million dollars but less than two hundred fifty million dollars shall pledge securities in the amount of two hundred thousand dollars in par value;

(c) Trust companies with trust assets with a market value of at least two hundred fifty million dollars but less than two billion five hundred million dollars shall pledge securities in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars in par value;

(d) Trust companies with trust assets with a market value of at least two billion five hundred million dollars but less than five billion dollars shall pledge securities in the amount of four hundred thousand dollars in par value; and

(e) Trust companies with trust assets with a market value of five billion dollars or more shall pledge securities in the amount of five hundred thousand dollars in par value.

(3) A trust company shall determine the market value of its trust assets at the end of each calendar year. If such valuation shows that the pledge of securities is less than is required by subsection (2) of this section, the trust company shall increase the amount of the securities pledged with the department within sixty days following the end of the calendar year.

(4) If at any time the market value of pledged assets is determined to have depreciated to less than ninety percent of par value or the trust company has trust funds deposited with itself or its supporting commercial bank in excess of those deposits referred to by section 8-212, the Director of Banking and Finance may require additional pledges in amounts deemed necessary to fully secure pledging requirements or excessive trust fund depository balances.

(5) Any national bank authorized by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency or the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to act in a fiduciary capacity in this state, any out-of-state bank authorized by its home state regulator to act in a fiduciary capacity in this state, any federal savings association authorized by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to act in a fiduciary capacity in this state, any federally chartered trust company, any out-of-state trust company authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, and any out-of-state entity acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state shall make similar pledges with the department, and all such deposits held by the department shall be considered as having been lawfully so pledged and subject to the Nebraska Trust Company Act.

Securities pledged pursuant to section 8-209 shall consist of any securities which constitute a legal investment for the trust company except for bills of exchange, notes, mortgages, banker's acceptances, or certificates of deposit. State, county, municipal, and corporate bond issues must be of investment quality and be rated in the three top categories of investment by at least one nationally recognized rating service, except that all issues of counties and municipalities of Nebraska shall be acceptable.

Such securities shall not be accepted for purpose of pledge at a rate above par value and if their market value is less than par value they shall not be accepted for such purpose above their actual market value. The safekeeping of such securities and all other expenses incidental to the pledging of such securities shall be at the expense of the trust company.

The required pledges having been made, the Department of Banking and Finance shall issue a receipt and a certificate showing that the trust company has complied with the Nebraska Trust Company Act. Having thus qualified, the trust company may be permitted to act as assignee, receiver, trustee, either by appointment of court or under will, or depository of money in court without bond. Upon presentation of the certificate that the trust company has complied with the act and has made a pledge as provided in section 8-209, the court or other officer charged with the duty of making such appointment or of approving bonds may, in his or her discretion, make the appointment and permit the trust company to qualify without bond or require such bond as is required from natural persons.

Securities pledged as provided in section 8-209 shall be primarily liable for the obligations of the trust company, state or national bank, federal savings association, federally chartered trust company, out-of-state trust company authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, or an out-of-state entity acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state, incurred while acting in any fiduciary capacity, for depository of money in court, and for losses arising from trust funds deposited with failed financial institutions in excess of deposit insurance limits and shall not be liable for any other debt or obligation of the financial institution or out-of-state entity until all such trust liabilities have been discharged.

In the case of national banks and federal savings associations doing business as trust companies, trust companies, federally chartered trust companies, out-of-state trust companies authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, and out-of-state entities acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state, which upon insolvency are not liquidated by the Department of Banking and Finance, upon the appointment of a receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or other liquidating agent, the department shall turn over to the receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or other liquidating agent any securities pledged to it by the national bank, federal savings association, trust company, federally chartered trust company, out-of-state trust company authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, or any out-of-state entity acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state, upon:

(1) The entry of an order by a court having jurisdiction over a receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or other liquidating agent of the national bank, federal savings association, trust company, federally chartered trust company, out-of-state trust company authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, or any out-of-state entity acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state, ordering the department to turn over to a receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or other liquidating agent the securities pledged to the department; and

(2) The publication of a notice for three successive weeks in some legal newspaper published in the county or, if none is published in the county, in a legal newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the principal place of business of the national bank, federal savings association, trust company, federally chartered trust company, out-of-state trust company authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, or any out-of-state entity acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state, is located that all claims for the trust liabilities must be filed with the receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or other liquidating agent within thirty days. In the case of national banks the notice provided for in 12 U.S.C. 193, and in the case of trust companies liquidated in bankruptcy court, the notice provided for in 11 U.S.C. 342, shall be sufficient without further notice being given and shall be in lieu of the notice required in this subdivision. In the case of out-of-state trust companies authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, or in the case of any out-of-state entity acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state, an additional notice shall be published in each county in Nebraska where the out-of-state trust company or out-of-state entity maintains an office, does business, or acts in a fiduciary capacity, or maintained an office, conducted business, or acted in a fiduciary capacity, within one year prior to the insolvency.

Any national bank, federal savings association, federally chartered trust company, or out-of-state trust company authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, which has surrendered its right to exercise such fiduciary powers in this state may have its pledged securities released to it upon furnishing to the Department of Banking and Finance a certificate by its primary financial institution regulator that such financial institution is no longer authorized to exercise such powers and has been relieved, in accordance with the laws of this state, of all duties and obligations as assignee, receiver, or trustee, either by appointment of court or under will, and for depository of money in court. Any out-of-state entity acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state which has surrendered its right to exercise such fiduciary powers in this state may have its pledged securities released to it upon furnishing to the department such proof as the department may require to show that such out-of-state entity is no longer acting as a fiduciary in this state.

Any trust company, state or national bank or federal savings association with a trust department, federally chartered trust company, out-of-state trust company authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, or out-of-state entity acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state, upon liquidating its business and affairs for reasons other than insolvency, may have its pledged securities released to it upon satisfying the Department of Banking and Finance that it has been lawfully relieved of all its duties and obligations as assignee, receiver, or trustee, either by appointment of court or under will, and for depository of money in court, after first having published notice three successive weeks in some legal newspaper published in the county or, if none is published in the county, in a legal newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the principal place of business of the trust company, trust department of a state or national bank or federal savings association, or federally chartered trust company is located that all claims against such securities, whether absolute or contingent, must be filed with the department by a day certain, not less than thirty days after the last publication of such notice. In the case of an out-of-state trust company authorized under the Interstate Trust Company Office Act or otherwise doing business in this state, or in the case of any out-of-state entity acting in a fiduciary capacity in this state, the notice shall be published in each county in Nebraska where the out-of-state trust company or out-of-state entity maintains an office, does business, or acts in a fiduciary capacity, or maintained an office, conducted business, or acted in a fiduciary capacity, within one year prior to the liquidation of its affairs.

The trust company may collect and retain the interest of all securities pledged as provided in section 8-209.

If the interest on any security pledged as provided in section 8-209 remains unpaid for thirty days after maturity, the trust company shall substitute other securities therefor.

The Department of Banking and Finance or any duly appointed examiner authorized by it may make a full examination into all the books, papers, and affairs of any trust company doing business under the Nebraska Trust Company Act as often as deemed necessary. In so doing, the department shall have power to administer oaths and affirmations and to examine on oath or affirmation the officers, agents, and clerks of the trust company, touching the matter which they may be authorized to inquire into and examine, and to summon and by subpoena compel the attendance of any person or persons in this state to testify under oath in relation to the affairs of the trust company. In lieu of any examination authorized by the laws of this state, the Director of Banking and Finance may accept, in his or her discretion, a report of an examination made of a trust company by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Bank, or the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency or he or she may examine any such trust company jointly with any such federal agency.

Any trust company which fails to exercise trust powers for three years or which voluntarily surrenders duties associated with fiduciary accounts so that no activity is reported for a period of three years, as determined by the consecutive annual reports submitted to the Department of Banking and Finance, shall be deemed inactive. Trust charters determined to be inactive as described in this section shall be revoked and the pledged assets released in accordance with section 8-215.

Whenever (1) it appears to the Department of Banking and Finance from any examination or report provided for by the Nebraska Trust Company Act that the capital stock of any trust company transacting business under the act is impaired, or that the trust company is conducting its business in an unsafe or unauthorized manner, or that the trust company is endangering the interest of the beneficiaries for whom it holds property in trust, (2) the officers or employees of the trust company refuse to submit its books, papers, and affairs to the inspection of any examiner, (3) any officer thereof refuses to be examined upon oath touching the affairs of the trust company, or (4) from any examination or report provided for by law, the department has reason to conclude that the trust company is in an unsafe or unsound condition to transact the business for which it is organized or that it is unsafe and inexpedient for it to continue its business, the department shall take charge of the trust company and proceed to reorganize or to liquidate the trust company in the manner provided for the liquidation of insolvent banks. If the trust company neglects or refuses to observe any lawful order of the department, then the department may cause a suit to be brought in the name of the State of Nebraska upon the relation of the Department of Banking and Finance against the trust company in the district court of the county in which the trust company is chartered for the purpose of having the trust company adjudged insolvent and its business wound up.

The suit referred to in section 8-219 shall be conducted as a civil action under the laws of Nebraska. If in the suit the court finds that the trust company is insolvent, it shall enter a judgment of insolvency and order that the business of the trust company shall be wound up. The court or any judge thereof may, after notice to the trust company, enjoin the trust company from continuing to transact business pending the hearing and entry of a judgment in the case. If the court finds and adjudges that the trust company is insolvent, the Department of Banking and Finance shall thereupon become the liquidating agent to wind up the business of the trust company, and the department shall be vested with the title to all of the assets and the property of the trust company wherever such property may be situated and whatever the kind and character of the assets and property may be, as of the date of the filing of the petition in court. Any attachment lien against the property of the trust company, acquired within sixty days next preceding the filing of the suit, shall be thereby released and dissolved.

If the judge of the district court of the county where the suit is filed is absent therefrom, any judge of the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court may grant the injunction as provided in section 8-220 with the same force and effect as if it had been granted by the district judge. All the proceedings for the conduct of the suit and an entry of judgment shall be conducted in the district court of the county where the trust company was chartered. If the trust company is adjudged insolvent, its affairs shall be wound up by the Department of Banking and Finance under and subject to the order of the district court in the manner provided in the case of insolvent banks.

The maximum liability which may be incurred by any trust company organized under the Nebraska Trust Company Act, exclusive of money or properties held in trust and exclusive of money borrowed for investment and actually invested in real estate mortgages and other securities in which trust companies are authorized to invest under the act, shall not exceed one hundred percent of the paid-up capital stock.

(1) The trust company shall file with the Department of Banking and Finance during the months of January and July of each year a statement under oath of the condition of the trust company on the last business day of the preceding December and June in the manner and form required by the department. For purposes of the Nebraska Trust Company Act, the trust company's annual report shall be deemed to be the report filed with the Department of Banking and Finance during the month of January.

(2) Any trust company that fails, neglects, or refuses to make or furnish any report or any published statement required by the Nebraska Trust Company Act shall pay to the department fifty dollars for each day such failure continues, unless the department extends the time for filing such report.

(3) The filing requirements of this section shall not apply to the trust department of a bank if the report of condition of the trust department is included in the reports of the bank required by the Nebraska Banking Act.

(1) The reports required by section 8-223 shall be verified by one of the managing officers, and a summary of the annual report, in a form prescribed by the Department of Banking and Finance, shall, within thirty days after the filing of the statement with the department, be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the trust company is chartered.

(2) The publication required by this section shall not apply to any trust company that makes an annual disclosure statement available to any member of the general public upon request in accordance with the following provisions:

(a) The annual disclosure statement shall be in a form prescribed by the department;

(b) In the lobby of its main office, in every branch trust office, and in every representative trust office, the trust company shall at all times display a notice that the annual disclosure statement may be obtained from the trust company;

(c) If the trust company maintains an Internet website, the home page of the website shall at all times contain a notice that the annual disclosure statement may be obtained from the trust company;

(d) The notice described in subdivisions (b) and (c) of this subsection shall include, at a minimum, an address and telephone number to which requests for an annual disclosure statement may be made;

(e) The first requested copy of the annual disclosure statement shall be provided to a requester free of charge; and

(f) A trust company shall make its annual disclosure statement available to the public beginning not later than the following March 31 or, if the trust company mails an annual disclosure statement to its shareholders, beginning not later than five days after the mailing of the disclosure statement, whichever occurs first. A trust company shall make its annual disclosure statement available continuously until (i) the annual disclosure statement for the succeeding year becomes available or (ii) a summary of its annual report is published for the succeeding year in accordance with this section.

(3) The publication required by this section shall not apply to reports of the trust department of a bank if the report of condition of the trust department is included in the reports of the bank required by the Nebraska Banking Act.

(1) No charge shall be allowed against an estate or trust for legal services performed by an attorney who is a salaried employee of the trust company or when a portion of the charge for legal service is retained by the trust company. Any officer or employee of the trust company causing or consenting to such division of fee for legal service shall be guilty of a Class I misdemeanor. No investments of an estate or trust shall be made in the capital stock or securities of the trust company, in the stock or securities of its affiliated companies, or in obligations, either direct or indirect, of any director, officer, or employee of the trust company. The trust company shall not substitute any of the assets of an estate or trust under its control for securities of the trust company. A trust company may administer, in a fiduciary capacity, an estate or trust which contains such capital stock, securities, or obligations as part of its assets if such assets are received in kind from the grantor of the estate or trust and retention of such capital stock, securities, or obligations is properly authorized by the terms of the governing document. Any officer or employee of the trust company making such an investment or consenting to such an investment or causing such substitution or consenting to such substitution shall be guilty of a Class III felony.

(2) No loan of the assets of the trust company shall be made to any officer or director of such corporation. No trust company shall cause or allow funds of any account entrusted to the trust company to be loaned, directly or indirectly, to any director, officer, or employee of the trust company except when the director, officer, or employee has a specific beneficial interest in the account and such loans are allowed in governing account documents and are not prohibited by other state or federal law. Any director, officer, or employee of the trust company causing, consenting to, or receiving funds from a loan made in violation of this section shall be guilty of a Class III felony.

(3) This section shall not apply to:

(a) Investments authorized in section 30-3205; or

(b) Investments for which the will or trust states that the stock of the trust company or securities of a company or companies affiliated with the trust company may be acquired for the estate or trust.

Any person who swears to any of the statements required by the Nebraska Trust Company Act, knowing them to be false, who subscribes to, makes, or causes to be made any false statement or false entry in the books of any trust company transacting a business under the act, who subscribes to or exhibits false papers or fails to make true and correct entry in the books and records of the trust company of its business and transactions in the manner and form prescribed by the Department of Banking and Finance, who mutilates, alters, destroys, secretes, or removes any of the books or records of the trust company without the written consent of the Director of Banking and Finance, or who makes, states, or publishes any false statement of the amount of the assets or liabilities of the trust company shall be guilty of a Class IV felony.

(1) No individual, firm, corporation, or association doing business directly or indirectly in the State of Nebraska shall use the words trust, trust company, trust association, or trust fund as any part of its title except:

(a) A trust company as defined in section 8-230;

(b) A trust company chartered and supervised under the laws of the United States or any other state;

(c) A bank or savings association chartered and supervised under the laws of the United States or any other state, if such bank or savings association has been further chartered to conduct a trust company business;

(d) A limited partnership to the extent authorized by subdivision (5) of section 67-234;

(e) An entity required by any other law to use such words; or

(f) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1) of this section:

(a) An organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the code may use the words trust or trust fund;

(b) A trust created by a testamentary or fiduciary document may use the word trust; and

(c) An account in a financial institution established by or on behalf of trusts referenced in subdivision (b) of this subsection may use the words trust or trust fund.

(3) A violation of this section is a Class V misdemeanor.

Any state trust company, with the approval of the Department of Banking and Finance, may, upon a vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of its capital stock, merge or consolidate with a national banking association, as provided by federal law, by causing a certificate to be filed with the Department of Banking and Finance setting forth the resolution of the stockholders of the state trust company and that the resolution has been duly adopted by the holders of at least two-thirds of the capital stock of the trust company.

When a state trust company has merged or consolidated with a national bank, the resulting national bank and trust company shall be considered the same business and corporate entity as the former national bank and the former trust company and as a continuation thereof and the ownership and title to all properties, assets, obligations, and liabilities of the merging or consolidating trust company shall automatically pass to and become the properties, assets, obligations, and liabilities of the resulting national bank and trust company and shall be deemed to be transferred to and vested in the resulting national bank and trust company without any deed or other transfer. The resulting national bank and trust company, by virtue of such consolidation or merger and without any order or other action on the part of any court or otherwise, shall hold and enjoy the same and all rights of property, franchises, and interests, including appointments, designations, and nominations and all other rights and interests as trustee, personal representative, administrator, registrar of stocks and bonds, guardian of estates, assignee, receiver, and in every other fiduciary capacity, in the same manner and to the same extent as such rights, franchises, and interests were held or enjoyed by any such merging or consolidating trust company at the time of such merger or consolidation. Upon the merger or consolidation, the state charter of the merging or consolidating state trust company shall automatically terminate and the charter shall be returned to the Department of Banking and Finance. Securities pledged to the department in accordance with section 8-209 shall be transferred to the name of the resulting national bank and trust company.

When the merger or consolidation becomes effective, the owner of shares of a state trust company which were voted against a merger or consolidation with a national bank shall be entitled to receive the value of the stock in cash from the assets of the state trust company when the merger or consolidation becomes effective, upon written demand made to the resulting national bank and trust company at any time within thirty days after the effective date of the merger or consolidation, accompanied by the surrender of the stock certificates. The value of the shares shall be determined as of the date of the shareholders' meeting approving the merger or consolidation, by three appraisers, one to be selected by the owners of two-thirds of the shares voting against the merger or consolidation, one by the board of directors of the resulting national bank and trust company, and the third by the two so chosen. If the appraisal is not completed within sixty days after the merger or consolidation becomes effective, the Department of Banking and Finance may cause an appraisal to be made and the resulting appraisal shall then govern. The expenses of the appraisal caused to be made by the department shall be paid by the resulting national bank and trust company.

Any state trust company, with the approval of the Department of Banking and Finance, may, upon a vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of its capital stock, merge or consolidate with any state bank which has obtained powers to conduct a trust business pursuant to the Nebraska Trust Company Act. The merging trust company must file with the department a certificate of the stockholders of the trust company that the resolution to merge or consolidate has been duly adopted by the holders of at least two-thirds of the capital stock of the trust company.

When a state trust company has merged or consolidated with a state bank, the resulting state bank and trust company shall be considered the same business and corporate entity as the former state bank and the former trust company and as a continuation thereof. The ownership and title to all properties, assets, obligations, and liabilities of the merging or consolidating trust company shall automatically pass to and become the properties, assets, obligations, and liabilities of the resulting state bank and trust company and shall be deemed to be transferred to and vested in the resulting state bank and trust company without any deed or other transfer. The resulting state bank and trust company, by virtue of such consolidation or merger and without any order or other action on the part of any court or otherwise, shall hold and enjoy the same and all right of property, franchises, and interests, including appointments, designations, and nominations and all other rights and interests as trustee, personal representative, administrator, registrar of stocks and bonds, guardian of estates, assignee, receiver, and in every other fiduciary capacity, in the same manner and to the same extent as such rights, franchises, and interests were held or enjoyed by any such merging or consolidating trust company at the time of such merger or consolidation. Upon the merger or consolidation, the state charter of the merging or consolidating state trust company shall automatically be transferred to the resulting state bank and trust company.

When the merger or consolidation becomes effective, the owner of shares of a trust company which were voted against a merger or consolidation with a state bank shall be entitled to receive the value of the stock in cash from the assets of the state trust company upon written demand made to the resulting state bank and trust company at any time within thirty days after the effective date of the merger or consolidation accompanied by the surrender of the stock certificates. The value of the shares shall be determined as of the date of the shareholders' meeting approving the merger or consolidation. An appraisal shall be conducted by three appraisers, one to be selected by the owners of two-thirds of the shares voting against the merger or consolidation, one by the board of directors of the resulting state bank and trust company, and the third by the two so chosen. If the appraisal is not completed within sixty days after the merger or consolidation becomes effective, the Department of Banking and Finance may cause an appraisal to be made and the resulting appraisal shall then govern. The expenses of the appraisal caused to be made by the department shall be paid by the resulting state bank and trust company.

For purposes of the Nebraska Trust Company Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Agency capacity means a capacity resulting from an undertaking to act alone or jointly with others primarily as agent for another in all matters connected with its undertaking, including the capacities of registrar, paying agent, or transfer agent with respect to stocks, bonds, or other evidences of indebtedness of any corporation, association, municipality, state, or public authority, escrow agent, or agent for the investment of money or any other similar capacity;

(2) Branch trust office means an office of a trust company, other than the main or principal office of a trust company, at which a trust company may act in any fiduciary capacity or conduct any activity permitted under the Nebraska Trust Company Act;

(3) Fiduciary capacity means a capacity resulting from an undertaking to act alone or jointly with others primarily for the benefit of another in all matters connected with the undertaking and includes the capacities of trustee, including trustee of a common trust fund, administrator, personal representative, guardian of an estate, conservator, receiver, attorney in fact, and custodian and any other similar capacity;

(4) Representative trust office means an office at which a trust company does not act in any fiduciary capacity or conduct or engage in any activity related to its fiduciary capacities but may otherwise engage in any other activity permitted under the Nebraska Trust Company Act; and

(5) Trust company means any trust company which is incorporated under the laws of this state, any national banking association having its principal office in this state and authorized to conduct a trust company business as defined in the Nebraska Trust Company Act, any bank authorized to conduct a trust company business in a trust department pursuant to sections 8-159 to 8-162, any federal savings association authorized to conduct a trust company business, and any federally chartered trust company.

(1) Any trust company which has been duly authorized to commence the business for which it is organized and which has made the pledge of securities required by sections 8-209 and 8-210 may file an application in the county court of the county in which an affiliated bank is located requesting that it be substituted, except as may be expressly excluded in such application, in every fiduciary capacity for such affiliated bank specified in the application, and such specified affiliated bank shall join in such application. Such application may be made by the trust company seeking substitution and need not list the fiduciary capacities in which substitution is proposed to be made. For purposes of this section, affiliated bank with respect to a trust company shall mean any bank incorporated under the laws of this state and any national banking association having its principal office in this state, more than fifty percent of the voting stock of which is owned directly or indirectly by the same bank holding company as defined in the United States Bank Holding Company Act, as amended, that owns directly or indirectly more than fifty percent of the voting stock of such trust company. The county court may require such notice as it deems necessary.

(2) When the county court finds that such trust company has been duly authorized to commence the business for which it is organized and that it has made a pledge of securities in accordance with sections 8-209 and 8-210, the county court may enter an order substituting such trust company in every fiduciary capacity for the specified affiliated bank except as may be otherwise specified in the application.

(3) Upon entry of such order, such trust company shall, without further act, be substituted in every such fiduciary capacity, and such application may be evidenced by filing a copy of the order with the clerk of any county court in this state.

Each designation in a will or other instrument executed either before, on, or after September 9, 1993, in which a bank is designated as fiduciary shall be deemed a designation of the trust company substituted for the bank pursuant to sections 8-230 to 8-233 except when the will or other instrument is executed after such substitution. Any grant in a will or other instrument of any discretionary power shall be deemed conferred upon the trust company deemed designated as the fiduciary pursuant to this section.

A bank shall account jointly with the trust company which has been substituted as fiduciary for the bank pursuant to sections 8-230 to 8-233 for the accounting period during which the trust company is initially so substituted. Upon substitution pursuant to sections 8-230 to 8-233, the bank shall deliver to the trust company all assets held by the bank as fiduciary, except assets held for accounts with respect to which there has been no substitution pursuant to sections 8-230 to 8-233, and upon substitution all the assets shall become the property of the trust company without the necessity of any instrument of transfer or conveyance.

(1) With the approval of the Director of Banking and Finance, a corporation organized to do business as a trust company under the Nebraska Trust Company Act may establish and maintain branch trust offices within this state and in any other state pursuant to section 8-2303.

(2) A corporation organized to do business as a trust company under the Nebraska Trust Company Act, in order to establish a branch trust office in Nebraska pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, shall apply to the Director of Banking and Finance on a form prescribed by the director. Upon receipt of a substantially complete application, the director shall hold a public hearing on the matter if he or she determines, in his or her discretion, that the condition of the corporation organized to do business as a trust company warrants a hearing. If the director determines that the condition of the corporation organized to do business as a trust company does not warrant a hearing, the director shall (a) publish a notice of the filing of the application in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the proposed branch trust office would be located and (b) give notice of such application for a branch trust office to all financial institutions within the county where the proposed branch trust office would be located and to such other interested parties as the director may determine. The director shall send the notice to financial institutions by first-class mail, postage prepaid, or electronic mail. Electronic mail may be used if the financial institution agrees in advance to receive such notices by electronic mail. A financial institution may designate one office for receipt of any such notice if it has more than one office located within the county where such notice is to be sent or a main office in a county other than the county where such notice is to be sent. If the director receives a substantive objection to the proposed branch trust office within fifteen days after publication of such notice, he or she shall hold a hearing on the application. Notice of a hearing held pursuant to this subsection shall be published for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the proposed branch trust office would be located. The expense of any publication and mailing required by this section shall be paid by the applicant but payment shall not be a condition precedent to approval by the director. The date for hearing the application shall not be more than ninety days after the filing of the application and not less than thirty-one days after the last publication of notice of hearing. The costs of the hearing shall be assessed in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Department of Banking and Finance.

(3) The director shall approve the application for a branch trust office if he or she finds that (a) the establishment of the branch trust office would not adversely affect the financial condition of the corporation organized to do business as a trust company, (b) there is a need in the community for the branch trust office, and (c) establishment of the branch trust office would be in the public interest.

(4) With the approval of the director, a state-chartered bank authorized to conduct a trust business pursuant to sections 8-159 to 8-162 may establish and maintain branch trust offices within this state and in any other state pursuant to section 8-2303. The procedure for the establishment of any branch trust office under this subsection shall be the same as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section. The activities at the branch trust office shall be limited to the activities permitted by the Nebraska Trust Company Act, and the general business of banking shall not be conducted at the branch trust office. Nothing in this subsection is intended to prohibit the establishment of a branch pursuant to section 8-157 at which trust business may be conducted.

(5) A branch trust office of a corporation organized to do business as a trust company or of a state-chartered bank shall not be closed without the prior written approval of the director.

(1) With the approval of the Director of Banking and Finance, a corporation organized to do business as a trust company under the Nebraska Trust Company Act may establish and maintain representative trust offices within this state and in any other state pursuant to section 8-2304.

(2) A corporation organized to do business as a trust company under the Nebraska Trust Company Act, in order to establish a representative trust office in Nebraska pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, shall apply to the Director of Banking and Finance on a form prescribed by the director. Within sixty days after receipt of a substantially complete application, the director shall notify the trust company of his or her decision on the application. If the director does not act on the application, the application shall be deemed approved on the sixty-first day after receipt of a substantially complete application.

(3) The director shall approve the application for a representative trust office if he or she finds that:

(a) The establishment of the representative trust office would not adversely affect the financial condition of the trust company;

(b) The activities at the representative trust office will be limited to nonfiduciary trust activities; and

(c) Establishment of the representative trust office would be in the public interest.

(4) A state-chartered bank authorized to conduct a trust business pursuant to sections 8-159 to 8-162 may establish and maintain representative trust offices within this state and in any other state pursuant to section 8-2304. The procedure for the establishment of any representative trust offices under this subsection shall be the same as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section. The activities at the representative trust office shall be limited to the activities permitted by the Nebraska Trust Company Act, except that no fiduciary activities may be conducted at the representative trust offices. The general business of banking shall not be conducted at the representative trust offices.

(5) A representative trust office shall not be closed unless the trust company or state-chartered bank provides sixty days' prior written notice to the director.

The Department of Banking and Finance shall have power to issue permits to and shall have general supervision and control of all building and loan associations as defined in sections 8-301 to 8-340.01.

Any association of not less than five persons, which shall be organized within this state for the purpose of raising money to be loaned among its members, shall be authorized and empowered to levy, assess and collect from its members such sums of money by rates of stated dues, fines, interest and premiums on loans, as the corporation may provide in its articles of incorporation or bylaws, and to exercise such other powers as are hereinafter conferred. Every such corporation may, however, receive payments from its members in any amount, which together with the balance, if any, formerly to the credit of the member thus paying, upon the books of the corporation, shall not exceed the par value of the shares of stock held by him.

(1) No person shall hold in his own right, or jointly with others, a total of withdrawal value of investment stock of more than sixty thousand dollars or an amount representing two percent of the total assets of the association, whichever is greater, except that investment shares which, when issued by an association, are within the limits prescribed in this subsection, may continue to be lawfully held irrespective of any shrinkage in the assets of the association.

(2) In any association, borrowing members may hold stock to the amount of sixty thousand dollars or an amount equal to five percent of the assets of the association, whichever amount is greater, except that (a) no borrowing member may hold stock in excess of one hundred thousand dollars unless that association has a reserve fund of at least five percent of the total assets of the association; and (b) if stock held by borrowing members which, when issued by an association, is within the limits prescribed in this subsection, it shall continue to be lawfully held irrespective of any shrinkage in the assets of the association.

(3) Notwithstanding the provision of this section, an association may issue any investment shares and make any loan to borrowing members which is or may be permitted to a federal association doing business in this state.

Subject to the limitations set forth in section 8-303, each investing member shall be permitted to cast one vote for each hundred dollars of withdrawal value of his stock. Each borrowing member shall be permitted as a borrower to cast one vote, or to cast one vote for each one hundred dollars of the credit value of his stock. Fifteen or more members present at a regular or special meeting of members constitute a quorum. Voting may be by proxy if the instrument authorizing the proxy to vote shall have been executed by a member.

The words loan and building association, building association, building and loan association, savings and loan association, or loan and savings association, shall form part of the corporate name of every such corporation. No individual, firm, company, corporation, or association operating in the State of Nebraska, unless (1) organized under authority of the federal government, (2) organized as a building and loan association under the authority of any foreign state and complying with the provisions of the Nebraska statutes, (3) organized and incorporated under and in accordance with the provisions of sections 8-301 to 8-384, or (4) having been in existence and doing business in Nebraska under its present name for a period of ten years prior to January 1, 1949, shall, after August 27, 1949, use in its name the words loan and building association, building and loan association, savings and loan association, loan and savings association, loan and building, building and loan, savings and loan, loan and savings, building and savings, or savings and building, in combination with any other word or words. Any person, firm, company, corporation, or association violating this section shall be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor for each offense. Each day such person, firm, or corporation shall use any such prohibited words shall be deemed a separate and distinct offense in violation of this section.

The capital stock of an association is not limited and shall consist of the aggregate of payments made by its members and dividends credited thereon, less withdrawals, and shall be represented by shares. It shall not be necessary for any association organized in and operating under the laws of the State of Nebraska to state in its articles of incorporation, or an amendment or amendments thereto, any amount of authorized capital stock. Upon the filing of articles of incorporation, or an amendment or amendments thereto, an association shall pay a filing fee of twenty-five dollars to the Secretary of State.

A building and loan association may provide for pensions, retirement plans, and other benefits for its officers and employees, and may contribute to the cost thereof in accordance with the plan adopted by a two-thirds vote of the board of directors, and approved by a vote of a majority of all the stockholders represented at an annual meeting of such association upon written notice mailed ten days prior to the annual meeting to the last-known address of each stockholder as shown by the books of the association that a pension or retirement plan, or other plan for benefits for its officers and employees will be presented at such meeting, and approved by the Department of Banking and Finance.

Any shareholder of an association shall be permitted to withdraw any or all of the credit value of his or her stock as shown by the books of the association, provided such stock is not pledged as security for a loan, by giving written notice of such intention to the secretary or managing officer of the association, and, at the expiration of thirty days following such notice, the member so withdrawing, or, if deceased, his legal representative, shall be entitled to receive the credit value of the stock at the time such notice was given, together with such proportion of the net profits accruing since the last dividend date, if the bylaws so provide and determine, less the admission fee, if any, or other just and lawful charges; Provided, the right to so withdraw shall not apply to shareholders of an association in process of liquidation.

At no time shall more than one-half of the unloaned funds in the treasury of the association and one-half of the accumulations thereto be applicable to the demands of the withdrawing shareholders without the consent by resolution of the board of directors. If there is delay in meeting payment to withdrawing members due to insufficient funds applicable to such purpose, such members shall be paid, and their stock thus repurchased retired, in the order of the filing of their withdrawal notices as funds applicable therefor are available.

So long as any association is delayed in meeting payment to withdrawing members due to insufficient funds applicable to such purpose, any loan made to a member shall be from funds not applicable for payment to withdrawing members, and shall not exceed one-half of the credit value of the member's stock unless secured also by the pledge of real estate. If the only security for such a loan be a pledge of the member's stock, the association shall take from the borrower a note for the payment thereof with interest, payable on demand, and a notice for withdrawal of sufficient of the stock to pay such note and interest unless such notice is already on file, and the association shall not demand payment of such note until it has funds available for the payment of the withdrawal notice in the sequence of its filing.

Withdrawals by a borrowing member from credits on stock pledged as security in connection with a real estate loan made by the association shall be permitted only at the discretion of the association, and if the association is delayed in meeting payments to withdrawing members due to insufficient funds applicable to such purpose, withdrawals permitted to such a borrowing member shall be paid only out of the funds of the association available for the making of real estate loans.

If the association has funds applicable for withdrawals and more than needed to retire the shares of members who have given written notice of an intention to withdraw, the directors may, if in their discretion it shall be for the best interests of the association, retire any unpledged shares by enforcing withdrawals of the same, subject to the approval and consent of the Department of Banking and Finance, and the owner or owners shall be paid the full credit value of such shares, which shall be the total of payments and dividends credited thereon less prior withdrawals, if any.

Such retirements, if made, shall be made immediately after a period fixed by the bylaws of the association for the declaration and payment of dividends of earnings, and the association shall, at least sixty days before so retiring any shares, send written notice to each person shown by the books of the association to be an owner of such shares, mailed to such person's last-known address, which notice shall inform such persons of the intent of the association to make the retirement on a designated date.

The association shall without delay, upon so retiring shares by order of its board of directors, send a written notice to each person shown by the books of the association to be an owner of shares thus retired, mailed to such person's last-known address, which notice shall contain information of the retirement of the shares and of the number of the certificate representing said shares, and of the amount to be paid to such owner upon delivery to the association of said certificate.

The bylaws shall also contain equitable provisions permitting the payment of loans before maturity, as follows: The borrower shall be charged with the full amount of his loan, together with all arrearages due thereon or on the shares pledged, or appertaining to the security given, and shall thereupon be allowed, as a credit, the withdrawal value of the shares pledged as security together with an equitable share of the premium, if any, paid in advance, and such other credits as may be returnable on account thereof, and the balance shall be received by the association in full settlement and discharge of such loan. The credits on shares pledged in connection with a loan secured by mortgage on real estate, may at any time, and in whole or in part, be appropriated by any association and applied in reduction of such loan. The withdrawal value of shares pledged as a part of a loan transaction, where such loan is secured by mortgage on real estate, shall be the total amount of the payments on such shares as shown by the books of the association, together with such proportionate share of the earnings as the borrower may be entitled to under the bylaws of the association, less the amounts of previous appropriations and applications on the loan and withdrawals, if any. The association shall not directly or indirectly charge any membership, admission, withdrawal, or any other fee or sum of money for the privilege of becoming, remaining, or ceasing to be a member of the association, except charges upon the making or modification of a loan authorized by section 8-330. Except as authorized by this section and section 8-316, the association shall not charge any member any sum of money by way of fine or penalty for any cause. Payments on real estate loans shall be applied first to the payment of interest on the unpaid balance of the loan and the remainder on the reduction of principal. Any delinquent real estate taxes, both regular and special, which become a prior lien to the association's mortgage, may be paid by the association and added to the unpaid balance of the loan.

The bylaws shall further provide that if any member has become delinquent in his payment on any shares pledged for the security of any loan from the association, which delinquency shall include delinquent real estate taxes both regular or special irrespective of whether paid by the association and charged to principal or unpaid and a prior lien on the property, and such delinquency represents more than two monthly payments, such shares may be canceled, and he shall, as to such shares, cease to be a member of the association, and the withdrawal value, if any, of such shares at the date of cancellation, shall be credited on his loan. If, after the aforesaid credits, or other credits, a balance remains due the association on account of said loan, it may recover the balance either by the foreclosure and sale of the security given or by an action at law upon the evidence of indebtedness. The withdrawal value of shares pledged as a part of a loan transaction, where such loan is secured by mortgage on real estate, shall be the total amount of the payments on such shares as shown by the books of the association, together with such proportionate share of earnings as the borrower may be entitled to under the bylaws of the association, less the amounts of previous appropriations and applications on the loan and withdrawals, if any.

Certificates of stock or other written evidence thereof shall be issued for each account in conformity with sections 8-301 to 8-340.01 and the bylaws. Every stockholder shall receive credit on the books of the association for all amounts paid by the stockholder upon the stockholder's subscription for stock, together with the stockholder's pro rata share of all dividends declared, as hereinafter provided, and when the sum of such payments and dividends, less all fines or other charges, equal the par value of the shares of stock held by the stockholder, the stockholder shall be entitled to receive such par value, with such interest not exceeding the legal rate, as the directors may determine, from the time of maturity until paid. Holders of stock thus matured and members desiring to withdraw before such maturity shall be paid the value of their stock in the order of the maturity of or notice of withdrawal of such stock. At no time shall more than two-thirds of the unloaned funds in the treasury of the association, inclusive of such funds applicable to the demands of withdrawing stockholders, as hereinbefore provided, be applicable to the demands of holders of matured stock without the consent of the board of directors.

(1)(a) Shares of stock in any association, or in any federal savings and loan association incorporated under the provisions of the federal Home Owners' Loan Act, with its principal office and place of business in this state, may be subscribed for, held, transferred, surrendered, withdrawn, and forfeited and payments thereon received and receipted for by any person, regardless of age, in the same manner and with the same binding effect as though such person were of the age of majority, except that a minor or his or her estate shall not be bound on his or her subscription to stock except to the extent of payments actually made thereon.

(b) Whenever a share account is accepted by any building and loan association in the name of any person, regardless of age, the deposit may be withdrawn by the shareholder by any of the following methods:

(i) Check or other instrument in writing. The check or other instrument in writing constitutes a receipt or acquittance if the check or other instrument in writing is signed by the shareholder and constitutes a valid release in discharge to the building and loan association for all payments so made; or

(ii) Electronic means through:

(A) Preauthorized direct withdrawal;

(B) An automatic teller machine;

(C) A debit card;

(D) A transfer by telephone;

(E) A network, including the Internet; or

(F) Any electronic terminal, computer, magnetic tape, or other electronic means.

(c) This section shall not be construed to affect the rights, liabilities, or responsibilities of participants in an electronic fund transfer under the federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act, 15 U.S.C. 1693 et seq., as it existed on January 1, 2024, and shall not affect the legal relationships between a minor and any person other than the building and loan association.

(2) All trustees, guardians, personal representatives, administrators, and conservators appointed by the courts of this state may invest and reinvest in, acquire, make withdrawals in whole or in part, hold, transfer, or make new or additional investments in or transfers of shares of stock in any (a) building and loan association organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska or (b) federal savings and loan association incorporated under the provisions of the federal Home Owners' Loan Act, having its principal office and place of business in this state, without an order of approval from any court.

(3) Trustees created solely by the terms of a trust instrument may invest in, acquire, hold, and transfer such shares, and make withdrawals, in whole or in part, therefrom, without any order of court, unless expressly limited, restricted, or prohibited therefrom by the terms of such trust instrument.

(4) All building and loan associations referred to in this section are qualified to act as trustee or custodian within the provisions of the federal Self-Employed Individuals Tax Retirement Act of 1962, as amended, or under the terms and provisions of section 408(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, if the provisions of such retirement plan require the funds of such trust or custodianship to be invested exclusively in shares or accounts in the association or in other associations. If any such retirement plan, within the judgment of the association, constitutes a qualified plan under the federal Self-Employed Individuals Tax Retirement Act of 1962, or under the terms and provisions of section 408(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, and the regulations promulgated thereunder at the time the trust was established and accepted by the association, is subsequently determined not to be such a qualified plan or subsequently ceases to be such a qualified plan, in whole or in part, the association may continue to act as trustee of any deposits theretofore made under such plan and to dispose of the same in accordance with the directions of the member and beneficiaries thereof. No association, in respect to savings made under this section, shall be required to segregate such savings from other assets of the association. The association shall keep appropriate records showing in proper detail all transactions engaged in under the authority of this section.

(1) No loan shall be made by such association except to its own members, and no loan shall be made to any member for any sum in excess of the par value of his or her stock. The borrower shall pledge to the association, as security for the loan, shares of a maturity value equal to the principal of the loan and, except as otherwise provided in this section, ample security by mortgage or deeds of trust on real estate. For purposes of this section, real property and real estate shall include a leasehold or subleasehold estate in real property under a lease or sublease the term of which does not expire, or which is renewable automatically or at the option of the holder or of the association so as not to expire for at least five years beyond the maturity of the debt. Loans made upon improved real estate, except as otherwise provided in this section, shall not exceed ninety-five percent of the reasonable normal cash value thereof, and all loans made on any other real estate shall not exceed three-fourths of the reasonable normal cash value thereof.

(2) An association may make a loan or loans in an amount exceeding ninety-five percent of the reasonable normal cash value of the real estate security (a) if such loan or loans are made to a veteran in accord with the provisions of 38 U.S.C., as now existing or as hereafter amended, (b) if the proceeds of the loan or loans are to be used in purchasing residential property or in constructing a dwelling on unimproved property owned by such veteran to be occupied as his or her home, used for the purpose of making repairs, alterations, or improvements in or paying delinquent indebtedness, taxes, or special assessments on residential property owned by the veteran and used by him or her as his or her home, or used in purchasing any land and buildings to be used by the applicant in pursuing a gainful occupation other than farming, and (c) if the Secretary of Veterans Affairs guarantees that portion of such loan or loans in excess of ninety-five percent of the reasonable normal cash value of the real estate security.

(3) An association is authorized to obtain insurance of its loans by the Federal Housing Administrator under Title II of the National Housing Act, as amended, and such loans so made upon improved real estate and so insured shall not be subject to the restrictions set forth in this section with reference to the maximum authorized amount of a loan.

(4) An association may make unsecured loans to its members if such loans (a) are insured under Title I and Title II of the National Housing Act, as amended, or (b) are for property alterations, repair, or improvements. The aggregate amount of loans made under subdivisions (a) and (b) of this subsection shall not at any time exceed twenty percent of the association's assets. Each loan made under subdivision (b) of this subsection shall be repayable in regular monthly installments within a period of twenty years and shall be supported by a written property statement on forms to be prescribed by the Department of Banking and Finance. An association may make secured loans to its members and may make loans under 38 U.S.C., as amended, under Chapter V, subchapter C of the Home Owners' Loan Act of 1933, as amended (12 U.S.C.), and on the security of mobile homes.

(5) The stock of such association may be accepted as security for a loan of the amount of the withdrawal value of such stock without other security.

(6) An association when so licensed may make loans to its own members upon the terms and security set forth in the Nebraska Installment Loan Act.

(7) Any provisions of this section to the contrary notwithstanding, an association may make any loan that a federal savings and loan association doing business in this state is or may be authorized to make.

(8) An association may invest in loans, obligations, and advances of credit, all of which are referred to in this subsection as loans, made for the payment of expenses of business school, technical training school, college, or university education, but no association shall make any investment in loans under this subsection if the principal amount of its investment in such loans, exclusive of any investment which is or which at the time of its making was otherwise authorized, would thereupon exceed five percent of its assets. Such loans may be secured, partly secured, or unsecured, and the association may require a comaker or comakers, insurance, guaranty under a governmental student loan guarantee plan, or other protection against contingencies. The borrower shall certify to the association that the proceeds of the loan are to be used by a full-time student solely for the payment of expenses of business, technical training school, college, or university education.

(9) An association may participate with other lenders in making loans of any type that an association may otherwise make if (a) each of the lenders is either an instrumentality of the United States Government or is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or, in the case of another lender, the interest of the association in such loan is superior to the participating interests of the other participants and (b) an association whose accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation which may be a federal association or an association chartered by this state, or another association chartered by this state which is not so insured, has otherwise complied with subsection (1) of this section with respect to loans to members.

(10) An association may sell to or purchase from any institution which is a savings association chartered by this state or the accounts of which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation a participating interest in any loan, whether or not, in the case of a purchase, the security is located within the association's regular lending area.

Any association may invest its reserve fund for the payment of contingent losses, any reserve fund created to protect against any other contingency, and any portion of its idle funds, not immediately needed to carry on its proper functions, as follows:

(1) In bonds, notes, warrants, or other direct obligations of the United States or of any city, village, county, township, or school, road, water, sewer, paving, drainage, or sanitary and improvement district or any other political subdivision of the State of Nebraska;

(2) In any securities and obligations issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank, the Federal National Mortgage Association, or successor corporations, bonds and debentures issued either singly or collectively by any of the twelve federal land banks, the twelve intermediate credit banks, or the thirteen banks for cooperatives under the supervision of the Farm Credit Administration, and securities of any other federal agency corporation; and

(3) In securities issued pursuant to the Nebraska Business Development Corporation Act.

Any provision of this section to the contrary notwithstanding, an association may make any investment that a federal savings and loan association doing business in this state is or may be authorized to make.

Any association may deposit its funds, or any part thereof, in any national or state bank insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any corporation successor thereto and receive therefor certificates of time or savings deposit or the usual bank passbook credit subject to check or in share accounts of any state or federal savings and loan association the accounts of which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any corporation successor thereto.

An association organized under the provisions of Chapter 8, article 3, may purchase, hold, and sell stock in any service corporation organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska whose stock is owned exclusively by building and loan associations whose operations are subject to audit by the Department of Banking and Finance and, if insured, by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and whose activities are restricted to:

(1) The providing of clerical, bookkeeping, accounting, statistical, and data processing services primarily for building and loan associations;

(2) The purchase, development, and conveyance of real estate for the purpose of renovating and rehabilitating substandard housing including enrollment in state and federal programs in connection therewith, and for other lawful purposes;

(3) The servicing, purchasing, selling, and making of loans upon real estate and participating interests therein; and

(4) The investment in corporations whose principal activities are community development, urban renewal and industrial development.

No evidence of indebtedness taken by said association for the return of any loan shall be negotiable in form, and whatever be its form, every such evidence of indebtedness shall be nonnegotiable in law, except as hereinafter provided, and no such debt or evidence of debt shall be assignable or transferable in any manner so as to prevent the discharge thereof by payments to the association, except as hereinafter provided, except that bonds and interest-bearing obligations, in which temporary investments may be made as hereinbefore provided, may be converted into cash in due course.

Notwithstanding the provision of this section, an association may sell or purchase such loans, and enter into such participation loans, as are or may be permitted to federal savings and loan associations doing business in this state.

Any building and loan association is hereby authorized (1) to subscribe for the stock of and to become a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank for the district in which it may be located or for the stock of a Federal Home Loan Bank of an adjoining district if demanded by convenience; (2) to obtain advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank System, under the rules and regulations promulgated by the bank of which the association is a member, to obtain advances from any other corporation or agency established by or under authority of the United States Government, and to assign its mortgages or such other assets as may be required as security therefor; and (3) to do and perform such acts as may be necessary and required to avail to it all the advantages and privileges offered by the Federal Home Loan Bank or offered by any other corporation or agency established under the authority of the United States Government or any instrumentality of the United States Government.

Any building and loan association is hereby authorized, with the approval of its board of directors, to assign its mortgages and the evidence of debt secured thereby to the Home Owners' Loan Corporation created by act of Congress of the United States under the act cited as the Home Owners' Loan Act of 1933, or such other corporation as may be created by authority of the United States Government, or as an instrumentality of the United States Government, and to accept as consideration for such assignment, cash or bonds of such Home Owners' Loan Corporation or such other corporation as may be created by authority of the United States Government, or as an instrumentality of the United States Government; Provided, that no mortgage given by any member of such association shall be so assigned without the written consent of the borrowing member.

Any association, at the discretion of its officers and directors, and with the consent and approval of the Department of Banking and Finance, may accept its stock at the withdrawal value of such shares, to apply on the purchase at its fair market value, of any real estate owned by such association, or to apply in payment or reduction of any loans or contracts of sale on which, in the judgment of the officers and directors, there may be an eventual loss, whether or not notice for withdrawal of such shares shall have been filed, and such action shall not be considered prejudicial to the rights of any stockholders to whom payment on withdrawal notices is being delayed.

Such association may purchase, hold, lease and convey real estate or stock for the following purposes and no others:

(1) Such real estate as it may need to occupy as a place of business;

(2) Such as shall in good faith be conveyed to it in satisfaction of debts contracted in the ordinary course of business;

(3) Such as it shall purchase at sales under judgments, decrees or mortgages held by the association, or shall purchase in good faith to secure debts due;

(4) Such as it shall in good faith acquire as a part of the consideration for the sale or exchange of real estate owned by it;

(5) Such as shall be acquired in salvaging the value of property owned by the association; and

(6) Such as is permitted building and loan service corporations under section 8-320.01. Nothing in this section shall be construed to forbid the mortgaging of real estate to such associations.

Every association organized under the laws of this state for the purposes set forth in section 8-302, except such associations as are conducted upon the serial plan and in which the various series are operated wholly separate and distinct from each other, shall provide a reserve fund for the payment of contingent losses, by setting aside at least five percent of the net earnings for each year to such fund until it reaches at least five percent of the total assets of the association exclusive of cash on hand. Any credit to a reserve account required by any federal agency shall be considered to apply to the reserve fund requirement of this section.

All losses shall be paid out of such fund until the same is exhausted, and whenever the amount in the fund falls below five percent of the total assets, it shall be replenished by annual appropriations of at least five percent of the net earnings until it again reaches the amount. The board of directors shall have power to increase the reserve above five percent, but not to exceed twelve percent, if determined that it is to the best interest of the association and its shareholders. An association may establish such other and additional undivided profits accounts or special reserves as may be ordered by its board of directors. The board of directors may, for federal tax purposes, divide the reserve fund, surplus account, and undivided profits account, in accordance with the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and regulations adopted pursuant thereto. If, in the opinion of a majority of the board of directors of any such association, a reserve fund of twelve percent is insufficient at any time to cover the probable losses among the assets, or if for other good and sufficient reason they determine it to be for the best interests of the association and its shareholders that the reserve fund be maintained or increased, they shall have power to maintain or increase the fund from the net earnings to an amount not greater than the sum of such probable losses or greater than sufficient to best serve the interest of the association and its shareholders as by them determined. Such special increase of the reserve fund shall first be approved by the Department of Banking and Finance, and if, in the opinion of the department after an examination, such special increase of the reserve fund is deemed necessary or advisable for the protection of stockholders, the department may order such reserve fund increased in like manner and within the same limits as aforesaid. Such reserve fund may at any time, with the consent of the department, be reduced to not less than five percent of the assets.

Every association of the character defined in section 8-326, shall be required, at least annually, to transfer the residue of earnings, after paying expenses and setting aside a sum for the reserve funds as herein provided, as a dividend to members holding share accounts. All such members shall participate in earnings pro rata to the withdrawal value of their respective accounts, except that an association may classify its share accounts according to the character, amount, or duration thereof, or regularity of additions thereto, and may agree in advance to pay an additional rate of earnings, over and above the minimum rate of earnings paid on share accounts, on accounts based on such classifications, and shall regulate such earnings in such manner that each share account in the same classification shall receive the same ratable portion of such additional earnings. Earnings may be declared on the withdrawal value of each share account at the beginning of the accounting period, plus additions thereto made during the period, less amounts previously withdrawn and amounts covered by notice for withdrawal which for earnings purposes shall be deducted from the latest previous additions thereto, computed at the declared rate for the time the funds have been invested determined as next provided. The date of investment shall be the date of actual receipt by the association of an account or an addition to an account, except that if the board of directors shall so determine, accounts in one or more classifications or additions thereto received by the association on or before a date not later than the twentieth day of the month, unless the day determined is not a business day and in such case it may be the next succeeding business day, shall receive earnings as if invested on the first day of the month in which such payments were received; and if the board shall make such determination, it also shall determine that payments received subsequent to such determination date shall either (1) receive earnings as if invested on the first day of the next succeeding month, or (2) receive earnings from the date of actual receipt by the association. The directors shall determine by resolution the method of calculating the amount of any earnings on share accounts as herein provided, and the time or times when earnings are to be declared, paid, or credited, but the association shall not be required to credit or pay dividends on inactive share accounts of fifty dollars or less.

(1) Complete and adequate records of all accounts and of all minutes of proceedings of the members, directors and executive committee shall be maintained at all times at the office of the association. Records may be kept by hand, mechanical or electronic means.

(2) Every association shall maintain membership records, which shall show the name and address of the member, whether the member is a share account holder, or a borrower, or a share account holder and borrower, and the date of membership thereof. In the case of account-holding members, the association shall obtain a card containing the signature of the owner of such account or his duly authorized representative and shall preserve such signature card in the records of the association.

(3) Associations shall not be required to preserve or keep their records or files for a longer period than five years next after the first day of January of the year following the payment in full of a mortgage or other loan or the closing of a savings or investment account or the final closing or completion of any other contract or transaction; Provided, that ledger sheets showing unpaid accounts in favor of members of such savings and loan associations shall not be destroyed.

(4) No liability shall accrue against any association destroying any such records after the expiration of the time provided in subsection (3) of this section, and in any cause or proceedings in which any such records or files may be called in question or be demanded of the association or any officer or employee thereof, a showing that such records and files have been destroyed in accordance with the terms of subsection (3) of this section shall be a sufficient excuse for the failure to produce them.

(5) All causes of action against an association based upon a claim or claims inconsistent with an entry or entries in any savings and loan association record or ledger, made in the regular course of business, shall be deemed to have accrued, and shall accrue, one year after the date of such entry or entries; and no action founded upon such a cause may be brought after the expiration of five years from the date of such accrual.

(6) The provisions of this section, so far as applicable, shall apply to the records of federal savings and loan associations.

(7) Any association may cause any or all records kept by such association to be copied or reproduced by any photostatic, photographic or microfilming process which correctly and permanently copies, reproduces or forms a medium for copying or reproducing the original record on a film or other durable material and such association may thereafter dispose of the original record. Any such copy or reproduction shall be deemed to be an original record for all purposes and shall be treated as an original record in all courts or administrative agencies for the purpose of its admissibility in evidence. A facsimile, exemplification or certified copy of any such copy or reproduction reproduced from a film record shall, for all purposes, be deemed a facsimile, exemplification or certified copy of the original.

The real estate of such associations shall be subject to taxation in the same manner as provided by law in the case of other corporations and individuals.

Every association may require borrowing members to pay all reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the making, closing, disbursing, extending, readjusting, or renewing of real estate loans. Such expenses may include abstract, recording, and registration fees, title examinations, survey, escrow services, and taxes or charges imposed upon or in connection with the making and recording of any mortgage. Such reasonable charges may be collected by the association from the borrower and shall not be considered interest or a charge for the use of the money loaned. A charge not exceeding one percent or that allowed a federally chartered association for the premature prepayment may be made. The rate of interest on any loan of money shall be determined and computed upon the assumption that the debt will be paid according to the agreed terms and in the event the loan is paid or collected by court action prior to the term of the loan, any payment charged, received, or taken as an advance or forbearance which is in the nature of and taken into account in the calculation of interest, shall be spread over the stated term of the loan for the purpose of determining the rate of interest. Any amounts paid or contracted to be paid by persons other than the borrower shall not be considered interest and shall not be taken into account in the calculation of interest. Interest may be paid on escrow accounts held for the payment of taxes, insurance, and similar payments, if agreed to in writing by the borrower and association. Loans may be made by an association under a license granted it pursuant to the Nebraska Installment Loan Act, to borrowing members whose loans are secured by real estate, to the same extent and in the same amount as such loans may lawfully be made to nonborrowing members. The association shall furnish a loan settlement statement to each borrower, indicating in detail the charges and fees such borrower has paid or obligated himself or herself to pay to the association or to any other person in connection with such loan. A copy of such statement shall be retained in the records of the association.

An association may charge and receive interest, on property improvement loans including loans made under Title I of the National Housing Act, as amended, and unsecured loans authorized in section 5(c) of the Home Owners' Loan Act, as amended.

Every association shall adopt articles of incorporation and bylaws. A copy of the articles of incorporation and bylaws of every such association shall be filed in the office of the Department of Banking and Finance, together with an application for a certificate of approval and payment of the examination fee prescribed by section 8-602. The application shall furnish and set forth facts and information desired by the Department of Banking and Finance. The department, upon completion of its investigations and its examination of the articles, bylaws, and application for certificate of approval, shall issue a certificate of approval of the association and articles of incorporation and bylaws, but no such certificate of approval shall be issued unless and until the department has determined:

(1) That the articles of incorporation and bylaws conform to the requirements of sections 8-301 to 8-384 and contain a just and equitable plan for the management of the association's business;

(2) That the persons organizing the association are of good character and responsibility;

(3) That in its judgment a need exists for such an institution in the community to be served;

(4) That there is a reasonable probability of its usefulness and success; and

(5) That the same can be established without undue injury to properly conducted existing local building and loan associations.

No such association shall transact any business, except the execution of its articles of incorporation, the adoption of bylaws, and the election of directors and officers, until it has procured a certificate of approval under this section. No amendment of the articles of incorporation or bylaws of any such association shall become operative until a copy of the amendment has been filed and a certificate of approval obtained under this section in regard to the original articles of incorporation and bylaws.

Every such association shall, at the close of business on June 30 of each year and at such other times as required by the Department of Banking and Finance, file in the office of the department, within thirty days after the receipt of a request for a requisition therefor, a statement verified by the oath of its president or secretary and approved by three of its directors in such form as may be prescribed by the department, setting forth its actual financial condition and the amount of its assets and liabilities and furnishing such other information as to its affairs as the department may require. A copy of such annual statement shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation, in the county where such association is located, three consecutive times, and due proof of such publication, by affidavit, shall be filed with the department. The department may call for special reports from any such association whenever in its judgment such reports may be necessary or advisable, but no other or further notice or statement of the amount of the existing debts of such corporation shall be required to be published than that on June 30. Any association failing to comply with this section shall pay to the department fifty dollars for each day such noncompliance continues unless the department extends the filing deadlines for such reports and proofs of publication.

Every person who shall willfully or knowingly subscribe, or make, or cause to be made, any false statement or any false entries in any book of any association organized for the purpose set forth in section 8-302, or exhibit any false paper with the intent to deceive any person authorized to examine into the affairs of such association, or shall make, state or publish any false statement of the financial condition of such association, shall be guilty of a Class IV felony.

Whenever it appears to the Department of Banking and Finance that the assets of any association or corporation organized under the laws of this state for the purpose set forth in section 8-302 do not equal the liabilities, that it is conducting its business in an unsafe or unauthorized manner, that it is jeopardizing the interest of its members, or that it is unsafe for such association or corporation to transact business, the department shall take possession of the books, records, and assets of every description of such association or corporation, and the department shall have full authority to retain such possession as against any mesne or final process issued by any court against such association or corporation whose property has been taken possession of by the department, pending the further proceedings specified in sections 8-301 to 8-340.01. If such possession is refused by the secretary, managing officer, or person in charge of such association or corporation, the department shall communicate such fact to the Attorney General together with a copy of such order of possession and it shall become the duty of the Attorney General to apply to the Court of Appeals or to the district court or county court of the county where such association or corporation is located or to a judge of any such court for a writ of assistance in placing the department in immediate possession of such association or corporation. It shall be sufficient to authorize the issuance of the writ and the taking possession of such association or corporation under the writ if it is made to appear that possession was refused.

The Department of Banking and Finance shall, within ten days next after acquiring possession of such association, convene a special meeting of the shareholders. Notice of such special meeting shall be given by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where such association is located and by written or printed notice posted in a conspicuous place in the office or place of business of the association. At such meeting the department shall present a full report of the affairs and condition of such association as found by its examination thereof.

The Department of Banking and Finance, or any person authorized by it, shall, after having taken possession of the association under section 8-334, and pending the further proceedings specified in sections 8-301 to 8-340.01, prepare, or have prepared, a full and true exhibit of the affairs, property, and condition of such association, including an itemized statement of all its assets and liabilities. The department shall also receive and collect all debts, dues, and claims belonging to it, pay the immediate and reasonable expense of its trust, receive and receipt for all monthly payments becoming due after the date of coming into possession of the association, and keep the same separate and apart from the other money and effects of such association.

If at the special meeting of the shareholders they shall vote to reorganize such association, the Department of Banking and Finance, upon the consummation of the reorganization thereof, and the approval of the department, shall turn over to the new management all the books, papers and effects of every description in its hands belonging to such association.

If at the special meeting of the shareholders they shall vote to go into voluntary liquidation or to otherwise close up or discontinue the business of such association, the Department of Banking and Finance shall return to the shareholders all monthly payments and other payments on subscriptions for stock received and receipted for by it, and which became due and payable after the date of taking possession. All books, papers and effects of every description in its hands, belonging to such association not so returnable, shall be turned over and delivered to the person or persons entitled thereto.

If the Department of Banking and Finance after having called a meeting of the shareholders as herein provided, shall find that the association cannot be reorganized or that voluntary liquidation by the shareholders cannot be had or consummated, the department shall take charge of such building and loan association and proceed to liquidate such association in the manner provided for the liquidation of insolvent banks.

The Department of Banking and Finance has power to make such rules and regulations for the government of all associations of the character defined in sections 8-301 to 8-340.01 as may, in its judgment, seem wise and expedient.

Each and every executive officer and such other employees as the Department of Banking and Finance deems necessary of each building and loan association shall execute to such association and to the State of Nebraska, jointly, a corporate surety bond in an amount fixed by the department, said amount to be equal or uniform as to all associations in accordance with their size. In lieu of individual corporate surety bonds, the Director of Banking and Finance may accept a blanket corporate surety bond. All surety bonds shall be conditioned to protect and indemnify the association from any and all pecuniary loss, which the association may sustain, of money or other personal property, including that for which the association is responsible, through or by reason of the fraud, dishonesty, forgery, theft, embezzlement, wrongful abstraction, misapplication, misappropriation, or any other dishonest or criminal act, of or by any of said executive officers or employees of the association. Such bond or bonds shall be filed with and approved by the director, remain a part of the records of the department, and be open to public inspection during the office hours of the department.

Nothing in section 8-157.01 shall prohibit building and loan associations as defined in sections 8-301 to 8-340.01 from establishing and operating new automatic teller machines for the purpose of transmitting savings and loan transactions.

No building and loan association organized under the provisions of Chapter 8, article 3, shall establish any new branch on or after March 26, 1992, except to the extent provided for banks in section 8-157.

(1) The Director of Banking and Finance, his or her deputy, or any duly appointed examiner shall have power to make a thorough examination into all the books, records, business, and affairs of every building and loan association organized under the laws of this state as often as deemed necessary. The director may accept in his or her discretion, in lieu of any examination authorized by the laws of this state, a report of an examination made of a building and loan association by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or the director may examine any such association with that federal agency.

(2) The director may, at his or her discretion, make available to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency copies of reports of any such examination or any information furnished to or obtained by him or her in such examination. The rights, powers, duties, and privileges of the director, his or her deputy, or any duly appointed examiner in connection with such examinations shall be the same as is or may be provided by law in reference to the examinations of banks.

Any building and loan association or other home financing organization by whatever name or style it may be designated, eligible to become a federal savings and loan association, may convert itself into a federal savings and loan association by following the procedure hereinafter outlined:

(1) At any regular meeting of the shareholders of any such association or at any special meeting of the shareholders of such association, in either case called to consider such action and held in accordance with the laws governing such association, such shareholders by an affirmative record vote of the shareholders owning and voting two-thirds of the total number of shares outstanding, present in person or by proxy, may declare by resolution the determination to convert said association into a federal savings and loan association;

(2) A copy of the minutes of such meeting of the shareholders verified by the affidavit of the president or vice president and the secretary of the meeting, shall be filed within ten days after said meeting in the office or department of this state having supervision of such association; and such verified copy of the minutes of such meeting when so filed shall be presumptive evidence of the holding and of the action of such meeting;

(3) Within a reasonable time and without any unnecessary delay after the adjournment of such meeting of shareholders, such association shall take such action as may be necessary to make it a federal savings and loan association, and within ten days after receipt of the federal charter there shall be filed in the office or department of this state having supervision of such association, a copy of the charter issued to such association by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board or a certificate showing the organization of such association as a federal savings and loan association certified by, or on behalf of, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Upon the filing of such instrument such association shall cease to be a state association and shall thereafter be a federal savings and loan association.

At the time when such conversion becomes effective as provided in section 8-347, such association shall cease to be supervised by this state and all of the property of such association, including all of its right, title and interest in and to all property of every kind and character whether real, personal or mixed, shall immediately by operation of law and without any conveyance or transfer whatsoever and without any further act or deed, continue to be vested in said association under its new name and style as a federal savings and loan association and under its new jurisdiction. Said federal savings and loan association shall have, hold and enjoy the same in its own right as fully and to the same extent as the same was possessed, held and enjoyed by it as a state association, and said federal savings and loan association at the time of the taking effect of such conversion shall continue responsible for all of the obligations of said state association to the same extent as though said conversion had not taken place. It is hereby expressly declared that the said federal savings and loan association shall be merely a continuation of the said state association under a new name and new jurisdiction and such revision of its corporate structure as may be considered necessary for its proper operation under said new jurisdiction.

When any savings and loan association or building and loan association organized under the laws of this state shall, by its duly qualified officers and board of directors, propose to consolidate or merge with any other savings and loan association or building and loan association or associations, each such association shall present the proposed plan of consolidation or merger, together with a statement of the condition of the affairs of such association to the Department of Banking and Finance for its approval. Should the plan be approved by the department, the same shall be submitted to a regular or special meeting of the shareholders of each such association; and notice of such meeting shall be given as the department may direct. Such plan for consolidation or merger may include and provide for a reduction in the capital stock of the association or associations and of the nominal or book value of the shares, thereof, for the issuance of new certificates in lieu thereof, and for the distribution of any part of the assets of such association among its shareholders. If, at such meeting of the shareholders of any such association, not less than one-third of the shareholders vote affirmatively, either in person or by proxy, to adopt the proposed plan, as the same is approved and submitted by the Department of Banking and Finance, the department shall, upon notice of the favorable result of the shareholders meeting, direct each of such associations to put into effect the plan of consolidation or merger so approved; and such plan shall be in force and effect from and after the date of such order; Provided, that such consolidation or merger shall not be approved and put into effect unless approved by a majority of those voting on the consolidation or merger. There is hereby vested in the Department of Banking and Finance full power and authority to issue and enforce such orders having to do with carrying out of the plan of consolidation or merger adopted as shall be necessary and requisite for the protection of the shareholders, and distribution of the assets of the associations involved in the consolidation or merger.

Any federal savings and loan association, having its principal place of business and home office in the State of Nebraska, if permitted by federal law, may convert itself into a state association under Chapter 8, article 3, and amendments thereto, in accordance with the following procedure:

(1) At any regular meeting of the shareholders of any such association, or at any special meeting of the shareholders of such association, in either case called to consider such action and held in accordance with the laws governing such association, such shareholders by an affirmative record vote of the shareholders owning and voting two-thirds of the total number of shares outstanding, present in person or by proxy, may declare by resolution the determination to convert said association into a state association as provided in Chapter 8, article 3, and amendments thereto.

(2) A copy of the minutes of such meeting of the shareholders certified by the president or vice president and the secretary of the meeting, shall be filed within ten days after such meeting in the office of the Department of Banking and Finance, and a copy shall be mailed to the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, Washington, D.C., within ten days after such meeting. Such certified copy of the minutes of such meeting when so filed in the office of the Department of Banking and Finance shall be presumptive evidence that such meeting was held and that it took the action therein set forth.

(3) Within a reasonable time and without any unnecessary delay after the adjournment of such meeting of shareholders, such association shall take all necessary action to comply with requirements of the federal law for conversion to a state association.

(4) At the meeting at which conversion is voted upon, the members shall vote upon and elect in the usual manner the persons who shall be the directors of the state association as provided by sections 8-350 to 8-353; and shall by a majority vote adopt proposed articles of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws to be effective upon conversion into a state-chartered association. The elected directors within a reasonable time and without any unnecessary delay shall sign and acknowledge said proposed articles of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws as subscribers thereto, which shall be filed in the office of the Department of Banking and Finance in compliance with Chapter 8, article 3, and amendments thereto.

(5) The Department of Banking and Finance within a reasonable time following receipt of a verified copy of the minutes of said meeting, and said proposed articles of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws, shall examine the same carefully, and if it finds that the requirements of the provisions of sections 8-350 to 8-353 are satisfied, that said articles of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws conform to the requirements of Chapter 8, article 3, and amendments thereto, and contain a just and equitable plan for the management of the association's business, it shall issue to such association a certificate of its approval of such articles of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws; Provided, that no such certificate of approval shall be issued until a thorough examination into all the books, papers, and affairs of such association has been made by the Director of Banking and Finance, his deputies, or duly appointed examiners and the director, after a careful consideration of such examination, has found said association (a) to be in sound condition, (b) to be conducting its business in a manner conforming to the laws of Nebraska governing state-chartered building and loan associations, (c) is not committed to any obligations or liabilities which a similar association chartered under the laws of Nebraska might not properly incur, and (d) does not carry as assets on its books any assets which a similar association chartered under the laws of Nebraska could not properly so carry. The department shall charge such federal savings and loan association for such examination upon the same basis as charges are made for examination of state associations.

Upon the issuance by the Department of Banking and Finance of a certificate of its approval of said articles of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws, the conversion of any such federal savings and loan association into a state association shall become effective, and said association shall thereupon be subject to the exclusive supervision and control of the department as provided in Chapter 8, article 3, and amendments thereto.

All of the property of such association, including all of its right, title, and interest in and to all property of every kind and character whether real, personal, or mixed, shall immediately, by operation of law, without any conveyance or transfer whatsoever, and without any further act or deed, continue to be vested in said association under its new name and style as a state association and under its new jurisdiction. Such state association shall have, hold, and enjoy the same in its own right as fully and to the same extent as the same was possessed, held, and enjoyed by it as a federal savings and loan association. The said state association at the time of the taking effect of such conversion shall continue to be responsible for all the obligations of said federal savings and loan association to the same extent as though said conversion had not taken place.

It is hereby expressly declared that said state association shall be merely a continuation of said federal savings and loan association under a new name and new jurisdiction, and such revision of its corporate structure as may be considered necessary for its proper operation under said state jurisdiction.

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of Chapter 8, article 3, or any other Nebraska statute, except as provided in section 8-345.02, any association incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska and organized under the provisions of such article shall have all the rights, powers, privileges, benefits, and immunities which may be exercised as of January 1, 2024, by a federal savings and loan association doing business in Nebraska. Such rights, powers, privileges, benefits, and immunities shall not relieve such association from payment of state taxes assessed under any applicable laws of this state.

(1) A capital stock savings and loan association, referred to in sections 8-356 to 8-384 as a capital stock association, shall mean a financial institution incorporated under sections 8-356 to 8-384 having for its purposes the encouragement of home financing, the accumulation of capital through the issuance and sale of its stock, the acceptance of such accounts, referred to in sections 8-356 to 8-384 as deposits, as may be authorized for mutual savings and loan associations, and the lending of funds so accumulated in accordance with the powers conveyed to mutual associations by Chapter 8, article 3. A capital stock association shall issue a class of stock known as capital stock. The par value shall be stated in the articles of association and bylaws and approved by the Department of Banking and Finance. The consideration for capital stock which has a par value shall be credited to the capital stock account at its par value and any excess shall be credited to paid-in surplus and both shall be maintained as the fixed and permanent capital of the association. Participation in the management of the association shall be limited to the holders of capital stock.

(2) Capital stock shall be a reserve to absorb losses after all surplus, undivided profits, and other reserves available for losses have been depleted.

(3) Capital stock shall not be subject to redemption except on dissolution and shall then be eligible for redemption only after all accounts, deposits, and other creditors, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in the case of an insured institution, have been paid in full, together with accrued interest.

For purposes of sections 8-356 to 8-384, unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions found in sections 8-358 to 8-370 shall be used.

Association shall mean a savings and loan association, referred to as a building and loan association, or loan and building association, building association, savings and loan association, or loan and savings association, incorporated and now existing under the laws of this state or incorporated under sections 8-356 to 8-384.

Department shall mean the Department of Banking and Finance.

Capital accounts shall mean capital stock, undivided profits, surplus, and reserves.

Certificate of approval shall mean a certificate issued by the Department of Banking and Finance and approved by the director.

Director shall mean the Director of Banking and Finance.

Existing mutual association shall mean a mutual association which was authorized to do business in Nebraska on August 30, 1981.

Foreign association shall mean any firm, company, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation actually engaged in the business of a savings and loan association which is not organized under the laws of this state or of the United States.

Net worth of a stock association shall mean the aggregate of the capital stock account, paid-in surplus, earned surplus, legal and federal insurance reserves, and undivided profits.

Capital stock shall mean that part of the capital or liabilities of an association representing ownership of the association and which is not subject to being withdrawn or the value paid to the holder of such stock until all other liabilities of the association have been fully liquidated and paid.

Savings deposit shall mean a savings account in an association qualified to accept deposits and on which the association pays interest or dividends, whether at a fixed or indeterminate rate.

Stockholder shall mean a person who is a holder of record of shares in a corporation.

Withdrawable account shall mean a savings deposit or other authorized account or deposit of an association which does not represent capital stock.

Withdrawal value shall mean the amount paid to an association on a savings deposit plus earnings credited to such account or deposit less lawful deductions.

No capital stock association may be organized unless, prior to the filing of its articles of incorporation and bylaws, such amounts of its capital stock set forth in department rules and regulations or as the director shall deem adequate, shall have been subscribed for and paid into the association. Every stock association shall also obtain insurance of accounts from an agency of the federal government prior to commencing operation.

Every corporation organized for and desiring to conduct a capital stock association shall make under oath and transmit to the department a complete detailed application, giving the name of the proposed capital stock association, a certified copy of the articles of incorporation, the names of the stockholders, the county, city, or village and the exact location within such city or village where such association is proposed to be located, the nature of the proposed capital stock association business, the proposed amounts of capital stock, surplus, and undivided profits, and the items of actual cash and property, as reported and approved at a meeting of the stockholders.

A copy of the articles of incorporation and bylaws of every association applying under section 8-372 shall be filed with the department together with an application for a certificate of approval and payment of the examination fee prescribed by section 8-602. The application shall furnish and set forth information as may be required by the department's rules and regulations and the information required by sections 8-356 to 8-384.

(1) Prior to issuing a certificate of approval, the department, upon receiving an application for a stock savings and loan association, shall (a) publish notice of filing of the application for a period of three weeks in a legal newspaper published in or of general circulation in the county where the applicant proposes to operate the savings and loan association and (b) give notice of such application for a stock savings and loan association to all financial institutions within the county where the proposed main office of the stock savings and loan would be located and to such other interested parties as the director may determine. The director shall send the notice to financial institutions by first-class mail, postage prepaid, or electronic mail. Electronic mail may be used if the financial institution agrees in advance to receive such notices by electronic mail. A financial institution may designate one office for receipt of any such notice if it has more than one office located within the county where such notice is to be sent or a main office in a county other than the county where such notice is to be sent.

(2) A public hearing shall be held on each application. The date for hearing the application shall be not more than ninety days after filing the application and not less than thirty days after the last publication of notice. Such hearing shall be held to determine:

(a) Whether the articles of incorporation and bylaws conform to the requirements of sections 8-356 to 8-384 and contain a just and equitable plan for the management of the association's business;

(b) Whether the persons organizing such association are of good character and responsibility;

(c) Whether in the department's judgment a need exists for such an institution in the community to be served;

(d) Whether there is a reasonable probability of its usefulness and success; and

(e) Whether the same can be established without undue injury to properly conducted existing local savings and loan associations, whether mutual or capital stock in formation.

(3) The expense of any publication and mailing required by this section shall be paid by the applicant but payment shall not be a condition precedent to approval by the director.

If the department, upon completion of its investigation and the public hearing of the application, is satisfied that such corporation has complied with the requirements of sections 8-356 to 8-384 and department rules and regulations, it shall issue a certificate of approval stating that such corporation has complied with the laws of this state, and granting such savings and loan association the authority to commence business.

No capital stock association shall transact any business, except the execution of its articles of incorporation, the adoption of the bylaws, and the election of directors and officers, until such association has been approved by the department and such association has submitted to the department evidence of insurance of accounts by an agency of the federal government. This section shall not apply to existing mutual associations operating without such insurance as of August 30, 1981, if they continue to operate as mutual associations.

No corporation organized for the purpose of conducting a savings and loan association under the laws of this state shall be granted a certificate of approval if there have been any premium, bonus, commission, compensation, reward, salary, or other forms of remuneration paid or promised to be paid, to any person for selling the stock of such corporation, except that reasonable compensation in the form of commissions may be paid to persons or organizations authorized by law to act as brokers of stock for acting in such capacity.

(1) Any state or federal mutual association, if substantial business benefit to the applicant will result, and if otherwise permitted by federal law and regulations, may apply to convert to a state or federal capital stock association, in accordance with the provisions set forth in sections 8-356 to 8-384 and in any rules and regulations that may be adopted or promulgated by the Department of Banking and Finance.

(2) Any applicant subject to subsection (1) of this section seeking to convert its corporate form pursuant to this section shall first obtain approval of a plan of conversion by resolution adopted by not less than a two-thirds majority vote of the total number of directors authorized.

(3) Upon approval of a plan of conversion by the board of directors, such plan and the resolution approving it shall be submitted to the department. The department may approve or disapprove the plan of conversion in its discretion, but shall not approve the plan unless a finding is made, after appropriate examination, that substantial business benefit to the applicant will result, that the plan of conversion is fair and equitable, that the interests of the applicant, its members or stockholders, its savings account holders and the public are adequately protected, and that the converting applicant has complied with the requirements of this section. If the department approves the plan of conversion, the approval, which shall be in writing and sent to the home office of the converting applicant, may prescribe terms and conditions to be fulfilled either before or after the conversion to cause the applicant to conform with the requirements of sections 8-356 to 8-384. If the department disapproves the plan of conversion, the objections shall be stated in writing and sent to the home office of the converting applicant, and the applicant afforded an opportunity to amend and resubmit the plan within a reasonable time as prescribed by the department. In the event that the department disapproves the plan after such resubmission, written notice of such final disapproval shall be sent by certified mail to the applicant's home office.

If the department approves a plan to conversion in accordance with section 8-378, such plan shall be submitted for adoption to the members or stockholders of the converting association by vote at an annual or special meeting called to consider such action. At least three weeks prior to such meeting, a copy of the plan, together with an accurate summary plan description explaining the operation of the plan and the rights, duties, obligations, liabilities, conditions, and requirements which may be imposed upon such members or stockholders and the converted association as a result of the adoption of such plan, shall be mailed to each member or stockholder eligible to vote at such meeting. The plan of conversion must be approved by not less than sixty percent of the total outstanding shares, which may be voted by proxy or in person at the meeting called to consider such a conversion. If such plan is so approved, action shall be taken to obtain a charter, articles of incorporation, articles of association, or similar instrument, adopt bylaws, elect directors and officers and take such other action as is prescribed or appropriate for the type of corporation into which the converting applicant will be converted. A certified report of the proceedings at such meeting shall be filed promptly with the department.

In any plan of conversion from a capital stock form of organization to a mutual form:

(1) Each savings account holder shall receive without payment a withdrawable account of the same general class in the converted institution equal in amount and equal in time tenure to his or her withdrawable account in the converting capital stock institution;

(2) The plan shall specify how and in what amount the return of capital to each class of stockholder in the form of an exchange of stock for savings accounts shall be effectuated;

(3) The plan shall provide for allocation of voting rights to the holders of savings accounts and the manner of exercise thereof; and

(4) The plan shall provide for evidence of insurance of deposits and other accounts of a withdrawable type by an agency of the federal government.

If the department finds that a conversion proceeding has been completed in accordance with the requirements of sections 8-378 to 8-380 and any other applicable law and regulations, the department shall issue to the applicant a certificate of conversion, attaching as a part of such certificate a copy of the charter, articles of incorporation, articles of association, or similar instrument. Such conversion shall not become effective until the issuance of the certificate as provided in this section.

Upon the issuance to any applicant of a certificate of conversion as provided in section 8-381, the corporate existence of the converting association shall not terminate, but such association shall be a continuation of the entity so converted and all property of the converted association, including its rights, titles, and interests in and to all property of whatever kind, whether real, personal, or mixed, things in action, and every right, privilege, interest, and asset of any conceivable value or benefit then existing, or pertaining to it, or which would inure to it, immediately, by operation of law and without any conveyance or transfer and without any further act or deed, shall vest in and remain the property of such converted applicant, and the same shall have, hold, and enjoy the same in its own right as fully and to the same extent as the same was possessed, held, and enjoyed by the converting applicant, and such converted association, upon issuance of the certificate of such conversion, shall continue to have and succeed to all the rights, obligations, and relations of the converting association. All pending actions and other judicial proceedings to which the converting association is a party shall not be abated or discontinued by reason of such conversion, but may be prosecuted to final judgment, order, or decree in the same manner as if such conversion had not been made, and such converted applicant may continue the actions in its new corporate name. Any judgment, order, or decree may be rendered for or against it which might have been rendered for or against the converting applicant theretofore involved in the proceedings.

When any savings and loan association or building and loan association organized under the laws of this state shall, by its duly qualified officers and board of directors, propose to consolidate or merge with any other savings and loan association or building and loan association or associations, each such association shall present the proposed plan of consolidation or merger, together with a statement of the condition of the affairs of such association to the department for its approval. Should the plan be approved by the department, the same shall be submitted to a regular or special meeting of the shareholders of each such association and notice of such meeting shall be given as the department may direct. If, at such meeting of the shareholders of any such association, not less than fifty-one percent of the shareholders vote affirmatively, either in person or by proxy, to adopt the proposed plan, as the same is approved and submitted by the department, the department shall, upon notice of the favorable result of the shareholders' meeting, direct each of such associations to put into effect the plan of consolidation or merger so approved. Such plan shall be in force and effect from and after the date of such order, except that such consolidation or merger shall not be approved and put into effect unless approved by a majority of those voting on the consolidation or merger. There is hereby vested in the department full power and authority to issue and enforce such orders having to do with carrying out the plan of consolidation or merger adopted as shall be necessary for the protection of the shareholders and distribution of the assets of the associations involved in the consolidation or merger.

In the event of an inconsistency between the provisions of sections 8-356 to 8-384 and the provisions of Chapter 8, article 3, such other provisions shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be construed to be applicable to mutual associations only and not to the capital stock association.

Any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or person engaged in the business of maintaining and operating safety deposit boxes for storage or deposit for safekeeping of securities or valuables within this state may, in any written lease or contract governing or regulating the use of any such box or boxes by any user or customer, create either the relationship of lessor and lessee or the relationship of bailor and bailee, and to the relationship so created the general laws of the state applicable thereto shall apply, except that where the relationship of lessor and lessee is created the liability of the lessor may be limited in any or all of the following particulars:

(1) By limitation of liability for any loss to the lessee for and on account of negligence on the part of the lessor, his, her, or its agents or servants, to such maximum amount as may be stipulated, not less, however, than three hundred times the annual rental of such box or boxes;

(2) By limitation of the use of such safety deposit box or boxes to exclude therefrom money, currency, jewelry, or securities payable to bearer and other tangible property of value and choses in action and to provide that if any such money, currency, jewelry, securities payable to bearer, or other tangible property of value or choses in action are placed therein by the lessee, the lessee shall assume the entire risk of loss thereof or damage thereto without any liability on the part of the lessor for any such loss or damage in any event or for any cause whatsoever;

(3) By stipulation by the parties that evidence tending to prove that property left in any such safety deposit box upon the last entry by the lessee or his or her authorized agent or any part thereof was found missing upon subsequent entry shall not raise any presumption that the same was lost by any negligence or wrongdoing on the part of the lessor, his, her, or its agents or servants or to put upon the lessor of such safety deposit box the burden of proof that such alleged loss was not the fault of the lessor.

The liabilities of the parties to any such contract shall in all other respects be governed either by the law applicable to lessor and lessee or the law applicable to bailor and bailee, whichever basis is stipulated in the contract between the owner of the safety deposit box and the user or customer thereof.

The Director of Banking and Finance may employ deputies, examiners, attorneys, and other assistants as may be necessary for the administration of the provisions and purposes of the Credit Union Act, Delayed Deposit Services Licensing Act, Interstate Branching and Merger Act, Interstate Trust Company Office Act, Nebraska Bank Holding Company Act of 1995, Nebraska Banking Act, Nebraska Financial Innovation Act, Nebraska Installment Loan Act, Nebraska Installment Sales Act, Nebraska Money Transmitters Act, Nebraska Trust Company Act, and Residential Mortgage Licensing Act; Chapter 8, articles 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 24, and 25; and Chapter 45, articles 1 and 2. The director may levy upon financial institutions, namely, the banks, trust companies, building and loan associations, savings and loan associations, savings banks, digital asset depositories, and credit unions, organized under the laws of this state, and holding companies, if any, of such financial institutions, an assessment each year based upon the asset size of the financial institution, except that in determining the asset size of a holding company or digital asset depository, the assets of any financial institution or holding company otherwise assessed pursuant to this section and the assets of any nationally chartered financial institution shall be excluded. The assessment for digital asset depositories under the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act shall be in an amount to offset the costs of supervision and administration of the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act. The assessment shall be a sum determined by the director in accordance with section 8-606 and approved by the Governor.

The Director of Banking and Finance shall charge and collect fees for certain services rendered by the Department of Banking and Finance according to the following schedule:

(1) For filing and examining articles of incorporation, articles of association, and bylaws, except credit unions, one hundred dollars, and for credit unions, fifty dollars;

(2) For filing and examining an amendment to articles of incorporation, articles of association, and bylaws, except credit unions, fifty dollars, and for credit unions, fifteen dollars;

(3) For issuing to banks, credit card banks, trust companies, and building and loan associations a charter, authority, or license to do business in this state, a sum which shall be determined on the basis of one dollar and fifty cents for each one thousand dollars of authorized capital, except that the minimum fee in each case shall be two hundred twenty-five dollars;

(4) For issuing to digital asset depositories under the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act a charter to do business in this state, the sum of fifty thousand dollars;

(5) For issuing an executive officer's or loan officer's license, fifty dollars at the time of the initial license, except credit unions for which the fee shall be twenty-five dollars at the time of the initial license;

(6) For affixing certificate and seal, five dollars;

(7) For making substitution of securities held by it and issuing a receipt, fifteen dollars;

(8) For issuing a certificate of approval to a credit union, ten dollars;

(9) For investigating the applications required by sections 8-117, 8-120, 8-331, and 8-2402 and the documents required by section 8-201, the cost of such examination, investigation, and inspection, including all legal expenses and the cost of any hearing transcript, with a minimum fee under (a) sections 8-117, 8-120, and 8-2402 of two thousand five hundred dollars, (b) section 8-331 of two thousand dollars, and (c) section 8-201 of one thousand dollars. The department may require the applicant to procure and give a surety bond in such principal amount as the department may determine and conditioned for the payment of the fees provided in this subdivision;

(10) For the handling of pledged securities as provided in sections 8-210, 8-2727, and 8-3022 at the time of the initial deposit of such securities, one dollar and fifty cents for each thousand dollars of securities deposited and a like amount on or before January 15 each year thereafter. The fees shall be paid by the entity pledging the securities;

(11) For investigating an application to move its location within the city or village limits of its original license or charter for banks, trust companies, and building and loan associations, two hundred fifty dollars;

(12) For investigating an application under subdivision (6) of section 8-115.01, five hundred dollars;

(13) For investigating an application for approval to establish or acquire a branch pursuant to section 8-157 or 8-2103 or to establish a mobile branch pursuant to section 8-157, two hundred fifty dollars;

(14) For investigating a notice of acquisition of control under subsection (1) of section 8-1502, five hundred dollars;

(15) For investigating an application for a cross-industry merger under section 8-1510, five hundred dollars;

(16) For investigating an application for a merger of two state banks, a merger of a state bank and a national bank in which the state bank is the surviving entity, or an interstate merger application in which the Nebraska state chartered bank is the resulting bank, five hundred dollars;

(17) For investigating an application or a notice to establish a branch trust office, five hundred dollars;

(18) For investigating an application or a notice to establish a representative trust office, five hundred dollars;

(19) For investigating an application to establish a credit union branch under section 21-1725.01, two hundred fifty dollars;

(20) For investigating an applicant under section 8-1513, five thousand dollars;

(21) For investigating a request to extend a conditional bank charter under section 8-117, one thousand dollars; and

(22) For investigating an application to establish a branch office, for a merger or an acquisition of control, or for a request to extend a conditional charter for a digital asset depository, five hundred dollars.

The assessments referred to in sections 8-605 and 8-606, examination fees, investigation fees, filing fees, registration fees, licensing fees, and all other fees and money, except fines, collected by or paid to the Director of Banking and Finance under any of the laws specified in section 8-601, shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the Financial Institution Assessment Cash Fund. Fines collected by the director under such laws shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for distribution in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska.

(1) The Financial Institution Assessment Cash Fund is hereby created. The fund shall be used solely for the purposes of administering and enforcing the laws specified in section 8-601.

(2) Any money in the fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act. Beginning October 1, 2024, any investment earnings from investment of money in the fund shall be credited to the General Fund.

(1) As soon as reasonably possible after June 30 of each year, the Director of Banking and Finance shall estimate the total sum required for the purposes set forth in section 8-604 for the succeeding fiscal year. The director shall also estimate the total sum expected to be collected pursuant to section 8-603. The director shall use the difference between the estimate of the total sum required and the estimate of the total sum to be collected as the basis for the assessment to be levied.

(2) The assessment upon each financial institution shall be based upon the total assets of each financial institution, as reported in each financial institution's report of condition prepared for the period ending June 30 of each year, and, after June 30, 2009, may further be based upon the total amount of fiduciary and related assets and the total amount of off-balance-sheet receivables as reported in each financial institution's report of condition prepared for the period ending June 30 of each year.

(3) The director shall have the authority to prorate the assessment for any financial institution or entity which surrenders its charter or license or receives its charter or license during the assessment period. Proration shall be based on the number of months the financial institution held its charter or license. Any portion of a month shall be counted as one month.

(4) If the estimated sum levied and collected is insufficient to defray the expenditures for the fiscal year for which it was made, a special assessment may be levied and collected in like manner for the balance of the fiscal year.

(1) As soon as reasonably possible following the examination of a financial institution or entity pursuant to the laws specified in section 8-601, the Department of Banking and Finance shall bill the financial institution or entity the costs of the examination. Such costs may include an hourly fee for examiner time, which shall be determined once each year by the Director of Banking and Finance, with the approval of the Governor, and which shall take into consideration whether the financial institution or entity is subject to the assessment.

(2) In case an extra examination or an investigation of any financial institution or entity becomes necessary and is made pursuant to the laws specified in section 8-601, the costs thereof shall be paid by the financial institution or entity examined or investigated.

(3) In the case of a financial institution or entity organized under the law of a state other than this state or a financial institution or entity organized under the law of this state but which maintains an office in another state or states, travel expenses involved in conducting an examination or investigation may also be billed to the financial institution or entity, if the examination or investigation involves travel outside this state.

(1) If a financial institution or entity fails to pay an annual assessment, special assessment, examination fee, examination cost, investigation fee, investigation cost, or travel expense by a date specified by the Department of Banking and Finance, which shall be not less than thirty days from the date of billing, the department may, following notice and opportunity for hearing pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, impose a fine in accordance with section 8-1,134 for each day the financial institution or entity is in arrears.

(2) If the financial institution or entity is in arrears for sixty days or more, the department may, in addition to any fine imposed under this section, following notice and opportunity for hearing pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, suspend or revoke the charter or license of any financial institution or entity or the license or authority of any person responsible for such failure.

(3) The Director of Banking and Finance may, in his or her discretion and for good cause shown, permit the payment of any annual assessment, special assessment, examination fee, examination cost, investigation fee, investigation cost, travel expense, or fine, in installments.

For purposes of sections 8-701 to 8-709, banking institution means any bank, stock savings bank, mutual savings bank, building and loan association, digital asset depository institution under the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act, or savings and loan association, which is now or may hereafter be organized under the laws of this state.

(1) Any banking institution, except a digital asset depository institution organized, chartered, and operated pursuant to the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act, organized under the laws of this state shall, before a charter may be issued, enter into such contracts, incur such obligations, and generally do and perform any and all such acts and things whatsoever as may be necessary or appropriate in order to obtain membership in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and provide for insurance of deposits in the banking institution. Any banking institution may take advantage of any and all memberships, loans, subscriptions, contracts, grants, rights, or privileges which may at any time be available or inure to banking institutions or to their depositors, creditors, stockholders, conservators, receivers, or liquidators by virtue of those provisions of section 8 of the Federal Banking Act of 1933 (section 12B of the Federal Reserve Act, as amended) which establish the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and provide for the insurance of deposits or of any other provisions of that or of any other act or resolution of Congress to aid, regulate, or safeguard banking institutions and their depositors, including any amendments of the same or any substitutions therefor. Any banking institution may also subscribe for and acquire any stock, debentures, bonds, or other types of securities of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and comply with the lawful regulations and requirements from time to time issued or made by such corporation.

(2) The charter of any banking institution which fails to maintain membership in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation shall be automatically forfeited and such banking institution shall be liquidated and dissolved, either voluntarily by its board of directors under the supervision of the department or involuntarily by the department as in cases of insolvency. Any banking institution whose charter is automatically forfeited under the provisions of this subsection which continues to engage in the business for which it had been chartered after such forfeiture, as well as the directors and officers thereof, is guilty of a Class III felony.

(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting a digital asset depository institution organized, chartered, and operated pursuant to the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act from obtaining Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation created by section 8 of the Federal Banking Act of 1933 (section 12B of the Federal Reserve Act, as amended) is hereby authorized and empowered to be and act without bond as receiver or liquidator of any banking institution, the deposits in which are to any extent insured by said corporation, and which shall have been closed on account of inability to meet the demands of its depositors. The appropriate state authority, having the right to appoint a receiver or liquidator of a banking institution, may, in the event of such closing, tender to said corporation the appointment as receiver or liquidator of such banking institution, and, if the corporation accepts such appointment, the corporation shall have and possess all the powers and privileges provided by the laws of this state with respect to a receiver or liquidator respectively of a banking institution, its depositors and other creditors, and be subject to all the duties of such receiver or liquidator except insofar as such powers, privileges or duties are in conflict with the provisions of subsection (1) of section 12B of the Federal Reserve Act, as amended (section 8 of the Banking Act of 1933).

Whenever any banking institution shall have been closed as aforesaid, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation shall pay or make available for payment the insured deposit liabilities of such closed institution, the corporation, whether or not it shall have become receiver or liquidator of such closed banking institution as herein provided, shall be subrogated to all rights against such closed banking institution of the owners of such deposits in the same manner and to the same extent as subrogation of the corporation is provided for in subsection (1) of section 12B of the Federal Reserve Act, as amended (being section 8, of the Banking Act of 1933) in the case of the closing of a national bank; Provided, that the rights of depositors and other creditors of such closed institution shall be determined in accordance with the applicable provisions of the laws of this state.

The Director of Banking and Finance is authorized to accept in his or her discretion, in lieu of any examination authorized by the laws of this state to be conducted by his or her department of a banking institution, the examination that may have been made of such banking institution within a reasonable period by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or a foreign state agency if a copy of the examination is furnished to the director. The director may also in his or her discretion accept any report relative to the condition of a banking institution which may have been obtained by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or a foreign state agency within a reasonable period in lieu of a report authorized by the laws of this state to be required of such institution by his or her department if a copy of such report is furnished to the director.

As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, foreign state agency shall mean any duly constituted regulatory or supervisory agency which has authority over financial institutions and which is created under the laws of any other state, any territory of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or the Virgin Islands or which is operating under the code of law for the District of Columbia.

The Director of Banking and Finance may furnish to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or a foreign state agency, or to any official or examiner thereof, a copy or copies of any or all examinations made of any such banking institution and of any or all reports made by it and shall give access and disclose to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or a foreign state agency, or to any official or examiner thereof, any and all information possessed by the office of the director with reference to the conditions or affairs of any such insured institution. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the duty of any banking institution in this state, deposits in which are to any extent insured under the provisions of section 8 of the Banking Act of 1933 (section 12B of the Federal Reserve Act, as amended), or of any amendment of or substitution for the same, to comply with the provisions of such act, its amendments or substitutions, or the requirements of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation relative to examinations and reports, nor to limit the powers of the director with reference to examinations and reports under existing law.

As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, foreign state agency shall mean any duly constituted regulatory or supervisory agency which has authority over financial institutions and which is created under the laws of any other state, any territory of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or the Virgin Islands or which is operating under the code of law for the District of Columbia.

With respect to any banking institution which is now or may hereafter be closed on account of inability to meet the demands of its depositors, or by action of the Director of Banking and Finance, or of a court, or by action of its directors, or in the event of its insolvency or suspension, the Director of Banking and Finance, or the receiver or liquidator of such institution with the permission of the Director of Banking and Finance may borrow from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and furnish any part or all of the assets of said institution to the corporation as security for a loan from the same; Provided, that where the corporation is acting as such receiver or liquidator, the order of a court of record of competent jurisdiction shall be first obtained approving such loan. The Director of Banking and Finance, upon the order of a court of record of competent jurisdiction, and upon a like order and with the permission of the Director of Banking and Finance the receiver or liquidator of any such institution, may sell to the corporation any part or all of the assets of such institution. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to limit the power of any banking institution, the Director of Banking and Finance, or receivers or liquidators, to pledge or sell assets in accordance with any existing law.

Upon the acceptance of the appointment of receiver or liquidator aforesaid by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the possession of and title to all the assets, business and property of such banking institution of every kind and nature shall pass to and vest in said corporation and without the execution of any instruments of conveyance, assignment, transfer or endorsement.

Among its other powers, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in the performance of its powers and duties as such receiver or liquidator, shall have the right and power upon the order of a court of record of competent jurisdiction to enforce the individual liability of the stockholders and directors of any such banking institution.

Notwithstanding any more general or special law of the State of Nebraska to the contrary, banks, savings banks, trust companies and insurance companies are authorized (1) to make such loans and advances of credit, and purchases of obligations representing loans and advances of credit, as are eligible for insurance by the Federal Housing Administrator, and to obtain such insurance; and (2) to make such loans, secured by real property or leasehold, as the Federal Housing Administrator insures or makes a commitment to insure, and to obtain such insurance.

It shall be lawful for banks, savings banks, trust companies, insurance companies, personal representatives, administrators, guardians, trustees, and other fiduciaries, the State of Nebraska and its political subdivisions, and institutions and agencies thereof, to invest their funds and the money in their custody or possession, eligible for investment, in bonds or notes secured by mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administrator, in debentures issued by the Federal Housing Administrator, and in securities issued by national mortgage associations.

No law of this state requiring security upon which loans or investments may be made, or prescribing the nature, amount or form of such security, or prescribing or limiting interest rates upon loans or investments, or prescribing or limiting the periods for which loans or investments may be made, shall be deemed to apply to loans or investments made pursuant to sections 8-711 and 8-712.

In addition to all other powers and investments authorized by law, every institution incorporated under the laws of this state and eligible for membership in a Federal Home Loan Bank may become a member of a Federal Home Loan Bank, as permitted by and in accordance with the Federal Home Loan Bank Act.

In addition to all other powers and investments authorized by law, any institution, upon becoming a member of a Federal Home Loan Bank, may (1) purchase stock in, (2) obtain advances from, (3) pledge collateral to, and (4) perform such acts which are necessary and required to make available to it all the advantages and privileges offered by such Federal Home Loan Bank to the extent provided by and in accordance with the Federal Home Loan Bank Act.

No institution incorporated under the laws of this state which is or becomes a member of a Federal Home Loan Bank shall be exempt from any taxes of this state, including any contributions required to be paid under sections 48-648 to 48-654.

As used in sections 8-815 to 8-829, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Department means the Department of Banking and Finance;

(2) Bank means the banks and trust companies organized under the laws of this state, and national banking associations doing business in this state and shall include national banking associations;

(3) Personal loan means a loan, and the contract evidencing the same, which is repayable, pursuant to a contract or understanding, in two or more equal or unequal installments, and within one hundred forty-five months, but shall not include any loan on which the interest does not exceed sixteen percent per annum. Personal loan includes loans for the purchase of mobile homes even though the loan is not repayable within one hundred forty-five months. Personal loan includes loans or advances initiated by credit card or other type of transaction card, including, but not limited to, those loan transactions initiated through electronic impulse; and

(4) Transaction card means a device or means used to access a prearranged revolving credit plan account.

Except as provided in section 8-820, no bank shall contract for or receive on or in connection with any personal loan a higher rate of interest than would otherwise be permitted by law, whether such rate is obtained by making charges on discounts without due allowance for partial repayments of principal, by taking deposits in lieu of repayments or by imposing fees or charges pretended to be for investigation, brokerage, service, other subterfuge or by any other device or means.

Subject to the provisions of sections 8-815 to 8-829, any bank may contract for and receive, on any personal loan, charges at a rate not exceeding nineteen percent simple interest per year. In the case of loans initiated by credit card or other type of transaction card, the rate may be any amount agreed to by the parties. Any bank acquired pursuant to sections 8-1512 and 8-1513 may also charge commercially reasonable fees for service and use of a credit card or other type of transaction card on a per transaction and monthly or annual basis. For purposes of this section, section 85 of the National Bank Act, 12 U.S.C. 85, and section 522 of the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980, 12 U.S.C. 1831d, all interest, charges, fees, and other amounts permitted under sections 8-815 to 8-829 for loans initiated by credit card or other type of transaction card shall be deemed to be, and may be charged and collected as, interest by the bank, and all other terms and conditions of the agreement between the bank and the borrower that are not prohibited by such sections shall be deemed material to the determination of interest. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, in the case of loans not initiated by credit card or other type of transaction card, a bank may charge a minimum fee of up to seven dollars and fifty cents in lieu of interest on personal loans and reasonable loan service costs as defined in subdivision (2) of section 45-101.02. Such loan service costs shall not be construed as interest.

It is hereby declared to be the public policy of the State of Nebraska that for purposes of applying the federal most-favored-lender doctrine, the bank credit card rate contained in section 8-820 is not comparable or analogous to the small loan rate found in sections 45-1024 and 45-1025. The Legislature finds that the institutions making small loans and the institutions administering a bank credit card are categorically different. The transactions carried on by these institutions are categorically different. The Legislature finds that small loan borrowers and bank credit card users are not synonymous or comparable. In establishing a small loan rate, the Legislature has recognized a risk factor that is different and greater than other financial transactions and therefor justifies the charging of a higher interest rate than installment loans, personal loans, retail revolving credit plans, or bank credit card interest rates.

In addition to the charges permitted by section 8-820, no further amount or exaction shall be directly or indirectly contracted for or received, except:

(1) Lawful fees actually and necessarily paid to a public officer for filing, recording, or releasing an instrument securing the loan;

(2) Taxable costs to which the bank is adjudged to be entitled in judicial proceedings instituted to collect the loan;

(3) Premiums paid for insurance policies covering tangible personal property securing the loan. Such insurance shall be only in such amount and nature as is customary and reasonable, having regard to all the circumstances of the loan, and the premium shall not exceed standard rates. If insurance is procured by or through the bank, an executed copy of the insurance policy or certificate of insurance shall be delivered to the borrower within fifteen days;

(4) Premiums paid for insurance policies covering tangible personal property acquired, in whole or in part, with the proceeds of the loan;

(5) The actual costs of nonfiling insurance;

(6) Premiums paid for credit life, health, disability, sickness and accident, or involuntary unemployment or job protection insurance policies or any one or more of them;

(7) Charges permitted by section 8-822;

(8) Fees agreed to by the parties for loan service costs for exceeding authorized limits, replacing lost cards, returning checks, or delinquency on the account; and

(9) In the case of loans initiated by credit card or other type of transaction card, any other fees agreed to by the parties.

(1) Charges under section 8-820 shall be computed by application of the rate charged to the outstanding principal balance for the number of days actually elapsed without adding any additional charges, except that at the time the loan is made charges may be computed as a percentage per month of unpaid principal balances for the number of days elapsed on the assumption that the unpaid principal balance will be reduced, as provided in the loan contract, and such charges may be included in the scheduled installments. In the case of loans initiated by credit card or other type of transaction card, charges may be computed in any other manner agreed to by the parties and may include compounding of fees and charges.

(2) If a loan is prepaid in full by cash, a new loan, or otherwise after the first installment due date, the borrower shall receive a rebate of an amount which shall be not less than the amount obtained by applying to the unpaid principal balances as originally scheduled or, if deferred, as deferred, for the period following prepayment, according to the actuarial method, the annual percentage rate previously stated to the borrower pursuant to the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act. The licensee may round the annual percentage rate to the nearest one-half of one percent if such procedure is not consistently used to obtain a greater yield than would otherwise be permitted. Any default and deferment charges which are due and unpaid may be deducted from any rebate. No rebate shall be required for any partial prepayment. No rebate of less than one dollar need be made. Acceleration of the maturity of the contract shall not in itself require a rebate. If judgment is obtained before the final installment date the contract balance shall be reduced by the rebate which would be required for prepayment in full as of the date judgment is obtained.

(3) The charges retained by the bank may be increased to the extent that delinquency charges are computed on earned charges in accordance with the next succeeding sentence. Delinquency charges on any scheduled installment or portion thereof, if contracted for, may be taken, or in lieu thereof, interest after maturity on each such installment not exceeding the highest permissible interest rate.

The following provisions shall apply to loans made under section 8-820:

(1) With the exception of loans for mobile homes, every such loan shall be repayable within a period of one hundred forty-five months and may be prepaid in whole or in part at any time. One or more of the installments may be accelerated or deferred when the borrower's chief source of income makes such arrangement necessary, if the note or contract so provides;

(2) The bank shall give the borrower a receipt showing the date and amount of each payment made on account of any such loan; and

(3) No bank shall take, in connection with any such loan, any confession of judgment, power of attorney to confess judgment, power of attorney to appear for a borrower in a judicial proceeding, or agreement to pay the costs of collection or the attorney's fees.

(1) The department shall:

(a) Be responsible for obtaining proper administration of sections 8-815 to 8-829 and take or cause to be taken such lawful steps as may be necessary and appropriate for the enforcement thereof; and

(b) Arrange for investigation and examination of the papers and records, pertaining to loans made under section 8-820, for the purpose of discovering violations of sections 8-815 to 8-829 or securing information lawfully required under it.

(2) The Director of Banking and Finance may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out and obtain compliance with sections 8-815 to 8-829.

Nothing contained in sections 8-815 to 8-826 shall be construed as preventing a bank from purchasing or discounting from established business concerns any commercial, negotiable or installment paper, or as preventing any such bank from accepting from, or requiring such persons selling or offering to discount such instruments to execute, contracts guaranteeing the ultimate collection of all of such items so sold or discounted or requiring such persons to assume the burden of making collections of the individual items so sold as agent of the bank.

If a bank violates any provision of sections 8-820 to 8-823 in making or collecting any loan made under section 8-820, no charges of any kind shall be collected on such loan. If any charges have been collected, the bank shall forfeit to the borrower all interest collected on the loan involved and a sum equal thereto. The bank so offending shall be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor.

Sections 8-908 to 8-918 shall be known and may be cited as the Nebraska Bank Holding Company Act of 1995.

For purposes of the Nebraska Bank Holding Company Act of 1995, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Bank means any bank which is chartered to conduct a bank in this state pursuant to the Nebraska Banking Act or any national bank authorized to do business in this state;

(2) Company means any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, association, or similar organization or entity, but does not include:

(a) An individual; or

(b) Any corporation, the majority of the shares of which are owned by the United States or by any state;

(3)(a) Bank holding company means any company, including an out-of-state bank holding company, which, except as provided in subdivision (b) of this subdivision:

(i) Directly or indirectly owns or controls twenty-five percent or more of the voting shares of any bank;

(ii) Controls in any manner the election of the majority of the directors of any bank; or

(iii) For the benefit of whose shareholders or members twenty-five percent or more of the voting shares of any bank or bank holding company are held by trustees.

(b)(i) No estate, trust, guardianship, or conservatorship or fiduciary thereof shall be a bank holding company by virtue of its ownership or control of a bank or banks if such trust is not a business trust or voting trust. It shall be unlawful for any such estate, trust, guardianship, or conservatorship to acquire, by purchase, ownership, or control, twenty-five percent of the shares of any additional bank;

(ii) No company shall be a bank holding company by virtue of its ownership or control of shares acquired by it in connection with its underwriting of bank shares and which are held only for such period of time as will permit the sale thereof on a reasonable basis; and

(iii) No company shall be a bank holding company by virtue of its ownership or control of shares acquired and held in the ordinary course of securing or collecting a debt previously contracted in good faith, except that such shares shall be disposed of within a period of two years from the date on which they were acquired, unless the director, upon good cause shown, extends the two-year period. Any extensions granted by the director shall be for no more than one year at a time and, in the aggregate, for no more than three years;

(4) Adequately capitalized means a level of capitalization which meets or exceeds all applicable federal regulatory capital standards;

(5) Department means the Department of Banking and Finance;

(6) Director means the Director of Banking and Finance;

(7) Foreign state means any state of the United States other than Nebraska, any territory of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Virgin Islands, or the District of Columbia;

(8) Home state means, with respect to a bank holding company, the state in which the total deposits of all banking subsidiaries of such company are the largest on the later of: (a) July 1, 1966; or (b) the date on which the company becomes a bank holding company under 12 U.S.C. 1842;

(9) Out-of-state bank holding company means a bank holding company whose home state is a foreign state, except an out-of-state bank holding company, as defined in 12 U.S.C. 1842(d) as it existed on August 26, 1983, which owned at least two banks in Nebraska as of March 12, 1963; and

(10) Foreign state agency means any duly constituted regulatory or supervisory agency which has authority over financial institutions and which is created under the laws of any state of the United States other than Nebraska, any territory of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or the Virgin Islands or which is operating under the code of law for the District of Columbia.

(1) It shall be unlawful, except as provided in this section, for:

(a) Any action to be taken that causes any company to become a bank holding company;

(b) Any action to be taken that causes a bank to become a subsidiary of a bank holding company;

(c) Any bank holding company to acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of any voting shares of any bank if, after such acquisition, such company will directly or indirectly own or control more than twenty-five percent of the voting shares of such bank;

(d) Any bank holding company or subsidiary thereof, other than a bank, to acquire all or substantially all of the assets of a bank; or

(e) Any bank holding company to merge or consolidate with any other bank holding company.

(2) The prohibition set forth in subsection (1) of this section shall not apply if:

(a)(i) The bank holding company is registered with the department as of September 29, 1995, as a bank holding company for any bank or banks; or (ii) the bank holding company registers with the department in accordance with the provisions of section 8-913 as a bank holding company;

(b) The bank holding company does not have a name deceptively similar to an existing unaffiliated bank or bank holding company located in Nebraska;

(c) Upon any action referred to in subsection (1) of this section and subject to subsection (3) of this section, the bank or banks so owned or controlled would have deposits in Nebraska in an amount no greater than twenty-two percent of the total deposits of all banks in Nebraska plus the total deposits, savings accounts, passbook accounts, and shares in savings and loan associations and building and loan associations in Nebraska as determined by the director on the basis of the most recent midyear reports, except as provided in subsections (4), (5), and (6) of this section;

(d) The bank holding company is adequately capitalized and adequately managed;

(e) The bank holding company complies with sections 8-1501 to 8-1505 if the bank or banks to be acquired are chartered in this state under the Nebraska Banking Act; and

(f) The bank holding company, if an out-of-state bank holding company, complies with the limitations of section 8-911.

(3) If any person, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation owns or controls twenty-five percent or more of the voting stock of any bank holding company acquiring a bank and any such person, association, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation owns or controls twenty-five percent or more of the voting stock of any other bank or bank holding company in Nebraska, then the total deposits of such other bank or banks and of all banks in Nebraska owned or controlled by such bank holding company shall be included in the computation of the total deposits of a bank holding company acquiring a bank.

(4) A bank or bank holding company which acquires and holds all or substantially all of the voting stock of one credit card bank under sections 8-1512 and 8-1513 shall not have such acquisition count against the limitations set forth in subdivision (2)(c) of this section.

(5) A bank holding company which acquired an institution or which formed a bank which acquired an institution under sections 8-1506 to 8-1510 or which acquired any assets and liabilities from the Resolution Trust Corporation or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation prior to January 1, 1994, shall not have such acquisition or formation count against the limitations set forth in subdivision (2)(c) of this section.

(6) A bank which accepts deposits from nonresidents of Nebraska and voluntarily segregates the reporting of such deposits in such a manner as to allow the director to determine the amounts of such deposits shall not have such deposits count against the limitations set forth in subdivision (2)(c) of this section. The bank shall report the amount of such deposits, if so segregated, to the director prior to October 1 of each year.

(1) Upon compliance with all other provisions of the Nebraska Bank Holding Company Act of 1995 and any other applicable law, an out-of-state bank holding company may acquire a bank or banks under the act only if the bank or banks to be acquired have been chartered for five years or more.

(2) An out-of-state bank holding company shall not, directly or indirectly, form, charter, or establish a bank in Nebraska or cause a bank in Nebraska to be formed, chartered, or established unless (a) the bank is formed, chartered, or established solely for the purpose of acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of a bank which has been chartered for five years or more and (b) the bank does not open for business prior to such acquisition.

Upon approval of the Federal Reserve Board and upon compliance with section 8-913, a bank holding company whose home state is Nebraska may own, acquire, or control a depository institution subsidiary in any foreign state.

Every bank holding company shall register with the department within thirty days after the consummation of an action set forth in section 8-910 on forms provided by the department. The forms provided by the department shall include such information with respect to the financial condition, operations, management, and intercompany relationship of the bank holding company and its subsidiaries and related matters, as the director may deem necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Nebraska Bank Holding Company Act of 1995. Upon good cause shown, the director may, in his or her discretion, extend the time within which a bank holding company shall register. A bank holding company shall amend its registration within thirty days after any additional action under section 8-910, 8-911, or 8-912.

The director may require reports made under oath to be filed in the department to keep it informed as to the operation of any bank holding company.

The director may make examinations of any bank holding company with one or more state-chartered bank subsidiaries and each state-chartered bank subsidiary thereof, the cost of which shall be assessed, in the manner set forth in sections 8-605 and 8-606, against and paid for by such bank holding company. The director may accept reports of examination made by the Federal Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or a foreign state agency in lieu of making an examination by the department. The director may provide reports of examination conducted by the department or other confidential information to any of such regulatory entities. The director may contract with any of such regulatory entities to conduct and pay for such an examination for the department. The director may contract with any of such regulatory entities to conduct and receive payment for such an examination for any of such regulatory entities. The director may enter into cooperative agreements with any or all of such regulatory entities to foster the purposes of the Nebraska Bank Holding Company Act of 1995.

(1) Any bank subsidiary of a bank holding company may receive deposits, renew time deposits, close loans, service loans, and receive payments on loans and other obligations as an agent for a depository institution without regard to the location of the depository institution.

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a bank acting as an agent in accordance with this section for another depository institution shall not be considered to be a branch of the other depository institution.

(3) A depository institution shall not:

(a) Conduct any activity as an agent under subsection (1) or (6) of this section which such institution is prohibited from conducting as a principal under any applicable law; or

(b) As a principal, have an agent conduct any activity under subsection (1) or (6) of this section which the institution is prohibited from conducting under any applicable law.

(4) No provision of this section shall be construed as affecting:

(a) The authority of any depository institution to act as an agent on behalf of any other depository institution under any other provision of law; or

(b) Whether a depository institution which conducts any activity as an agent on behalf of any other depository institution under any other provision of law shall be considered to be a branch of such other depository institution.

(5) An agency relationship between depository institutions under subsection (1) or (6) of this section shall be on terms that are consistent with safe and sound banking practices and all applicable rules and regulations of the department, any appropriate federal banking regulatory agency, and, if applicable, any foreign state agency.

(6) A savings association insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation which was an affiliate of a bank on or before July 1, 1994, may conduct activities as an agent on behalf of such bank in the same manner as an insured bank affiliate of such bank may act as an agent for such bank under this section to the extent such activities are conducted only in:

(a) Nebraska or any foreign state in which:

(i) The bank is not prohibited from operating a branch under any provision of law; and

(ii) The savings association maintained an office or branch and conducted business on or before July 1, 1994; or

(b) Nebraska or any foreign state in which:

(i) The bank is not expressly prohibited from operating a branch under applicable Nebraska or foreign state law; and

(ii) The savings association maintained a main office and conducted business on or before July 1, 1994.

(7) For purposes of this section:

(a) Bank means any bank, in addition to those defined in section 8-909, chartered by the United States or by any foreign state agency and insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;

(b) Savings institution means any savings and loan association, building and loan association, capital stock savings association, savings bank, or similar entity, chartered under Chapter 8, article 3, chartered by the United States, or chartered by any foreign state agency and insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;

(c) Depository institution means either a bank as defined in subdivision (a) of this subsection or a savings institution as defined in subdivision (b) of this subsection;

(d) Affiliate means any entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with another entity; and

(e) Control means to own directly or indirectly or to control in any manner twenty-five percent of the voting shares of any bank, savings institution, or holding company or to control in any manner the election of the majority of directors of any bank, savings institution, or holding company.

The department may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to administer and to carry out the purposes of the Nebraska Bank Holding Company Act of 1995.

If the department, upon investigation, determines that any officer or director of a bank holding company which owns or controls a state-chartered bank is conducting the business of the bank holding company or the business of its subsidiary state-chartered bank or banks in an unsafe or unauthorized manner or is endangering the interest of the bank holding company or the interest of its subsidiary state-chartered bank or banks, the department shall have authority, after notice and opportunity for hearing, to do any or all of the following: (1) Remove such officer or director of the bank holding company from acting as an officer or director of the bank holding company; and (2) impose fines and order any other necessary corrective action against such officer or director pursuant to sections 8-1,134 to 8-1,139. The department may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out this section.

For purposes of the Securities Act of Nebraska, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Agent means any individual other than a broker-dealer who represents a broker-dealer or issuer in effecting or attempting to effect sales of securities, but agent does not include an individual who represents (a) an issuer in (i) effecting a transaction in a security exempted by subdivision (6), (7), or (8) of section 8-1110, (ii) effecting certain transactions exempted by section 8-1111, (iii) effecting transactions in a federal covered security as described in section 18(b)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, or (iv) effecting transactions with existing employees, limited liability company members, partners, or directors of the issuer or any of its subsidiaries if no commission or other remuneration is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any person in this state or (b) a broker-dealer in effecting transactions described in section 15(h)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. A partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director of a broker-dealer is an agent only if he or she otherwise comes within this definition;

(2) Broker-dealer means any person engaged in the business of effecting transactions in securities for the account of others or for his or her own account. Broker-dealer does not include (a) an issuer-dealer, agent, bank, savings institution, or trust company, (b) an issuer effecting a transaction in its own security exempted by subdivision (5)(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), or (f) of section 8-1110 or which qualifies as a federal covered security pursuant to section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, (c) a person who has no place of business in this state if he or she effects transactions in this state exclusively with or through the issuers of the securities involved in the transactions, other broker-dealers, or banks, savings institutions, credit unions, trust companies, insurance companies, investment companies as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, pension or profit-sharing trusts, or other financial institutions or institutional buyers, whether acting for themselves or as trustees, (d) a person who has no place of business in this state if during any period of twelve consecutive months he or she does not direct more than five offers to sell or to buy into this state in any manner to persons other than those specified in subdivision (2)(c) of this section, or (e) a person who is a resident of Canada and who has no office or other physical presence in Nebraska if the following conditions are satisfied: (i) The person must be registered with, or be a member of, a securities self-regulatory organization in Canada or a stock exchange in Canada; (ii) the person must maintain, in good standing, its provisional or territorial registration or membership in a securities self-regulatory organization in Canada, or stock exchange in Canada; (iii) the person effects, or attempts to effect, (A) a transaction with or for a Canadian client who is temporarily present in this state and with whom the Canadian broker-dealer had a bona fide customer relationship before the client entered this state or (B) a transaction with or for a Canadian client in a self-directed tax advantaged retirement plan in Canada of which that client is the holder or contributor; and (iv) the person complies with all provisions of the Securities Act of Nebraska relating to the disclosure of material information in connection with the transaction;

(3) Department means the Department of Banking and Finance. Director means the Director of Banking and Finance of the State of Nebraska except as further provided in section 8-1120;

(4) Federal covered adviser means a person who is registered under section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940;

(5) Federal covered security means any security described as a covered security under section 18(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 or rules and regulations under the act;

(6) Guaranteed means guaranteed as to payment of principal, interest, or dividends;

(7) Investment adviser means any person who for compensation engages in the business of advising others, either directly or through publications or writings, as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities or who for compensation and as a part of a regular business issues or promulgates analyses or reports concerning securities. Investment adviser also includes financial planners and other persons who, as an integral component of other financially related services, provide the foregoing investment advisory services to others for compensation and as part of a business or who hold themselves out as providing the foregoing investment advisory services to others for compensation. Investment adviser does not include (a) an investment adviser representative, (b) a bank, savings institution, or trust company, (c) a lawyer, accountant, engineer, or teacher whose performance of these services is solely incidental to the practice of his or her profession, (d) a broker-dealer or its agent whose performance of these services is solely incidental to its business as a broker-dealer and who receives no special compensation for them, (e) an issuer-dealer, (f) a publisher of any bona fide newspaper, news column, newsletter, news magazine, or business or financial publication or service, whether communicated in hard copy form, by electronic means, or otherwise which does not consist of the rendering of advice on the basis of the specific investment situation of each client, (g) a person who has no place of business in this state if (i) his or her only clients in this state are other investment advisers, federal covered advisers, broker-dealers, banks, savings institutions, credit unions, trust companies, insurance companies, investment companies as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, pension or profit-sharing trusts, or other financial institutions or institutional buyers, whether acting for themselves or as trustees, or (ii) during the preceding twelve-month period, he or she has had five or fewer clients who are residents of this state other than those persons specified in subdivision (g)(i) of this subdivision, (h) any person that is a federal covered adviser or is excluded from the definition of investment adviser under section 202 of the Investment Adviser Act of 1940, or (i) such other persons not within the intent of this subdivision as the director may by rule and regulation or order designate;

(8) Investment adviser representative means any partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director or any person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions of a partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director or other individual, except clerical or ministerial personnel, who is employed by or associated with an investment adviser that is registered or required to be registered under the Securities Act of Nebraska or who has a place of business located in this state and is employed by or associated with a federal covered adviser, and who (a) makes any recommendations or otherwise renders advice regarding securities, (b) manages accounts or portfolios of clients, (c) determines which recommendation or advice regarding securities should be given, (d) solicits, offers, or negotiates for the sale of or sells investment advisory services, or (e) supervises employees who perform any of the foregoing;

(9) Issuer means any person who issues or proposes to issue any security, except that (a) with respect to certificates of deposit, voting-trust certificates, or collateral-trust certificates or with respect to certificates of interest or shares in an unincorporated investment trust not having a board of directors, or persons performing similar functions, or of the fixed, restricted management, or unit type, the term issuer means the person or persons performing the acts and assuming the duties of depositor or manager pursuant to the provisions of the trust or other agreement or instrument under which the security is issued and (b) with respect to a fractional or pooled interest in a viatical settlement contract, issuer means the person who creates, for the purpose of sale, the fractional or pooled interest. In the case of a viatical settlement contract that is not fractionalized or pooled, issuer means the person effecting a transaction with a purchaser of such contract;

(10) Issuer-dealer means (a) any issuer located in the State of Nebraska or (b) any issuer which registered its securities by qualification who proposes to sell to the public of the State of Nebraska the securities that it issues without the benefit of another registered broker-dealer. Such securities shall have been approved for sale in the State of Nebraska pursuant to section 8-1104;

(11) Nonissuer means not directly or indirectly for the benefit of the issuer;

(12) Person means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a limited liability company, an association, a joint-stock company, a trust in which the interests of the beneficiaries are evidenced by a security, an unincorporated organization, a government, or a political subdivision of a government;

(13) Sale or sell includes every contract of sale of, contract to sell, or disposition of a security or interest in a security for value. Offer or offer to sell includes every attempt or offer to dispose of, or solicitation of an offer to buy, a security or interest in a security for value. Any security given or delivered with or as a bonus on account of any purchase of securities or any other thing is considered to constitute part of the subject of the purchase and to have been offered and sold for value. A purported gift of assessable stock shall be considered to involve an offer and sale. Every sale or offer of a warrant or right to purchase or subscribe to another security of the same or another issuer, as well as every sale or offer of a security which gives the holder a present or future right or privilege to convert into another security of the same or another issuer, shall be considered to include an offer of the other security;

(14) Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Investment Company Act of 1940, Commodity Exchange Act, and the federal Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act means the acts as they existed on January 1, 2024;

(15) Security means any note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, units of beneficial interest in a real estate trust, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, preorganization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, viatical settlement contract or any fractional or pooled interest in such contract, membership interest in any limited liability company organized under Nebraska law or any other jurisdiction unless otherwise excluded from this definition, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, certificate of interest or participation in an oil, gas, or mining title or lease or in payments out of production under such a title or lease, in general any interest or instrument commonly known as a security, or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing. Security does not include any insurance or endowment policy or annuity contract issued by an insurance company. Security also does not include a membership interest in a limited liability company when all of the following exist: (a) The member enters into a written commitment to be engaged actively and directly in the management of the limited liability company; and (b) all members of the limited liability company are actively engaged in the management of the limited liability company. For the limited purposes of determining professional malpractice insurance premiums, a security issued through a transaction that is exempted pursuant to subdivision (23) of section 8-1111 shall not be considered a security;

(16) State means any state, territory, or possession of the United States as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico; and

(17) Viatical settlement contract means an agreement for the purchase, sale, assignment, transfer, devise, or bequest of all or any portion of the death benefit or ownership of a life insurance policy or contract for consideration which is less than the expected death benefit of the life insurance policy or contract. Viatical settlement contract does not include (a) the assignment, transfer, sale, devise, or bequest of a death benefit of a life insurance policy or contract made by the viator to an insurance company or to a viatical settlement provider or broker licensed pursuant to the Viatical Settlements Act, (b) the assignment of a life insurance policy or contract to a bank, savings bank, savings and loan association, credit union, or other licensed lending institution as collateral for a loan, or (c) the exercise of accelerated benefits pursuant to the terms of a life insurance policy or contract and consistent with applicable law.

For purposes of the Securities Act of Nebraska:

(1) Federal rules and regulations adopted under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or the Securities Act of 1933 means such rules and regulations as they existed on January 1, 2024; and

(2) Fair practice or ethical rules or standards promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or a self-regulatory organization approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission means such practice, rules, or standards as they existed on January 1, 2024.

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person, in connection with the offer, sale, or purchase of any security, directly or indirectly:

(a) To employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud;

(b) To make any untrue statement of a material fact or to omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading; or

(c) To engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person.

(2) It shall be unlawful for any person who receives any consideration from another person primarily for advising the other person as to the value of securities or their purchase or sale, whether through the issuance of analyses or reports or otherwise:

(a) To employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud any person;

(b) To engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person;

(c) To knowingly sell any security to or purchase any security from a client while acting as principal for his or her own account, act as a broker for a person other than the client, or knowingly effect any sale or purchase of any security for the account of the client, without disclosing to the client in writing before the completion of the transaction the capacity in which he or she is acting and obtaining the consent of the client to the transaction. This subdivision shall not apply to any transaction involving a broker-dealer's client if the broker-dealer is not acting as an investment adviser in the transaction;

(d) To engage in dishonest or unethical practices as the director may define by rule and regulation or order; or

(e) In the solicitation of advisory clients, to make any untrue statement of a material fact or to omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.

(3) Except as may be permitted by rule and regulation or order of the director, it shall be unlawful for any investment adviser or investment adviser representative to enter into, extend, or renew any investment advisory contract:

(a) Which provides for the compensation of the investment adviser or investment adviser representative on the basis of a share of capital gains upon or capital appreciation of the funds or any portion of the funds of any client;

(b) Unless the investment advisory contract prohibits in writing the assignment of the contract by the investment adviser or investment adviser representative without the consent of the other party to the contract; and

(c) Unless the investment advisory contract provides in writing that if the investment adviser is a partnership or a limited liability company, the other party to the contract shall be notified of any change in the membership of the partnership or limited liability company within a reasonable time after the change.

(4) Subdivision (3)(a) of this section shall not prohibit an investment advisory contract which provides for compensation based upon the total value of a fund averaged over a definite period or as of definite dates or taken as of a definite date. Assignment, as used in subdivision (3)(b) of this section, shall include any direct or indirect transfer or hypothecation of an investment advisory contract by the assignor or of a controlling block of the assignor's outstanding voting securities by a security holder of the assignor, except that if the investment adviser is a partnership or a limited liability company, no assignment of an investment advisory contract shall be considered to result from the death or withdrawal of a minority of the members of the investment adviser having only a minority interest in the business of the investment adviser or from the admission to the investment adviser of one or more members who, after admission, will be only a minority of the members and will have only a minority interest in the business.

(5) It shall be unlawful for any investment adviser or investment adviser representative to take or have custody of any securities or funds of any client if:

(a) The director by rule and regulation or order prohibits the taking or custody; or

(b) In the absence of any rule and regulation or order by the director, the investment adviser or investment adviser representative fails to notify the director that he or she has or may have custody.

(6) The director may by rule and regulation or order adopt and promulgate exemptions from subdivisions (2)(c), (3)(a), (3)(b), and (3)(c) of this section when the exemptions are consistent with the public interest and are within the purposes fairly intended by the Securities Act of Nebraska.

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to transact business in this state as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or agent, except in certain transactions exempt under section 8-1111, unless he or she is registered under the Securities Act of Nebraska. It shall be unlawful for any broker-dealer to employ an agent for purposes of effecting or attempting to effect transactions in this state unless the agent is registered. It shall be unlawful for an issuer to employ an agent unless the issuer is registered as an issuer-dealer and unless the agent is registered. The registration of an agent shall not be effective unless the agent is employed by a broker-dealer or issuer-dealer registered under the act. When the agent begins or terminates employment with a registered broker-dealer or issuer-dealer, the broker-dealer or issuer-dealer shall promptly notify the director.

(2)(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to transact business in this state as an investment adviser or as an investment adviser representative unless he or she is registered under the act.

(b) Except with respect to federal covered advisers whose only clients are those described in subdivision (7)(g)(i) of section 8-1101, it shall be unlawful for any federal covered adviser to conduct advisory business in this state unless such person files with the director the documents which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the director may by rule and regulation or order require, a consent to service of process, and payment of the fee prescribed in subsection (6) of this section prior to acting as a federal covered adviser in this state.

(c)(i) It shall be unlawful for any investment adviser required to be registered under the Securities Act of Nebraska to employ an investment adviser representative unless the investment adviser representative is registered under the act.

(ii) It shall be unlawful for any federal covered adviser to employ, supervise, or associate with an investment adviser representative having a place of business located in this state unless such investment adviser representative is registered under the Securities Act of Nebraska or is exempt from registration.

(d) The registration of an investment adviser representative shall not be effective unless the investment adviser representative is employed by a registered investment adviser or a federal covered adviser. When an investment adviser representative begins or terminates employment with an investment adviser, the investment adviser shall promptly notify the director. When an investment adviser representative begins or terminates employment with a federal covered adviser, the investment adviser representative shall promptly notify the director.

(3) A broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative may apply for registration by filing with the director an application and payment of the fee prescribed in subsection (6) of this section. If the applicant is an individual, the application shall include the applicant's social security number. Registration of a broker-dealer or issuer-dealer shall automatically constitute registration of all partners, limited liability company members, officers, or directors of such broker-dealer or issuer-dealer as agents, except any partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director whose registration as an agent is denied, suspended, or revoked under subsection (9) of this section, without the filing of applications for registration as agents or the payment of fees for registration as agents. The application shall contain whatever information the director requires concerning such matters as:

(a) The applicant's form and place of organization;

(b) The applicant's proposed method of doing business;

(c) The qualifications and business history of the applicant and, in the case of a broker-dealer or investment adviser, the qualifications and business history of any partner, limited liability company member, officer, director, person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions of a partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director, or person directly or indirectly controlling the broker-dealer or investment adviser;

(d) Any injunction or administrative order or conviction of a misdemeanor involving a security or any aspect of the securities business and any conviction of a felony;

(e) The applicant's financial condition and history; and

(f) Information to be furnished or disseminated to any client or prospective client if the applicant is an investment adviser.

(4)(a) If no denial order is in effect and no proceeding is pending under subsection (9) of this section, registration shall become effective at noon of the thirtieth day after an application is filed, complete with all amendments. The director may specify an earlier effective date.

(b) The director shall require as conditions of registration:

(i) That the applicant, except for renewal, and, in the case of a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company, the officers, directors, partners, or limited liability company members pass such examination or examinations as the director may prescribe as evidence of knowledge of the securities business;

(ii) That an issuer-dealer and its agents pass an examination prescribed and administered by the department. Such examination shall be administered upon request and upon payment of an examination fee of five dollars. Any applicant for issuer-dealer registration who has satisfactorily passed any other examination approved by the director shall be exempted from this requirement upon furnishing evidence of satisfactory completion of such examination to the director;

(iii) That an issuer-dealer have a minimum net capital of twenty-five thousand dollars. In lieu of a minimum net capital requirement of twenty-five thousand dollars, the director may require an issuer-dealer to post a corporate surety bond with a surety company licensed to do business in Nebraska in an amount equal to such capital requirements. When the director finds that a surety bond with a surety company would cause an undue burden on an issuer-dealer, the director may require the issuer-dealer to post a signature bond. Every such surety or signature bond shall run in favor of Nebraska, shall provide for an action thereon by any person who has a cause of action under section 8-1118, and shall provide that no action may be maintained to enforce any liability on the bond unless brought within the time periods specified by section 8-1118;

(iv) That a broker-dealer have such minimum net capital as the director may by rule and regulation or order require, subject to the limitations provided in section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In lieu of any such minimum net capital requirement, the director may by rule and regulation or order require a broker-dealer to post a corporate surety bond with a surety company licensed to do business in Nebraska in an amount equal to such capital requirement, subject to the limitations of section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Every such surety bond shall run in favor of Nebraska, shall provide for an action thereon by any person who has a cause of action under section 8-1118, and shall provide that no action may be maintained to enforce any liability on the bond unless brought within the time periods specified by section 8-1118; and

(v) That an investment adviser have such minimum net capital as the director may by rule and regulation or order require, subject to the limitations of section 222 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, which may include different requirements for those investment advisers who maintain custody of clients' funds or securities or who have discretionary authority over such funds or securities and those investment advisers who do not. In lieu of any such minimum net capital requirement, the director may require by rule and regulation or order an investment adviser to post a corporate surety bond with a surety company licensed to do business in Nebraska in an amount equal to such capital requirement, subject to the limitations of section 222 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Every such surety bond shall run in favor of Nebraska, shall provide for an action thereon by any person who has a cause of action under section 8-1118, and shall provide that no action may be maintained to enforce any liability on the bond unless brought within the time periods specified by section 8-1118.

(c) The director may waive the requirement of an examination for any applicant who by reason of prior experience can demonstrate his or her knowledge of the securities business. Registration of a broker-dealer, agent, investment adviser, and investment adviser representative shall be effective for a period of not more than one year and shall expire on December 31 unless renewed. Registration of an issuer-dealer shall be effective for a period of not more than one year and may be renewed as provided in this section. Notice filings by a federal covered adviser shall be effective for a period of not more than one year and shall expire on December 31 unless renewed.

(d) The director may restrict or limit an applicant as to any function or activity in this state for which registration is required under the Securities Act of Nebraska.

(5) Registration of a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative may be renewed by filing with the director or with a registration depository designated by the director prior to the expiration date such information as the director by rule and regulation or order may require to indicate any material change in the information contained in the original application or any renewal application for registration as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative previously filed with the director by the applicant, and payment of the prescribed fee. A federal covered adviser may renew its notice filing by filing with the director prior to the expiration thereof the documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the director by rule and regulation or order may require, a consent to service of process, and the prescribed fee.

(6) The fee for initial or renewal registration shall be two hundred fifty dollars for a broker-dealer, two hundred dollars for an investment adviser, one hundred dollars for an issuer-dealer, forty dollars for an agent, and forty dollars for an investment adviser representative. The fee for initial or renewal filings for a federal covered adviser shall be two hundred dollars. When an application is denied or withdrawn, the director shall retain all of the fee.

(7)(a) Every registered broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, and investment adviser shall make and keep such accounts, correspondence, memoranda, papers, books, and other records as the director may prescribe by rule and regulation or order, except as provided by section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in connection with broker-dealers, and section 222 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, in connection with investment advisers. All records so required shall be preserved for such period as the director may prescribe by rule and regulation or order.

(b) All the records of a registered broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser shall be subject at any time or from time to time to such reasonable periodic, special, or other examinations by representatives of the director, within or without this state, as the director deems necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors and advisory clients. For the purpose of avoiding unnecessary duplication of examinations, the director, insofar as he or she deems it practicable in administering this subsection, may cooperate with the securities administrators of other states, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and any national securities exchange or national securities association registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Costs of such examinations shall be borne by the registrant.

(c) Every registered broker-dealer, except as provided in section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and investment adviser, except as provided by section 222 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, shall file such financial reports as the director may prescribe by rule and regulation or order.

(d) If any information contained in any document filed with the director is or becomes inaccurate or incomplete in any material respect, a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative shall promptly file a correcting amendment or a federal covered adviser shall file a correcting amendment when such amendment is required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

(8) With respect to investment advisers, the director may require that certain information be furnished or disseminated to clients as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors and advisory clients. To the extent determined by the director in his or her discretion, information furnished to clients of an investment adviser that would be in compliance with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations under such act may be used in whole or in part to satisfy the information requirement prescribed in this subsection.

(9)(a) The director may by order deny, suspend, or revoke registration of any broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative or bar, censure, or impose a fine pursuant to subsection (4) of section 8-1108.01 on any registrant or any partner, limited liability company member, officer, director, or person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions of a partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director for a registrant from employment with any broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser if he or she finds that the order is in the public interest and that the applicant or registrant or, in the case of a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser, any partner, limited liability company member, officer, director, person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions of a partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director, or person directly or indirectly controlling the broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser:

(i) Has filed an application for registration under this section which, as of any date after filing in the case of an order denying effectiveness, was incomplete in any material respect or contained any statement which was, in the light of the circumstances under which it was made, false or misleading with respect to any material fact;

(ii) Has willfully violated or willfully failed to comply with any provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska or any rule and regulation or order under the act;

(iii) Has been convicted, within the past ten years, of any misdemeanor involving a security or commodity or any aspect of the securities or commodities business or any felony;

(iv) Is permanently or temporarily enjoined by any court of competent jurisdiction from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice involving any aspect of the securities or commodities business;

(v) Is the subject of an order of the director denying, suspending, or revoking registration as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative;

(vi) Is the subject of an adjudication or determination, after notice and opportunity for hearing, within the past ten years by a securities or commodities agency or administrator of another state or a court of competent jurisdiction that the person has willfully violated the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Commodity Exchange Act, or the securities or commodities law of any other state;

(vii) Has engaged in dishonest or unethical practices in the securities or commodities business;

(viii) Is insolvent, either in the sense that his or her liabilities exceed his or her assets or in the sense that he or she cannot meet his or her obligations as they mature, but the director may not enter an order against a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser under this subdivision without a finding of insolvency as to the broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, or investment adviser;

(ix) Has not complied with a condition imposed by the director under subsection (4) of this section or is not qualified on the basis of such factors as training, experience, or knowledge of the securities business;

(x) Has failed to pay the proper filing fee, but the director may enter only a denial order under this subdivision, and he or she shall vacate any such order when the deficiency has been corrected;

(xi) Has failed to reasonably supervise his or her agents or employees, if he or she is a broker-dealer or issuer-dealer, or his or her investment adviser representatives or employees, if he or she is an investment adviser, to assure their compliance with the Securities Act of Nebraska;

(xii) Has been denied the right to do business in the securities industry, or the person's respective authority to do business in an investment-related industry has been revoked by any other state, federal, or foreign governmental agency or self-regulatory organization for cause, or the person has been the subject of a final order in a criminal, civil, injunctive, or administrative action for securities, commodities, or fraud-related violations of the law of any state, federal, or foreign governmental unit; or

(xiii) Has refused to allow or otherwise impedes the department from conducting an examination under subsection (7) of this section or has refused the department access to a registrant's office to conduct an examination under subsection (7) of this section.

(b) The director may by order bar any person from engaging in the securities business in this state if the director finds that the order is in the public interest and that the person has:

(i) Willfully violated or willfully failed to comply with any provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska or any rule and regulation or order under the act; or

(ii) Engaged in dishonest or unethical practices in the securities business, which activity at the time was subject to regulation by the Securities Act of Nebraska.

(c)(i) For purposes of subdivisions (9)(a)(vii) and (9)(b)(ii) of this section, the director may, by rule and regulation or order, determine that a violation of any provision of the fair practice or ethical rules or standards promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or a self-regulatory organization approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission constitutes a dishonest or unethical practice in the securities or commodities business.

(ii) The director may not institute a proceeding under this section on the basis of a final judicial or administrative order made known to him or her by the applicant prior to the effective date of the registration unless the proceeding is instituted within the next ninety days following registration. For purposes of this subdivision, a final judicial or administrative order does not include an order that is stayed or subject to further review or appeal. This subdivision shall not apply to renewed registrations.

(iii) The director may by order summarily postpone or suspend registration pending final determination of any proceeding under this subsection. Upon the entry of the order, the director shall promptly notify the applicant or registrant, as well as the employer or prospective employer if the applicant or registrant is an agent or investment adviser representative, that it has been entered and of the reasons therefor and that within fifteen business days after the receipt of a written request the matter will be set down for hearing. If no hearing is requested within fifteen business days of the issuance of the order and none is ordered by the director, the order shall automatically become a final order and shall remain in effect until it is modified or vacated by the director. If a hearing is requested or ordered, the director, after notice of and opportunity for hearing, shall enter his or her written findings of fact and conclusions of law and may affirm, modify, or vacate the order. No order may be entered under this section denying or revoking registration without appropriate prior notice to the applicant or registrant, as well as the employer or prospective employer if the applicant or registrant is an agent or investment adviser representative, and opportunity for hearing.

(10)(a) If the director finds that any registrant or applicant for registration is no longer in existence or has ceased to do business as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative, is subject to an adjudication of mental incompetence or to the control of a committee, conservator, or guardian, or cannot be located after reasonable search, the director may by order cancel the registration or application.

(b) If an applicant for registration does not complete the registration application and fails to respond to a notice or notices from the department to correct the deficiency or deficiencies for a period of one hundred twenty days or more after the date the department sends the initial notice to correct the deficiency, the department may deem the registration application as abandoned and may issue a notice of abandonment of the registration application to the applicant in lieu of proceedings to deny the application.

(c) Withdrawal from registration as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative shall become effective thirty days after receipt of an application to withdraw or within a shorter period of time as the director may determine unless a revocation or suspension proceeding is pending when the application is filed or a proceeding to revoke or suspend or to impose conditions upon the withdrawal is instituted within thirty days after the application is filed. If a revocation or suspension proceeding is pending or instituted, withdrawal shall become effective at such time and upon such conditions as the director shall order.

It shall be unlawful for any person to offer or sell any security in this state unless (1) such security is registered by coordination under section 8-1106 or by qualification under section 8-1107, (2) the security is exempt under section 8-1110 or is sold in a transaction exempt under section 8-1111, or (3) the security is a federal covered security.

(1) Any security for which a registration statement has been filed under the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with the same offering may be registered by coordination.

(2) A registration statement under this section shall contain the following information and be accompanied by the following documents, in addition to payment of the registration fee prescribed in section 8-1108 and, if required under section 8-1112, a consent to service of process meeting the requirements of that section:

(a) One copy of the prospectus filed under the Securities Act of 1933 together with all amendments thereto;

(b) The amount of securities to be offered in this state;

(c) The states in which a registration statement or similar document in connection with the offering has been or is expected to be filed;

(d) Any adverse order, judgment, or decree previously entered in connection with the offering by any court or the Securities and Exchange Commission;

(e) If the director by rule and regulation or order requires, a copy of the articles of incorporation and bylaws or their substantial equivalents currently in effect, a copy of any agreements with or among underwriters, a copy of any indenture or other instrument governing the issuance of the security to be registered, and a specimen or copy of the security;

(f) If the director requests, any other information or copies of any other documents filed under the Securities Act of 1933; and

(g) An undertaking to forward promptly all amendments to the federal registration statement, other than an amendment which merely delays the effective date.

(3) A registration statement under this section shall automatically become effective at the moment the federal registration statement or qualification becomes effective if all the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) No stop order is in effect and no proceeding is pending under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or under section 8-1109;

(b) The registration statement has been on file with the director for at least ten days; and

(c) A statement of the maximum and minimum proposed offering prices and the maximum underwriting discounts and commissions has been filed and the offering is made within those limitations. The registrant shall promptly notify the director by facsimile transmission or electronic mail of the date and time when the federal registration statement became effective and the content of the price amendment, if any, and shall promptly file a posteffective amendment containing the information and documents in the price amendment. Price amendment means the final federal amendment which includes a statement of the offering price, underwriting and selling discounts or commissions, amount of proceeds, conversion rates, call prices, and other matters dependent upon the offering price.

(4) Upon failure to receive the required notification and posteffective amendment with respect to the price amendment, the director may enter a stop order, without notice or hearing, retroactively denying effectiveness to the registration statement or suspending its effectiveness until there has been compliance with this subsection, if he or she promptly notifies the registrant by telephone or electronic mail and promptly confirms by letter sent postage prepaid when he or she notifies by telephone or electronic mail of the issuance of the order. If the registrant proves compliance with the requirements of this subsection as to notice and posteffective amendment, the stop order shall be void as of the time of its entry.

(5) The director may by rule and regulation or order waive either or both of the conditions specified in subsections (2) and (3) of this section. If the federal registration statement or qualification becomes effective before all these conditions have been satisfied and they are not waived, the registration statement shall automatically become effective as soon as all the conditions have been satisfied.

(1) Any security may be registered by qualification.

(2) A registration statement under this section shall contain the following information and be accompanied by the following documents, in addition to payment of the registration fee prescribed in section 8-1108 and, if required under section 8-1112, a consent to service of process meeting the requirements of that section:

(a) With respect to the issuer and any significant subsidiary, its name, address, and form of organization, the state or foreign jurisdiction and date of its organization, the general character and location of its business, and a description of its physical properties and equipment;

(b) With respect to every director and officer of the issuer, or person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, his or her name, address, and principal occupation for the past five years, the amount of securities of the issuer held by him or her as of a specified date within ninety days of the filing of the registration statement, the remuneration paid to all such persons in the aggregate during the past twelve months, and estimated to be paid during the next twelve months, directly or indirectly, by the issuer together with all predecessors, parents and subsidiaries;

(c) With respect to any person not named in subdivision (e) of this subsection, owning of record, or beneficially if known, ten percent or more of the outstanding shares of any class of equity security of the issuer, the information specified in subdivision (b) of this subsection other than his or her occupation;

(d) With respect to every promoter, not named in subdivision (b) of this subsection, if the issuer was organized within the past three years, the information specified in subdivision (b) of this subsection, any amount paid to him or her by the issuer within that period or intended to be paid to him or her, and the consideration for any such payment;

(e) The capitalization and long-term debt, on both a current and a pro forma basis, of the issuer and any significant subsidiary, including a description of each security outstanding or being registered or otherwise offered, and a statement of the amount and kind of consideration whether in the form of cash, physical assets, services, patents, goodwill, or anything else for which the issuer or any subsidiary has issued any of its securities within the past two years or is obligated to issue any of its securities;

(f) The kind and amount of securities to be offered, the amount to be offered in this state, the proposed offering price and any variation therefrom at which any portion of the offering is to be made to any persons except as underwriting and selling discounts and commissions, the estimated aggregate underwriting and selling discounts or commissions and finders' fees including separately cash, securities, or anything else of value to accrue to the underwriters in connection with the offering, the estimated amounts of other selling expenses, and legal, engineering, and accounting expenses to be incurred by the issuer in connection with the offering, the name and address of every underwriter and every recipient of a finders' fee, a copy of any underwriting or selling-group agreement pursuant to which the distribution is to be made, or the proposed form of any such agreement whose terms have not yet been determined, and a description of the plan of distribution of any securities which are to be offered otherwise than through an underwriter;

(g) The estimated cash proceeds to be received by the issuer from the offering, the purposes for which the proceeds are to be used by the issuer, the amount to be used for each purpose, the order or priority in which the proceeds will be used for the purposes stated, the amounts of any funds to be raised from other sources to achieve the purposes stated, and the sources of any such funds, and, if any part of the proceeds is to be used to acquire any property, including goodwill, otherwise than in the ordinary course of business, the names and addresses of the vendors and the purchase price;

(h) A description of any stock options or other security options outstanding, or to be created in connection with the offering, together with the amount of any such options held or to be held by every person required to be named in subdivision (b), (c), (d), (e) or (g) of this subsection and by any person who holds or will hold ten percent or more in the aggregate of any such options;

(i) Any adverse order, judgment or decree previously entered in connection with the offering by any court or the Securities and Exchange Commission, and a description of any pending litigation or proceeding to which the issuer is a party and which materially affects its business or assets including any such litigation or proceeding known to be contemplated by governmental authorities;

(j) A specimen or copy of the security being registered, a copy of the issuer's articles of incorporation and bylaws, or their substantial equivalent as currently in effect, and a copy of any indenture or other instrument covering the security to be registered;

(k) A signed or conformed copy of an opinion of counsel, if available, as to the legality of the security being registered;

(l) A balance sheet of the issuer as of a date within four months prior to the filing of the registration statement, a profit and loss statement and analysis of surplus for each of the three fiscal years preceding the date of the balance sheet and for any period between the close of the last fiscal year and the date of the balance sheet, or for the period of the issuer's and any predecessor's existence if less than three years, and, if any part of the proceeds of the offering is to be applied to the purchase of any business, the same financial statements which would be required if that business were the registrant;

(m) If a report or valuation, other than an official record that is public, is used in connection with the registration statement, a signed or conformed copy of a consent of any accountant, engineer, appraiser, or other person whose profession gives authority for a statement made by the person, if the person is named as having prepared or certified the report or valuation;

(n) The states in which a registration statement or similar document in connection with the offering has been or is expected to be filed; and

(o) A copy of any prospectus or circular intended as of the effective date to be used in connection with the offering.

(3) In the case of a nonissuer distribution, information may not be required under this section unless it is known to the person filing the registration statement or to the persons on whose behalf the distribution is to be made, or can be furnished by them without unreasonable effort or expense.

(4) A registration statement under this section shall become effective when the director so orders. The director shall require as a condition of registration under this section that a prospectus containing substantially the information specified in subdivisions (a) to (m) of subsection (2) of this section be sent or given to each person to whom an offer is made before or concurrently with the first written offer made to him or her otherwise than by means of a public advertisement by or for the account of the issuer or any other person on whose behalf the offering is being made, or by any underwriter or broker-dealer who is offering part of an unsold allotment or subscription taken by him or her as a participant in the distribution, the confirmation of any sale made by or for the account of any such person, payment pursuant to any such sale, or delivery of the security pursuant to any such sale, whichever first occurs, but the director shall accept for use under any such requirement a current prospectus or offering circular regarding the same securities filed under the Securities Act of 1933 or rules and regulations under such act.

(1) A registration statement may be filed by the issuer, by any other person on whose behalf the offering is to be made, or by a registered broker-dealer. Any document filed under the Securities Act of Nebraska within five years preceding the filing of a registration statement may be incorporated by reference in the registration statement to the extent that the document is currently accurate. The director may by rule and regulation or order permit the omission of any item of information or document from any registration statement.

(2) The director may require as a condition of registration by qualification (a) that the proceeds from the sale of the registered security be impounded until the issuer receives a specified amount, (b) that the applicant comply with the Securities Act of 1933 if it appears to the director to be in the public interest or that the registered security is or will be offered in such manner as to be subject to such act, (c) such reasonable conditions, restrictions, or limitations upon the offering as may be in the public interest, or (d) that any security issued within the past three years, or to be issued, to a promoter for a consideration substantially different from the public offering price or to any person for a consideration other than cash, be delivered in escrow to him or her or to some other depository satisfactory to him or her under an escrow agreement that the owners of such securities shall not be entitled to sell or transfer such securities or to withdraw such securities from escrow until all other stockholders who have paid for their stock in cash shall have been paid a dividend or dividends aggregating not less than six percent of the initial offering price shown to the satisfaction of the director to have been actually earned on the investment in any common stock so held. The director shall not reject a depository solely because of location in another state. In case of dissolution or insolvency during the time such securities are held in escrow, the owners of such securities shall not participate in the assets until after the owners of all other securities shall have been paid in full.

(3) For the registration of securities by coordination or qualification, there shall be paid to the director a registration fee of one-tenth of one percent of the aggregate offering price of the securities which are to be offered in this state, but the fee shall in no case be less than one hundred dollars. When a registration statement is withdrawn before the effective date or a preeffective stop order is entered under section 8-1109, the director shall retain one hundred dollars of the fee. Any issuer who sells securities in this state in excess of the aggregate amount of securities registered may, at the discretion of the director and while such registration is still effective, apply to register the excess securities sold to persons within this state by paying a registration fee of three-tenths of one percent for the difference between the initial fee paid and the fee required in this subsection. Registration of the excess securities, if granted, shall be effective retroactively to the date of the existing registration.

(4) When securities are registered by coordination or qualification, they may be offered and sold by a registered broker-dealer. Every registration shall remain effective for one year or until sooner revoked by the director or sooner terminated upon request of the registrant with the consent of the director. All outstanding securities of the same class as a registered security shall be considered to be registered for the purpose of any nonissuer transaction. A registration statement which has become effective may not be withdrawn for one year from its effective date if any securities of the same class are outstanding.

(5) The director may require the person who filed the registration statement to file reports, not more often than quarterly, to keep reasonably current the information contained in the registration statement and to disclose the progress of the offering with respect to registered securities which are being offered and sold directly by or for the account of the issuer.

(6) A registration of securities shall be effective for a period of one year or such shorter period as the director may determine.

(1) Whenever it appears to the director that the sale of any security is subject to registration under the Securities Act of Nebraska and is being offered or has been offered for sale without such registration, he or she may order the issuer or offerer of such security to cease and desist from the further offer or sale of such security unless and until it has been registered under the act.

(2) Whenever it appears to the director that any person is acting as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative without registration as such or acting as a federal covered adviser without making a notice filing under the act, he or she may order such person to cease and desist from such activity unless and until he or she has been registered as such or has made the required notice filing under the act.

(3) Whenever it appears to the director that any person is violating section 8-1102, he or she may order the person to cease and desist from such activity.

(4) The director may, after giving reasonable notice and an opportunity for a hearing under this section, impose a fine not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars per violation, in addition to costs of the investigation, upon a person found to have engaged in any act or practice which would constitute a violation of the act or any rule and regulation or order under the act, except that the director shall not impose a fine upon any person in connection with a transaction made pursuant to subdivision (23) of section 8-1111 for any statement of a material fact made or for an omission of a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statement made not misleading unless such statement or omission was made with the intent to defraud or mislead. The fine and costs shall be in addition to all other penalties imposed by the laws of this state. The director shall collect the fines and costs and remit them to the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer shall credit the costs to the Securities Act Cash Fund and distribute the fines in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska. Imposition of any fine and payment of costs under this subsection may be appealed pursuant to section 8-1119. If a person fails to pay the fine or costs of the investigation referred to in this subsection, a lien in the amount of the fine and costs shall be imposed upon all of the assets and property of such person in this state and may be recovered by an action by the director and remitted to the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer shall credit the costs to the Securities Act Cash Fund and distribute the fines in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska. Failure of the person to pay a fine and costs shall also constitute a forfeiture of his or her right to do business in this state under the Securities Act of Nebraska.

(5) After such an order has been made under subsection (1), (2), (3), or (4) of this section, if a request for a hearing is filed in writing within fifteen business days of the issuance of the order by the person to whom such order was directed, a hearing shall be held by the director within thirty business days after receipt of the request, unless both parties consent to a later date or the director or a hearing officer sets a later date for good cause. If no hearing is requested within fifteen business days of the issuance of the order and none is ordered by the director, the order shall automatically become a final order and shall remain in effect until it is modified or vacated by the director. If a hearing is requested or ordered, the director, after notice of and opportunity for hearing, shall enter his or her written findings of fact and conclusions of law and may affirm, modify, or vacate the order.

(1) The director, by rule and regulation or order, may require the filing of any or all of the following documents with respect to a federal covered security under section 18(b)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933:

(a) Prior to the initial offer of such federal covered security in this state, all documents that are part of a federal registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, together with a consent to service of process signed by the issuer and with a filing fee as prescribed by section 8-1108.03;

(b) After the initial offer of such federal covered security in this state, all documents which are part of any amendment to the federal registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933; and

(c) A sales report of the total amount of such federal covered securities offered or sold in this state, together with the filing fee prescribed by section 8-1108.03.

(2)(a) The director, by rule and regulation or order, may require the filing of any document required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 with respect to a federal covered security under section 18(b)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 together with a filing fee of two hundred dollars.

(b) The director, by rule and regulation or order, may require the filing of any document required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 with respect to a federal covered security under section 18(b)(4) of the Securities Act of 1933 together with a filing fee of two hundred dollars. In addition, for federal covered securities under section 18(b)(4)(F) of the Securities Act of 1933, the director may also require the submission of a consent to service of process signed by the issuer. Such filing shall be made no later than fifteen days after the first sale of such federal covered security in this state, except that failure to give such notice may be cured by an order issued by the director at the director's discretion and upon the payment of an additional two hundred dollars as a late filing fee.

(c) In connection with filings made pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of this subsection, the director, by rule and regulation or order, may require the filing of all documents which are part of any amendment which the issuer is required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

(3) The director may issue a stop order suspending the offer and sale of a federal covered security, except a federal covered security under section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, if he or she finds that (a) the order is in the public interest and (b) there is a failure to comply with any condition established under this section or with any other applicable provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska.

(4) The director, by rule and regulation or order, may waive any or all of the provisions of this section, except that the director does not have the authority to waive the payment of fees as required by this section.

(5) No person may bring an action pursuant to section 8-1118 based on the failure of an issuer to file any notice or pay any fee required by this section.

(6) All federal covered securities offered or sold in this state must be sold through a registered agent of a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Act of Nebraska or by persons duly exempted or excluded from such registration, except that this subsection shall not apply to the offer or sale of the following, so long as no commission or other remuneration is paid directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective buyer:

(a) A federal covered security under section 18(b)(4)(F) of the Securities Act of 1933; or

(b) A federal covered security under section 18(b)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 which is exempt from federal registration pursuant to Tier 2 of federal Regulation A, 17 C.F.R. 230.251(a).

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, there shall be paid to the director a filing fee of one-tenth of one percent of the aggregate offering price of the federal covered securities under section 18(b)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 which are to be offered in this state, but the filing fee shall in no case be less than one hundred dollars. If an issuer of securities covered by section 8-1108.02 sells securities in this state in excess of the aggregate amount of securities for which a filing fee has been paid, the director may allow the issuer to amend its filing to include the excess securities sold to persons within this state if the issuer pays a filing fee of three-tenths of one percent for the difference between the initial filing fee paid and the filing fee required under this section for the total amount of securities sold. Any such amendment of a filing to cover the excess securities, if granted, shall be effective retroactively to the date of the existing filing.

Any notice filed pursuant to this section shall be effective for a period of one year from the date received by the director or from such later date as indicated on the notice unless sooner terminated by the issuer. Notice filings must be renewed annually. Notices may be amended by submitting an amended notice filing indicating any material changes and paying any fees, pursuant to this section, that may be required by an increase in the amount of securities covered by the notice.

(2) An open-end management company or a face-amount certificate company, as those terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, may choose to issue an indefinite amount of securities, if the following conditions are met:

(a) The filing made pursuant to subsection (1) of section 8-1108.02 states the company intends to issue an indefinite amount of securities in this state and is accompanied by a filing fee of one thousand dollars;

(b) Within ninety calendar days after the expiration of the notice, the company files a sales report containing the actual sales that occurred in this state for the one-year notice period just expired. During such ninety-day period, the notice filing shall be considered continuous;

(c) If the sales report required by subdivision (b) of this subsection shows that the company sold securities in excess of the amount of securities for which the filing fee was paid, the company must pay an additional fee to be calculated as follows: One-tenth of one percent of the aggregate amount of securities sold up to the first ten million dollars; and one-twentieth of one percent of the remainder of the aggregate amount of securities sold. The initial filing fee of one thousand dollars shall be deducted from the fee required to be paid pursuant to such subdivision. If this calculation results in a negative amount, no payment shall be made and no credit or refund shall be allowed or returned for such negative amount;

(d) A company may continue the effectiveness of its notice to issue an indefinite amount of securities for another notification period if, upon the filing of a sales report required by subdivision (b) of this subsection, the company pays the renewal filing fee of one thousand dollars pursuant to subdivision (a) of this subsection, plus any additional fee which may be owed pursuant to subdivision (c) of this subsection;

(e) The notification shall be effective for a period of one year beginning on the date the notice is received by the director unless a later date is indicated on the notice; and

(f) Failure to file the sales report and pay any additional fees owed shall be cause for the director to issue an order suspending sales of the securities for which the sales report has not been filed and the appropriate fee has not been paid.

(3) A unit investment trust, as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, may choose to issue an indefinite amount of securities for a period of one year or less if the following conditions are met:

(a) The unit investment trust issuer electing to offer an indefinite amount of securities files a notice pursuant to subsection (1) of section 8-1108.02, stating that it intends to issue an indefinite amount of securities for a period of one year or less in this state, and pays an initial filing fee of one hundred dollars with the notice filing;

(b) Within ninety calendar days after the occurrence of the earlier of the expiration of the trust's notice filing period, the termination of the offering by the issuer, or the completion of the offering, each trust files a sales report containing the total aggregate offering price of the securities sold in this state for the offering period just expired or terminated;

(c) If the sales report required by subdivision (b) of this subsection shows that the trust sold securities in excess of the amount of securities for which the filing fee was paid, the trust must pay an additional fee of one-tenth of one percent of the aggregate offering price of the excess securities sold. The initial fee of one hundred dollars shall be deducted from the filing fee paid pursuant to this subdivision. If this calculation results in a negative amount, no payment need be made and no credit or refund shall be allowed or returned for that negative amount; and

(d) Failure to file the sales report and pay any additional fees owed shall be cause for the director to issue an order suspending sales of the securities for which the sales report has not been filed and the appropriate fee has not been paid.

The director may issue a stop order denying effectiveness to, or suspending or revoking the effectiveness of, a registration statement to register securities by coordination if he or she finds that the order is in the public interest and that:

(1) Any such registration statement registering securities, as of its effective date or as of any earlier date in the case of an order denying effectiveness, is incomplete in any material respect or contains any statement which was, in the light of the circumstances under which it was made, false or misleading with respect to any material fact;

(2) Any provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska or any rule and regulation or order, or condition under the act has been violated, in connection with the offering by the person filing the registration statement, the issuer, any partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director of the issuer, any person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, or any person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by the issuer, but only if the person filing the registration statement is directly or indirectly controlled by or acting for the issuer or any underwriter;

(3) The security registered or sought to be registered is the subject of a permanent or temporary injunction of any court of competent jurisdiction entered under any other federal or state act applicable to the offering. The director may not institute a proceeding against an effective registration statement under this subdivision more than one year from the date of the injunction relied on, and he or she may not enter an order under this subdivision on the basis of an injunction entered under any other state act unless the injunction was based on facts which would currently constitute a ground for a stop order under this section;

(4) When a security is sought to be registered by coordination, there has been a failure to comply with the undertaking required by subdivision (2)(g) of section 8-1106;

(5) The applicant or registrant has failed to pay the proper registration fee. The director may enter only a denial order under this subdivision and shall vacate any such order when the deficiency has been corrected. The director may not enter an order against an effective registration statement on the basis of a fact or transaction known to him or her when the registration statement became effective;

(6) The authority of the applicant or registrant to do business has been denied or revoked by any other governmental agency;

(7) The issuer's or registrant's literature, circulars, or advertising is misleading, incorrect, incomplete, or calculated to deceive the purchaser or investor;

(8) All or substantially all the enterprise or business of the issuer, promoter, or guarantor has been found to be unlawful by a final order of a court or administrative agency of competent jurisdiction; or

(9) There is a refusal to furnish information required by the director within a reasonable time to be fixed by the director.

The director may issue an order denying effectiveness to, or suspend or revoke the effectiveness of, a registration statement to register securities by qualification if he or she finds that the conditions in subdivision (1) of section 8-1109, or if he or she finds that any of the following conditions exist:

(1) Such order is in the public interest;

(2) The issuer's plan of business, or the plan of financing is either unfair, unjust, inequitable, dishonest, oppressive, or fraudulent or would tend to work a fraud upon the purchaser;

(3) The issuer's or registrant's literature, circulars, or advertising is misleading, incorrect, incomplete, or calculated to deceive the purchaser or investor;

(4) The securities offered or to be offered, or issued or to be issued, in payment for property, patents, formulas, goodwill, promotion, or intangible assets, are in excess of the reasonable value thereof, or the offering has been, or would be, made with unreasonable amounts of options;

(5) The offering has been or would be made with unreasonable amounts of underwriters' or sellers' discounts, commissions, or other compensation, or promoters' profits or participation, or unreasonable amounts or kinds of options. However, in an application to register the securities for a holding company which is organized for one of its purposes to acquire or start an insurance company, the total commissions, organization and promotion expenses shall not exceed ten percent of the money paid upon stock subscriptions;

(6) The authority of the applicant or registrant to do business has been denied or revoked by any other governmental agency;

(7) The enterprise or business of the issuer, promoter, or guarantor is unlawful;

(8) There is a refusal to furnish information required by the director within a reasonable time to be fixed by the director;

(9) There has been a violation of the Securities Act of Nebraska, any rule and regulation under the act, or an order of the director of which such issuer or registrant has notice;

(10) There has been a failure to keep and maintain sufficient records to permit an audit satisfactorily disclosing to the director the true situation or condition of such issuer;

(11) The applicant or registrant has failed to pay the proper registration, filing, or investigation fee;

(12) Any registration statement registering securities by qualification, as of its effective date or as of any earlier date in the case of an order denying effectiveness, is incomplete in any material respect or contains any statement which was, in the light of the circumstances under which it was made, false or misleading with respect to any material fact; or

(13) The security registered or sought to be registered is the subject of a permanent or temporary injunction of any court of competent jurisdiction entered under any federal or state act applicable to the offering.

Upon the entry of an order denying effectiveness to or suspending or revoking the effectiveness of a registration statement to register securities under any part of section 8-1109 or 8-1109.01, the director shall promptly notify the issuer of the securities and the applicant or registrant that the order has been entered and of the reasons therefor and that any person to whom the order is directed may request a hearing within fifteen business days after the issuance of the order. Upon receipt of a written request the matter will be set down for hearing to commence within thirty business days after the receipt unless the parties consent to a later date or the director or a hearing officer sets a later date for good cause. If no hearing is requested within fifteen business days of the issuance of the order and none is ordered by the director, the order shall automatically become a final order and shall remain in effect until it is modified or vacated by the director. If a hearing is requested or ordered, the director, after notice of and opportunity for hearing to the issuer and to the applicant or registrant, shall enter his or her written findings of fact and conclusions of law and may affirm, modify, or vacate the order. The director may modify or vacate a stop order if he or she finds that the conditions which prompted its entry have changed or that it is otherwise in the public interest to do so.

Sections 8-1104 to 8-1109 shall not apply to any of the following securities:

(1) Any security, including a revenue obligation, issued or guaranteed by the State of Nebraska, any political subdivision, or any agency or corporate or other instrumentality thereof or any certificate of deposit for any of the foregoing;

(2) Any security issued or guaranteed by Canada, any Canadian province, any political subdivision of any such province, any agency or corporate or other instrumentality of one or more of the foregoing, or any other foreign government with which the United States currently maintains diplomatic relations, if the security is recognized as a valid obligation by the issuer or guarantor;

(3) Any security issued or guaranteed by any federal credit union or any credit union or similar association organized and supervised under the laws of this state;

(4) Any security issued or guaranteed by any railroad, other common carrier, public utility, or holding company which is (a) regulated in respect of its rates and charges by a governmental authority of the United States or any state or municipality or (b) regulated in respect of the issuance or guarantee of the security by a governmental authority of the United States, any state, Canada, or any Canadian province;

(5)(a) Any federal covered security specified in section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933 or by rule adopted under that provision;

(b) Any security listed or approved for listing on another securities market specified by rule and regulation or order under the Securities Act of Nebraska;

(c) Any put or a call option contract, a warrant, or a subscription right on or with respect to securities described in subdivisions (a) or (b) of this subdivision;

(d) Any option or similar derivative security on a security or an index of securities or foreign currencies issued by a clearing agency registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and listed or designated for trading on a national securities exchange, a facility of a national securities exchange, or a facility of a national securities association registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934;

(e) Any offer or sale of the underlying security in connection with the offer, sale, or exercise of an option or other security that was exempt when the option or other security was written or issued; or

(f) Any option or a derivative security designated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under section 9(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934;

(6) Any security which meets all of the following conditions:

(a) The issuer is organized under the laws of the United States or a state or has appointed a duly authorized agent in the United States for service of process and has set forth the name and address of such agent in its prospectus;

(b) A class of the issuer's securities is required to be and is registered under section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and has been so registered for the three years immediately preceding the offering date;

(c) Neither the issuer nor a significant subsidiary has had a material default during the last seven years, or during the issuer's existence if such existence is less than seven years, in the payment of (i) principal, interest, dividends, or sinking-fund installments on preferred stock or indebtedness for borrowed money or (ii) rentals under leases with terms of three or more years;

(d) The issuer has had consolidated net income, without taking into account extraordinary items and the cumulative effect of accounting changes, of at least one million dollars in four of its last five fiscal years, including its last fiscal year, and if the offering is of interest-bearing securities the issuer has had for its last fiscal year net income before deduction for income taxes and depreciation of at least one and one-half times the issuer's annual interest expense, taking into account the proposed offering and the intended use of the proceeds. However, if the issuer of the securities is a finance company which has liquid assets of at least one hundred five percent of its liabilities, other than deferred income taxes, deferred investment tax credit, capital stock, and surplus, at the end of its last five fiscal years, the net income requirement before deduction for interest expense shall be one and one-fourth times its annual interest expense. For purposes of this subdivision: (i) Last fiscal year means the most recent year for which audited financial statements are available, if such statements cover a fiscal period ending not more than fifteen months from the commencement of the offering; (ii) finance company means a company engaged primarily in the business of wholesale, retail, installment, mortgage, commercial, industrial, or consumer financing, banking, or factoring; and (iii) liquid assets means (A) cash, (B) receivables payable on demand or not more than twelve months following the close of the company's last fiscal year less applicable reserves and unearned income, and (C) readily marketable securities less applicable reserves and unearned income;

(e) If the offering is of stock or shares other than preferred stock or shares, such securities have voting rights which include (i) the right to have at least as many votes per share and (ii) the right to vote on at least as many general corporate decisions as each of the issuer's outstanding classes of stock or shares, except as otherwise required by law; and

(f) If the offering is of stock or shares other than preferred stock or shares, such securities are owned beneficially or of record on any date within six months prior to the commencement of the offering by at least one thousand two hundred persons, and on such date there are at least seven hundred fifty thousand such shares outstanding with an aggregate market value of at least three million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars based on the average bid price for such day. When determining the number of persons who are beneficial owners of the stock or shares of an issuer, for purposes of this subdivision, the issuer or broker-dealer may rely in good faith upon written information furnished by the record owners;

(7) Any security issued or guaranteed as to both principal and interest by an international bank of which the United States is a member; or

(8) Any security issued by any person organized and operated not for private profit but exclusively for religious, educational, benevolent, charitable, fraternal, social, athletic, or reformatory purposes, as a chamber of commerce, or as a trade or professional association.

Except as provided in this section, sections 8-1103 to 8-1109 shall not apply to any of the following transactions:

(1) Any isolated transaction, whether effected through a broker-dealer or not;

(2)(a) Any nonissuer transaction by a registered agent of a registered broker-dealer, and any resale transaction by a sponsor of a unit investment trust registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, in a security of a class that has been outstanding in the hands of the public for at least ninety days if, at the time of the transaction:

(i) The issuer of the security is actually engaged in business and not in the organization stage or in bankruptcy or receivership and is not a blank check, blind pool, or shell company whose primary plan of business is to engage in a merger or combination of the business with, or an acquisition of, an unidentified person or persons;

(ii) The security is sold at a price reasonably related to the current market price of the security;

(iii) The security does not constitute the whole or part of an unsold allotment to, or a subscription or participation by, the broker-dealer as an underwriter of the security;

(iv) A nationally recognized securities manual designated by rule and regulation or order of the director or a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission which is publicly available through the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval System (EDGAR) contains:

(A) A description of the business and operations of the issuer;

(B) The names of the issuer's officers and the names of the issuer's directors, if any, or, in the case of a non-United-States issuer, the corporate equivalents of such persons in the issuer's country of domicile;

(C) An audited balance sheet of the issuer as of a date within eighteen months or, in the case of a reorganization or merger when parties to the reorganization or merger had such audited balance sheet, a pro forma balance sheet; and

(D) An audited income statement for each of the issuer's immediately preceding two fiscal years, or for the period of existence of the issuer if in existence for less than two years, or, in the case of a reorganization or merger when the parties to the reorganization or merger had such audited income statement, a pro forma income statement; and

(v) The issuer of the security has a class of equity securities listed on a national securities exchange registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 unless:

(A) The issuer of the security is a unit investment trust registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940;

(B) The issuer of the security has been engaged in continuous business, including predecessors, for at least three years; or

(C) The issuer of the security has total assets of at least two million dollars based on an audited balance sheet as of a date within eighteen months or, in the case of a reorganization or merger when parties to the reorganization or merger had such audited balance sheet, a pro forma balance sheet; or

(b) Any nonissuer transaction in a security by a registered agent of a registered broker-dealer if:

(i) The issuer of the security is actually engaged in business and not in the organization stage or in bankruptcy or receivership and is not a blank check, blind pool, or shell company whose primary plan of business is to engage in a merger or combination of the business with, or an acquisition of, an unidentified person or persons; and

(ii) The security is senior in rank to the common stock of the issuer both as to payment of dividends or interest and upon dissolution or liquidation of the issuer and such security has been outstanding at least three years and the issuer or any predecessor has not defaulted within the current fiscal year or the three immediately preceding fiscal years in the payment of any dividend, interest, principal, or sinking fund installment on the security when due and payable.

The director may by order deny or revoke the exemption specified in subdivision (a) or (b) of subdivision (2) of this section with respect to a specific security. Upon the entry of such an order, the director shall promptly notify all registered broker-dealers that such order has been entered and the reasons for such order and that within fifteen business days after receipt of a written request the matter will be set for hearing. If no hearing is requested within fifteen business days of the issuance of the order and none is ordered by the director, the order shall automatically become a final order and shall remain in effect until modified or vacated by the director. If a hearing is requested or ordered, the director shall, after notice of and opportunity for hearing to all interested persons, enter his or her written findings of fact and conclusions of law and may affirm, modify, or vacate the order. No such order shall operate retroactively. No person may be considered to have violated the Securities Act of Nebraska by reason of any offer or sale effected after the entry of any such order if he or she sustains the burden of proof that he or she did not know, and in the exercise of reasonable care could not have known, of the order;

(3) Any nonissuer transaction effected by or through a registered agent of a registered broker-dealer pursuant to an unsolicited order or offer to buy, but the director may by rule and regulation or order require that the customer acknowledge upon a specified form that the sale was unsolicited and that a signed copy of each such form be preserved by the broker-dealer for a specified period;

(4) Any transaction between the issuer or other person on whose behalf the offering is made and an underwriter or among underwriters;

(5) Any transaction in a bond or other evidence of indebtedness secured by a real or chattel mortgage or deed of trust or by an agreement for the sale of real estate or chattels if the entire mortgage, deed of trust, or agreement, together with all the bonds or other evidences of indebtedness secured thereby, are offered and sold as a unit. Such exemption shall not apply to any transaction in a bond or other evidence of indebtedness secured by a real estate mortgage or deed of trust or by an agreement for the sale of real estate if the real estate securing the evidences of indebtedness are parcels of real estate the sale of which requires the subdivision in which the parcels are located to be registered under the federal Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, 15 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.;

(6) Any transaction by an executor, personal representative, administrator, sheriff, marshal, receiver, guardian, or conservator;

(7) Any transaction executed by a bona fide pledgee without any purpose of evading the Securities Act of Nebraska;

(8)(a) Any offer or sale to any of the following, whether the purchaser is acting for itself or in some fiduciary capacity:

(i) A bank, savings institution, credit union, trust company, or other financial institution;

(ii) An insurance company;

(iii) An investment company as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940;

(iv) A pension or profit-sharing trust;

(v) A broker-dealer;

(vi) A corporation with total assets in excess of five million dollars, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities offered;

(vii) A Massachusetts or similar business trust with total assets in excess of five million dollars, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities offered;

(viii) A partnership with total assets in excess of five million dollars, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities offered;

(ix) A trust with total assets in excess of five million dollars, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities, whose purchase is directed by a person who has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that he or she is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment;

(x) Any entity in which all of the equity owners are individuals who are individual accredited investors as defined in subdivision (b) of this subdivision;

(xi) An institutional buyer as may be defined by the director by rule and regulation or order; or

(xii) An individual accredited investor.

(b) For purposes of subdivision (8)(a) of this section, individual accredited investor means (i) any director, executive officer, or general partner of the issuer of the securities being offered or sold, or any director, executive officer, or general partner of a general partner of that issuer, (ii) any manager of a limited liability company that is the issuer of the securities being offered or sold, (iii) any natural person whose individual net worth, or joint net worth with that person's spouse, at the time of his or her purchase, exceeds one million dollars, excluding the value of the primary residence of such person, or (iv) any natural person who had an individual income in excess of two hundred thousand dollars in each of the two most recent years or joint income with that person's spouse in excess of three hundred thousand dollars in each of those years and has a reasonable expectation of reaching the same income level in the current year;

(9)(a) Any transaction pursuant to an offering in which sales are made to not more than fifteen persons, other than those designated in subdivisions (8), (11), and (17) of this section, in this state during any period of twelve consecutive months if (i) the seller reasonably believes that all the buyers are purchasing for investment, (ii) no commission or other remuneration is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective buyer except to a registered agent of a registered broker-dealer, (iii) a notice generally describing the terms of the transaction and containing a representation that the conditions of this exemption are met is filed by the seller with the director within thirty days after the first sale for which this exemption is claimed, except that failure to give such notice may be cured by an order issued by the director in his or her discretion, and (iv) no general or public advertisements or solicitations are made.

(b) If a seller (i) makes sales pursuant to this subdivision for five consecutive twelve-month periods or (ii) makes sales of at least one million dollars from an offering or offerings pursuant to this subdivision, the seller shall, within ninety days after the earlier of either such occurrence, file with the director audited financial statements and a sales report which lists the names and addresses of all purchasers and holders of the seller's securities and the amount of securities held by such persons. Subsequent thereto, such seller shall file audited financial statements and sales reports with the director each time an additional one million dollars in securities is sold pursuant to this subdivision or after the elapse of each additional sixty-month period during which sales are made pursuant to this subdivision;

(10) Any offer or sale of a preorganization certificate or subscription if (a) no commission or other remuneration is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective subscriber, (b) the number of subscribers does not exceed ten, and (c) no payment is made by any subscriber;

(11) Any transaction pursuant to an offer to existing security holders of the issuer, including persons who at the time of the transaction are holders of convertible securities, nontransferable warrants, or transferable warrants exercisable within not more than ninety days of their issuance, if (a) no commission or other remuneration, other than a standby commission, is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any security holder in this state or (b) the issuer first files a notice specifying the terms of the offer and the director does not by order disallow the exemption within the next five full business days;

(12) Any offer, but not a sale, of a security for which registration statements have been filed under both the Securities Act of Nebraska and the Securities Act of 1933 if no stop order or refusal order is in effect and no public proceeding or examination looking toward such an order is pending under either the Securities Act of Nebraska or the Securities Act of 1933;

(13) The issuance of any stock dividend, whether the corporation distributing the dividend is the issuer of the stock or not, if nothing of value is given by the stockholders for the distribution other than the surrender of a right to a cash dividend when the stockholder can elect to take a dividend in cash or stock;

(14) Any transaction incident to a right of conversion or a statutory or judicially approved reclassification, recapitalization, reorganization, quasi-reorganization, stock split, reverse stock split, merger, consolidation, or sale of assets;

(15) Any transaction involving the issuance for cash of any evidence of ownership interest or indebtedness by a cooperative formed as a corporation under section 21-1301 or 21-1401 or a limited cooperative association formed under the Nebraska Limited Cooperative Association Act if the issuer has first filed a notice of intention to issue with the director and the director has not by order, mailed to the issuer by certified or registered mail within ten business days after receipt thereof, disallowed the exemption;

(16) Any transaction in this state not involving a public offering when (a) there is no general or public advertising or solicitation, (b) no commission or remuneration is paid directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective buyer, except to a registered agent of a registered broker-dealer or registered issuer-dealer, (c) a notice generally describing the terms of the transaction and containing a representation that the conditions of this exemption are met is filed by the seller with the director within thirty days after the first sale for which this exemption is claimed, except that failure to give such notice may be cured by an order issued by the director in his or her discretion, (d) a filing fee of two hundred dollars is paid at the time of filing the notice, and (e) any such transaction is effected in accordance with rules and regulations of the director relating to this section when the director finds in adopting and promulgating such rules and regulations that the applicability of sections 8-1104 to 8-1107 is not necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors. For purposes of this subdivision, not involving a public offering means any offering in which the seller has reason to believe that the securities purchased are taken for investment and in which each offeree, by reason of his or her knowledge about the affairs of the issuer or otherwise, does not require the protections afforded by registration under sections 8-1104 to 8-1107 in order to make a reasonably informed judgment with respect to such investment;

(17) Any security issued in connection with an employees' stock purchase, savings, option, profit-sharing, pension, or similar employees' benefit plan, including any securities, plan interests, and guarantees issued under a compensatory benefit plan or compensation contract, contained in a record, established by the issuer, its parents, its majority-owned subsidiaries, or the majority-owned subsidiaries of the issuer's parent for the participation of their employees, if no commission or other remuneration is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective buyer except to a registered agent of a registered broker-dealer. This subdivision shall apply to offers and sales to the following individuals:

(a) Directors; general partners; trustees, if the issuer is a business trust; officers; consultants; and advisors;

(b) Family members who acquire such securities from those persons through gifts or domestic relations orders;

(c) Former employees, directors, general partners, trustees, officers, consultants, and advisors if those individuals were employed by or providing services to the issuer when the securities were offered; and

(d) Insurance agents who are exclusive insurance agents of the issuer, or the issuer's subsidiaries or parents, or who derive more than fifty percent of their annual income from those organizations;

(18) Any interest in a common trust fund or similar fund maintained by a bank or trust company organized and supervised under the laws of any state or a bank organized under the laws of the United States for the collective investment and reinvestment of funds contributed to such common trust fund or similar fund by the bank or trust company in its capacity as trustee, personal representative, administrator, or guardian and any interest in a collective investment fund or similar fund maintained by the bank or trust company for the collective investment of funds contributed to such collective investment fund or similar fund by the bank or trust company in its capacity as trustee or agent which interest is issued in connection with an employee's savings, pension, profit-sharing, or similar benefit plan or a self-employed person's retirement plan, if a notice generally describing the terms of the collective investment fund or similar fund is filed by the bank or trust company with the director within thirty days after the establishment of the fund. Failure to give the notice may be cured by an order issued by the director in his or her discretion;

(19) Any transaction in which a United States Series EE Savings Bond is given or delivered with or as a bonus on account of any purchase of any item or thing;

(20) Any transaction in this state not involving a public offering by a Nebraska issuer selling solely to Nebraska residents, when (a) any such transaction is effected in accordance with rules and regulations of the director relating to this section when the director finds in adopting and promulgating such rules and regulations that the applicability of sections 8-1104 to 8-1107 is not necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors, (b) no commission or remuneration is paid directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective buyer, except to a registered agent of a registered broker-dealer or registered issuer-dealer, (c) a notice generally describing the terms of the transaction and containing a representation that the conditions of this exemption are met is filed by the seller with the director no later than twenty days prior to any sales for which this exemption is claimed, except that failure to give such notice may be cured by an order issued by the director in his or her discretion, (d) a filing fee of two hundred dollars is paid at the time of filing the notice, and (e) there is no general or public advertising or solicitation;

(21) Any transaction by a person who is an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as defined in section 49-801.01 involving an offering of interests in a fund described in section 3(c)(10)(B) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 solely to persons who are organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as defined in section 49-801.01 when (a) there is no general or public advertising or solicitation, (b) a notice generally describing the terms of the transaction and containing a representation that the conditions of this exemption are met is filed by the seller with the director within thirty days after the first sale for which this exemption is claimed, except that failure to give such notice may be cured by an order issued by the director in his or her discretion, and (c) any such transaction is effected by a trustee, director, officer, employee, or volunteer of the seller who is either a volunteer or is engaged in the overall fundraising activities of a charitable organization and receives no commission or other special compensation based on the number or the value of interests sold in the fund;

(22) Any offer or sale of any viatical settlement contract or any fractionalized or pooled interest therein in a transaction that meets all of the following criteria:

(a) Sales of such securities are made only to the following purchasers:

(i) A natural person who, either individually or jointly with the person's spouse, (A) has a minimum net worth of two hundred fifty thousand dollars and had taxable income in excess of one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars in each of the two most recent years and has a reasonable expectation of reaching the same income level in the current year or (B) has a minimum net worth of five hundred thousand dollars. Net worth shall be determined exclusive of home, home furnishings, and automobiles;

(ii) A corporation, partnership, or other organization specifically formed for the purpose of acquiring securities offered by the issuer in reliance upon this exemption if each equity owner of the corporation, partnership, or other organization is a person described in subdivision (22)(a)(i) of this section;

(iii) A pension or profit-sharing trust of the issuer, a self-employed individual retirement plan, or an individual retirement account, if the investment decisions made on behalf of the trust, plan, or account are made solely by persons described in subdivision (22)(a)(i) of this section; or

(iv) An organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as defined in section 49-801.01, or a corporation, Massachusetts or similar business trust, or partnership with total assets in excess of five million dollars according to its most recent audited financial statements;

(b) The amount of the investment of any purchaser, except a purchaser described in subdivision (a)(ii) of this subdivision, does not exceed five percent of the net worth, as determined by this subdivision, of that purchaser;

(c) Each purchaser represents that the purchaser is purchasing for the purchaser's own account or trust account, if the purchaser is a trustee, and not with a view to or for sale in connection with a distribution of the security;

(d)(i) Each purchaser receives, on or before the date the purchaser remits consideration pursuant to the purchase agreement, the following information in writing:

(A) The name, principal business and mailing addresses, and telephone number of the issuer;

(B) The suitability standards for prospective purchasers as set forth in subdivision (a) of this subdivision;

(C) A description of the issuer's type of business organization and the state in which the issuer is organized or incorporated;

(D) A brief description of the business of the issuer;

(E) If the issuer retains ownership or becomes the beneficiary of the insurance policy, an audit report from an independent certified public accountant together with a balance sheet and related statements of income, retained earnings, and cash flows that reflect the issuer's financial position, the results of the issuer's operations, and the issuer's cash flows as of a date within fifteen months before the date of the initial issuance of the securities described in this subdivision. The financial statements shall be prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. If the date of the audit report is more than one hundred twenty days before the date of the initial issuance of the securities described in this subdivision, the issuer shall provide unaudited interim financial statements;

(F) The names of all directors, officers, partners, members, or trustees of the issuer;

(G) A description of any order, judgment, or decree that is final as to the issuing entity of any state, federal, or foreign governmental agency or administrator, or of any state, federal, or foreign court of competent jurisdiction (I) revoking, suspending, denying, or censuring for cause any license, permit, or other authority of the issuer or of any director, officer, partner, member, trustee, or person owning or controlling, directly or indirectly, ten percent or more of the outstanding interest or equity securities of the issuer, to engage in the securities, commodities, franchise, insurance, real estate, or lending business or in the offer or sale of securities, commodities, franchises, insurance, real estate, or loans, (II) permanently restraining, enjoining, barring, suspending, or censuring any such person from engaging in or continuing any conduct, practice, or employment in connection with the offer or sale of securities, commodities, franchises, insurance, real estate, or loans, (III) convicting any such person of, or pleading nolo contendere by any such person to, any felony or misdemeanor involving a security, commodity, franchise, insurance, real estate, or loan, or any aspect of the securities, commodities, franchise, insurance, real estate, or lending business, or involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, embezzlement, fraudulent conversion, or misappropriation of property, or (IV) holding any such person liable in a civil action involving breach of a fiduciary duty, fraud, deceit, embezzlement, fraudulent conversion, or misappropriation of property. This subdivision does not apply to any order, judgment, or decree that has been vacated or overturned or is more than ten years old;

(H) Notice of the purchaser's right to rescind or cancel the investment and receive a refund;

(I) A statement to the effect that any projected rate of return to the purchaser from the purchase of a viatical settlement contract or any fractionalized or pooled interest therein is based on an estimated life expectancy for the person insured under the life insurance policy; that the return on the purchase may vary substantially from the expected rate of return based upon the actual life expectancy of the insured that may be less than, may be equal to, or may greatly exceed the estimated life expectancy; and that the rate of return would be higher if the actual life expectancy were less than, and lower if the actual life expectancy were greater than, the estimated life expectancy of the insured at the time the viatical settlement contract was closed;

(J) A statement that the purchaser should consult with his or her tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the purchase of the viatical settlement contract or any fractionalized or pooled interest therein; and

(K) Any other information as may be prescribed by rule and regulation or order of the director; and

(ii) The purchaser receives in writing at least five business days prior to closing the transaction:

(A) The name, address, and telephone number of the issuing insurance company and the name, address, and telephone number of the state or foreign country regulator of the insurance company;

(B) The total face value of the insurance policy and the percentage of the insurance policy the purchaser will own;

(C) The insurance policy number, issue date, and type;

(D) If a group insurance policy, the name, address, and telephone number of the group and, if applicable, the material terms and conditions of converting the policy to an individual policy, including the amount of increased premiums;

(E) If a term insurance policy, the term and the name, address, and telephone number of the person who will be responsible for renewing the policy if necessary;

(F) That the insurance policy is beyond the state statute for contestability and the reason therefor;

(G) The insurance policy premiums and terms of premium payments;

(H) The amount of the purchaser's money that will be set aside to pay premiums;

(I) The name, address, and telephone number of the person who will be the insurance policyowner and the person who will be responsible for paying premiums;

(J) The date on which the purchaser will be required to pay premiums and the amount of the premium, if known; and

(K) Any other information as may be prescribed by rule and regulation or order of the director;

(e) The purchaser may rescind or cancel the purchase for any reason by giving written notice of rescission or cancellation to the issuer or the issuer's agent within (i) fifteen calendar days after the date the purchaser remits the required consideration or receives the disclosure required under subdivision (d)(i) of this subdivision and (ii) five business days after the date the purchaser receives the disclosure required by subdivision (d)(ii) of this subdivision. No specific form is required for the rescission or cancellation. The notice is effective when personally delivered, deposited in the United States mail, or deposited with a commercial courier or delivery service. The issuer shall refund all the purchaser's money within seven calendar days after receiving the notice of rescission or cancellation;

(f) A notice of the issuer's intent to sell securities pursuant to this subdivision, signed by a duly authorized officer of the issuer and notarized, together with a filing fee of two hundred dollars, is filed with the department before any offers or sales of securities are made under this subdivision. Such notice shall include:

(i) The issuer's name, the issuer's type of organization, the state in which the issuer is organized, the date the issuer intends to begin selling securities within or from this state, and the issuer's principal business;

(ii) A consent to service of process; and

(iii) An audit report of an independent certified public accountant together with a balance sheet and related statements of income, retained earnings and cash flows that reflect the issuer's financial position, the results of the issuer's operations, and the issuer's cash flows as of a date within fifteen months before the date of the notice prescribed in this subdivision. The financial statements shall be prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and shall be examined according to generally accepted auditing standards. If the date of the audit report is more than one hundred twenty days before the date of the notice prescribed in this subdivision, the issuer shall provide unaudited interim financial statements;

(g) No commission or remuneration is paid directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective purchaser, except to a registered agent of a registered broker-dealer or registered issuer-dealer; and

(h) At least ten days before use within this state, the issuer files with the department all advertising and sales materials that will be published, exhibited, broadcast, or otherwise used, directly or indirectly, in the offer or sale of a viatical settlement contract in this state;

(23) Any transaction in this state not involving a public offering by a Nebraska issuer selling solely to Nebraska residents when:

(a) The proceeds from all sales of securities by the issuer in any two-year period do not exceed seven hundred fifty thousand dollars or such greater amount as from time to time may be set in accordance with rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the director to adjust the amount to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers as prepared by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and at least eighty percent of the proceeds are used in Nebraska;

(b) No commission or other remuneration is paid or given directly or indirectly for soliciting any prospective buyer except to a registered agent of a registered broker-dealer;

(c) The issuer, any partner or limited liability company member of the issuer, any officer, director, or any person occupying a similar status of the issuer, any person performing similar functions for the issuer, or any person holding a direct or indirect ownership interest in the issuer or in any way a beneficial interest in such sale of securities of the issuer, has not been:

(i) Found by a final order of any state or federal administrative agency or a court of competent jurisdiction to have violated any provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska or a similar act of any other state or of the United States;

(ii) Convicted of any felony or misdemeanor in connection with the offer, purchase, or sale of any security or any felony involving fraud or deceit, including, but not limited to, forgery, embezzlement, obtaining money under false pretenses, larceny, or conspiracy to defraud;

(iii) Found by any state or federal administrative agency or court of competent jurisdiction to have engaged in fraud or deceit, including, but not limited to, making an untrue statement of a material fact or omitting to state a material fact; or

(iv) Temporarily or preliminarily restrained or enjoined by a court of competent jurisdiction from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with the purchase or sale of any security or involving the making of any false filing with any state or with the Securities and Exchange Commission;

(d)(i) At least fifteen business days prior to the offer or sale, the issuer files a notice with the director, which notice shall include:

(A) The name, address, telephone number, and email address of the issuer;

(B) The name and address of each person holding direct or indirect ownership or beneficial interest in the issuer;

(C) The amount of the offering; and

(D) The type of security being offered, the manner in which purchasers will be solicited, and a statement made upon oath or affirmation that the conditions of this exemption have been or will be met.

(ii) Failure to give such notice may be cured by an order issued by the director in his or her discretion;

(e) Prior to payment of consideration for the securities, the offeree receives a written disclosure statement containing (i) a description of the proposed use of the proceeds of the offering; (ii) the name of each partner or limited liability company member of the issuer, officer, director, or person occupying a similar status of the issuer or performing similar functions for the issuer; and (iii) the financial condition of the issuer;

(f) The purchaser signs a subscription agreement in which the purchaser acknowledges that he or she:

(i) Has received the written disclosure statement;

(ii) Understands the investment involves a high level of risk; and

(iii) Has the financial resources to withstand the total loss of the money invested; and

(g) The issuer, within thirty days after the completion of the offering, files with the department a statement indicating the number of investors, the total dollar amount raised, and the use of the offering proceeds; or

(24)(a) An offer or a sale of a security made after August 30, 2015, by an issuer if the offer or sale is conducted in accordance with all the following requirements:

(i) The issuer of the security is a business entity organized under the laws of Nebraska and authorized to do business in Nebraska;

(ii) The transaction meets the requirements of the federal exemption for intrastate offerings in section 3(a)(11) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 147 adopted under the Securities Act of 1933, or complies with Rule 147A adopted under the Securities Act of 1933;

(iii) Except as provided in subdivision (c) of this subdivision, the sum of all cash and other consideration to be received for all sales of the security in reliance on the exemption under this subdivision, excluding sales to any accredited investor, does not exceed the following amount:

(A) If the issuer has not undergone, and made available to each prospective investor and the director the documentation resulting from, a financial audit of its most recently completed fiscal year that complies with generally accepted accounting principles, one million dollars, less the aggregate amount received for all sales of securities by the issuer within the twelve months before the first offer or sale made in reliance on the exemption under this subdivision; or

(B) If the issuer has undergone, and made available to each prospective investor and the director the documentation resulting from, a financial audit of its most recently completed fiscal year that complies with generally accepted accounting principles, two million dollars, less the aggregate amount received for all sales of securities by the issuer within the twelve months before the first offer or sale made in reliance on the exemption under this subdivision;

(iv) The issuer does not accept more than five thousand dollars from any single purchaser except that such limitation shall not apply to an accredited investor;

(v) Unless waived by written consent by the director, not less than ten days before the commencement of an offering of securities in reliance on the exemption under this subdivision, the issuer must do all the following:

(A) Make a notice filing with the department on a form prescribed by the director;

(B) Pay a filing fee of two hundred dollars. However, no filing fee is required to file amendments to the form;

(C) Provide the director a copy of the disclosure document to be provided to prospective investors under subdivision (a)(xi) of this subdivision;

(D) Provide the director a copy of an escrow agreement with a bank, regulated trust company, savings bank, savings and loan association, or credit union authorized to do business in Nebraska in which the issuer will deposit the investor funds or cause the investor funds to be deposited. The bank, regulated trust company, savings bank, savings and loan association, or credit union in which the investor funds are deposited is only responsible to act at the direction of the party establishing the escrow agreement and does not have any duty or liability, contractual or otherwise, to any investor or other person;

(E) The issuer shall not access the escrow funds until the aggregate funds raised from all investors equals or exceeds the minimum amount specified in the escrow agreement; and

(F) An investor may cancel the investor's commitment to invest if the target offering amount is not raised before the time stated in the escrow agreement;

(vi) The issuer is not, either before or as a result of the offering, an investment company, as defined in section 3 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, an entity that would be an investment company but for the exclusions provided in section 3(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, or subject to the reporting requirements of section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934;

(vii) The issuer informs all prospective purchasers of securities offered under an exemption under this subdivision that the securities have not been registered under federal or state securities law and that the securities are subject to limitations on resale. The issuer shall display the following legend conspicuously on the cover page of the disclosure document:

IN MAKING AN INVESTMENT DECISION, INVESTORS MUST RELY ON THEIR OWN EXAMINATION OF THE ISSUER AND THE TERMS OF THE OFFERING, INCLUDING THE MERITS AND RISKS INVOLVED. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN RECOMMENDED BY ANY FEDERAL OR STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT, OR DIVISION OR OTHER REGULATORY AUTHORITY. FURTHERMORE, THE FOREGOING AUTHORITIES HAVE NOT CONFIRMED THE ACCURACY OR DETERMINED THE ADEQUACY OF THIS DOCUMENT. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE. THESE SECURITIES ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFERABILITY AND RESALE AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED OR RESOLD EXCEPT AS PERMITTED BY SUBSECTION (e) OF SEC RULE 147 OR SUBSECTION (e) OF RULE 147A ADOPTED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 AND THE APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS, PURSUANT TO REGISTRATION OR EXEMPTION THEREFROM. INVESTORS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THEY WILL BE REQUIRED TO BEAR THE FINANCIAL RISKS OF THIS INVESTMENT FOR AN INDEFINITE PERIOD OF TIME.;

(viii) The issuer requires each purchaser to certify in writing or electronically as follows:

I understand and acknowledge that I am investing in a high-risk, speculative business venture. I may lose all of my investment, or under some circumstances more than my investment, and I can afford this loss. This offering has not been reviewed or approved by any state or federal securities commission, department, or division or other regulatory authority and no such person or authority has confirmed the accuracy or determined the adequacy of any disclosure made to me relating to this offering. The securities I am acquiring in this offering are illiquid, there is no ready market for the sale of such securities, it may be difficult or impossible for me to sell or otherwise dispose of this investment, and, accordingly, I may be required to hold this investment indefinitely. I may be subject to tax on my share of the taxable income and losses of the company, whether or not I have sold or otherwise disposed of my investment or received any dividends or other distributions from the company.;

(ix) The issuer obtains from each purchaser of a security offered under an exemption under this subdivision evidence that the purchaser is a resident of Nebraska and, if applicable, is an individual accredited investor;

(x) All payments for purchase of securities offered under an exemption under this subdivision are directed to and held by the financial institution specified in subdivision (a)(v)(D) of this subdivision. The director may request from the financial institutions information necessary to ensure compliance with this section. This information is not a public record and is not available for public inspection;

(xi) The issuer of securities offered under an exemption under this subdivision provides a disclosure document to each prospective investor at the time the offer of securities is made to the prospective investor that contains all the following:

(A) A description of the company, its type of entity, the address and telephone number of its principal office, its history, its business plan, and the intended use of the offering proceeds, including any amounts to be paid, as compensation or otherwise, to any owner, executive officer, director, managing member, or other person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions on behalf of the issuer;

(B) The identity of all persons owning more than twenty percent of the ownership interests of any class of securities of the company;

(C) The identity of the executive officers, directors, managing members, and other persons occupying a similar status or performing similar functions in the name of and on behalf of the issuer, including their titles and their prior experience;

(D) The terms and conditions of the securities being offered and of any outstanding securities of the company; the minimum and maximum amount of securities being offered, if any; either the percentage ownership of the company represented by the offered securities or the valuation of the company implied by the price of the offered securities; the price per share, unit, or interest of the securities being offered; any restrictions on transfer of the securities being offered; and a disclosure of any anticipated future issuance of securities that might dilute the value of securities being offered;

(E) The identity of any person who has been or will be retained by the issuer to assist the issuer in conducting the offering and sale of the securities, including any portal operator but excluding persons acting solely as accountants or attorneys and employees whose primary job responsibilities involve the operating business of the issuer rather than assisting the issuer in raising capital;

(F) For each person identified as required in subdivision (a)(xi)(E) of this subdivision, a description of the consideration being paid to the person for such assistance;

(G) A description of any litigation, legal proceedings, or pending regulatory action involving the company or its management;

(H) The names and addresses of each portal operator that will be offering or selling the issuer's securities under an exemption under this subdivision;

(I) The Uniform Resource Locator for each funding portal that will be used by the portal operator to offer or sell the issuer's securities under an exemption under this subdivision; and

(J) Any additional information material to the offering, including, if appropriate, a discussion of significant factors that make the offering speculative or risky. This discussion must be concise and organized logically and may not be limited to risks that could apply to any issuer or any offering;

(xii) The offering or sale exempted under this subdivision is made exclusively through one or more funding portals and each funding portal is subject to the following:

(A) Before any offer or sale of securities, the issuer must provide to the portal operator evidence that the issuer is organized under the laws of Nebraska and is authorized to do business in Nebraska;

(B) Subject to subdivisions (a)(xii)(C) and (E) of this subdivision, the portal operator must register with the department by filing a statement, accompanied by a two-hundred-dollar filing fee, that includes the following information:

(I) Documentation which demonstrates that the portal operator is a business entity and authorized to do business in Nebraska;

(II) A representation that the funding portal is being used to offer and sell securities pursuant to the exemption under this subdivision; and

(III) The identity and location of, and contact information for, the portal operator;

(C) The portal operator is not required to register as a broker-dealer if all of the following apply with respect to the funding portal and its portal operator:

(I) It does not offer investment advice or recommendations;

(II) It does not solicit purchases, sales, or offers to buy the securities offered or displayed on the funding portal;

(III) It does not compensate employees, agents, or other persons for the solicitation or based on the sale of securities displayed or referenced on the funding portal;

(IV) It is not compensated based on the amount of securities sold, and it does not hold, manage, possess, or otherwise handle investor funds or securities;

(V) The fee it charges an issuer for an offering of securities on the funding portal is a fixed amount for each offering, a variable amount based on the length of time that the securities are offered on the funding portal, or a combination of the fixed and variable amounts;

(VI) It does not identify, promote, or otherwise refer to any individual security offered on the funding portal in any advertising for the funding portal;

(VII) It does not engage in any other activities that the director, by rule and regulation or order, determines are prohibited of the funding portal; and

(VIII) Neither the portal operator, nor any director, executive officer, general partner, managing member, or other person with management authority over the portal operator, has been subject to any conviction, order, judgment, decree, or other action specified in Rule 506(d)(1) adopted under the Securities Act of 1933, that would disqualify an issuer under Rule 506(d) adopted under the Securities Act of 1933, from claiming an exemption specified in Rule 506(a) to Rule 506(c) adopted under the Securities Act of 1933. However, this subdivision does not apply if both of the following are met:

(1) On a showing of good cause and without prejudice to any other action by the Director of Banking and Finance, the director determines that it is not necessary under the circumstances that an exemption is denied; and

(2) The portal operator establishes that it made a factual inquiry into whether any disqualification existed under this subdivision but did not know, and in the exercise of reasonable care, could not have known, that a disqualification existed under this subdivision. The nature and scope of the requisite inquiry will vary based on the circumstances of the issuer and the other offering participants;

(D) If any change occurs that affects the funding portal's registration exemption, the portal operator must notify the department within thirty days after the change occurs;

(E) A registered broker-dealer who also serves as a portal operator must register with the department as a portal operator pursuant to subdivision (a)(xii)(B) of this subdivision, except that the fee for registration shall be waived;

(F) The issuer and the portal operator must maintain records of all offers and sales of securities effected through the funding portal and must provide ready access to the records to the department, upon request. The records of a portal operator under this subdivision are subject to the reasonable periodic, special, or other audits or inspections by a representative of the director, in or outside Nebraska, as the director considers necessary or appropriate in the public interest and for the protection of investors. An audit or inspection may be made at any time and without prior notice. The director may copy, and remove for audit or inspection copies of, all records the director reasonably considers necessary or appropriate to conduct the audit or inspection. The director may assess a reasonable charge for conducting an audit or inspection under this subdivision;

(G) The portal operator shall limit website access to the offer or sale of securities to only Nebraska residents;

(H) The portal operator shall not hold, manage, possess, or handle investor funds or securities; and

(I) The portal operator may not be an investor in any Nebraska offering under this subdivision.

(b) An issuer of a security, the offer and sale of which is exempt under this subdivision, shall provide, free of charge, a quarterly report to the issuer's investors until no securities issued under an exemption under this subdivision are outstanding. An issuer may satisfy the reporting requirement of this subdivision by making the information available on a funding portal if the information is made available within forty-five days after the end of each fiscal quarter and remains available until the succeeding quarterly report is issued. An issuer shall file each quarterly report under this subdivision with the department and, if the quarterly report is made available on a funding portal, the issuer shall also provide a written copy of the report to any investor upon request. The report must contain all the following:

(i) Compensation received by each director and executive officer, including cash compensation earned since the previous report and on an annual basis and any bonuses, stock options, other rights to receive securities of the issuer or any affiliate of the issuer, or other compensation received; and

(ii) An analysis by management of the issuer of the business operations and financial condition of the issuer.

(c) An offer or a sale under this subdivision to an officer, director, partner, trustee, or individual occupying similar status or performing similar functions with respect to the issuer or to a person owning ten percent or more of the outstanding shares of any class or classes of securities of the issuer does not count toward the monetary limitations in subdivision (a)(iii) of this subdivision.

(d) The exemption under this subdivision may not be used in conjunction with any other exemption under the Securities Act of Nebraska, except for offers and sales to individuals identified in the disclosure document, during the immediately preceding twelve-month period.

(e) The exemption under this subdivision does not apply if an issuer or any director, executive officer, general partner, managing member, or other person with management authority over the issuer, has been subject to any conviction, order, judgment, decree, or other action specified in Rule 506(d)(1) adopted under the Securities Act of 1933, that would disqualify an issuer under Rule 506(d) adopted under the Securities Act of 1933, from claiming an exemption specified in Rule 506(a) to Rule 506(c) adopted under the Securities Act of 1933. However, this subdivision does not apply if both of the following are met:

(i) On a showing of good cause and without prejudice to any other action by the Director of Banking and Finance, the director determines that it is not necessary under the circumstances that an exemption is denied; and

(ii) The issuer establishes that it made a factual inquiry into whether any disqualification existed under this subdivision but did not know, and in the exercise of reasonable care, could not have known, that a disqualification existed under this subdivision. The nature and scope of the requisite inquiry will vary based on the circumstances of the issuer and the other offering participants.

(f) For purposes of this subdivision:

(i) Accredited investor means a bank, a savings institution, a trust company, an insurance company, an investment company as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, a pension or profit-sharing trust or other financial institution or institutional buyer, an individual accredited investor, or a broker-dealer, whether the purchaser is acting for itself or in some fiduciary capacity;

(ii) Funding portal means an Internet website that is operated by a portal operator for the offer and sale of securities pursuant to this subdivision;

(iii) Individual accredited investor means (A) any director, executive officer, or general partner of the issuer of the securities being offered or sold, or any director, executive officer, or general partner of a general partner of that issuer, (B) any manager of a limited liability company that is the issuer of the securities being offered or sold, (C) any natural person whose individual net worth, or joint net worth with that person's spouse, at the time of his or her purchase, exceeds one million dollars, excluding the value of the primary residence of such person, or (D) any natural person who had an individual income in excess of two hundred thousand dollars in each of the two most recent years or joint income with that person's spouse in excess of three hundred thousand dollars in each of those years and has a reasonable expectation of reaching the same income level in the current year; and

(iv) Portal operator means an entity authorized to do business in this state which operates a funding portal and has registered with the department as required by this subdivision.

Registering as a broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative under the Securities Act of Nebraska or directly or indirectly offering a security or investment adviser services in this state shall constitute sufficient contact with this state for the exercise of personal jurisdiction over such a person in any action which arises under the act.

It shall be unlawful for any person to make or cause to be made, in any document filed with the director or in any proceeding under the Securities Act of Nebraska, any statement which is, at the time and in the light of the circumstances under which it is made, false or misleading in any material respect.

Neither the fact that an application for registration or notice filing under section 8-1103, a notice filing under section 8-1108.02, or a registration statement under section 8-1106 or 8-1107 has been filed, nor the fact that a person or security is effectively registered, shall constitute a finding by the director that any document filed under the Securities Act of Nebraska is true, complete, and not misleading. Neither any such fact nor the fact that an exemption or exception is available for a security or a transaction shall mean that the director has passed in any way upon the merits or qualifications of, or recommended or given approval to, any person, security, or transaction. It shall be unlawful to make, or cause to be made, to any prospective purchaser, customer, or client any representation inconsistent with this section.

(1) The director in his or her discretion (a) may make such public or private investigations within or without this state as he or she deems necessary to determine whether any registration should be granted, denied, or revoked or whether any person has violated or is about to violate the Securities Act of Nebraska or any rule and regulation or order under the act or to aid in the enforcement of the act or in the adopting and promulgating of rules and regulations and the prescribing of forms under the act, (b) may require or permit any person to file a statement in writing, under oath or otherwise as the director may determine, as to all the facts and circumstances concerning the matter to be investigated, and (c) may publish information concerning any violation of the act or any rule and regulation or order under the act. In the discretion of the director, the actual expense of any such investigation may be charged to the applicant or person who is the subject of the investigation.

(2) For the purpose of any investigation or proceeding under the act, the director or any person designated by him or her may administer oaths and affirmations, subpoena witnesses, compel their attendance, take evidence, and require the production of any books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, agreements, or other documents or records which the director deems relevant or material to the inquiry.

(3) At the request of an administrator responsible for enforcement of the securities laws of another state, the director may issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of any person or require the production of records in this state if the alleged violation being investigated would be a violation of the Securities Act of Nebraska if the activities had occurred in this state.

(4) In case of contumacy by or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to any person, any court of competent jurisdiction, upon application by the director, may issue to such person an order requiring him or her to appear before the director, or the officer designated by the director, there to produce documentary evidence if so ordered or to give evidence touching the matter under investigation or in question. Any failure to obey the order of the court may be punished by the court as a contempt of court.

It shall be unlawful for any person with respect to any investigation or other proceeding under the Securities Act of Nebraska to: (1) Alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal; (2) make a false entry in or by any means falsify; or (3) remove from any place or withhold from investigators or officials any record, document, or electronic or physical evidence with the intent to impede, obstruct, avoid, evade, or influence the investigation or administration of any other proceeding under the act.

Whenever it appears to the director that any person has engaged or is about to engage in any act or practice constituting a violation of any provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska or any rule and regulation or order under the act, the director may in his or her discretion bring an action in any court of competent jurisdiction to enjoin any such acts or practices and to enforce compliance with the Securities Act of Nebraska or any rule and regulation or order under the act. Upon a proper showing, a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order, or writ of mandamus shall be granted and a receiver or conservator may be appointed for the defendant's assets. Upon a proper showing by the director, the court may invoke its equitable powers under the law and issue an order of rescission, restitution, or disgorgement, an order freezing assets, an order requiring an accounting, or a writ of attachment or writ of general or specific execution, directed to any person who has engaged in or is engaging in any act constituting a violation of any provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska or any rule and regulation or order under the act. Neither the director nor any receiver appointed pursuant to this section shall be required to post a bond.

(1) Any person who willfully violates any provision of the Securities Act of Nebraska except section 8-1113, or who willfully violates any rule and regulation or order under the act, or who willfully violates the provisions of section 8-1113 knowing the statement made to be false or misleading in any material respect is guilty of a Class IV felony. No indictment may be returned or information filed under the act more than five years after the alleged violation.

(2) The director may refer such evidence as may be available concerning violations of the act or any rule and regulation or order under the act to the Attorney General or the proper county attorney, who may in his or her discretion, with or without such a reference, institute the appropriate criminal proceedings under the act.

(3) Nothing in the act shall limit the power of the state to punish any person for any conduct which constitutes a crime by statute or at common law.

(1) Any person who offers or sells a security in violation of section 8-1104 or offers or sells a security by means of any untrue statement of a material fact or any omission to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made in the light of the circumstances under which they are made not misleading, the buyer not knowing of the untruth or omission, and who does not sustain the burden of proof that he or she did not know and in the exercise of reasonable care could not have known of the untruth or omission, shall be liable to the person buying the security from him or her, who may sue either at law or in equity to recover the consideration paid for the security, together with interest at six percent per annum from the date of payment, costs, and reasonable attorney's fees, less the amount of any income received on the security, upon the tender of the security, or for damages if he or she no longer owns the security, except that in actions brought based on a transaction exempt from registration under subdivision (23) of section 8-1111, no person shall be liable for any statement of a material fact made or for an omission of a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statement made not misleading unless such statement or omission was made with the intent to defraud or mislead, with the burden of proof in such cases being on the claimant. Damages shall be the amount that would be recoverable upon a tender less (a) the value of the security when the buyer disposed of it and (b) interest at six percent per annum from the date of disposition.

(2) Any investment adviser who provides investment adviser services to another person which results in a willful violation of subsection (2), (3), or (4) of section 8-1102, subsection (2) of section 8-1103, or section 8-1114 or any investment adviser who employs any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud such person or engages in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on such person shall be liable to such person. Such person may sue either at law or in equity to recover the consideration paid for the investment adviser services and any loss due to such investment adviser services, together with interest at six percent per annum from the date of payment of the consideration plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees, less the amount of any income received from such investment adviser services and any other economic benefit.

(3) Every person who directly or indirectly controls a person liable under subsections (1) and (2) of this section, including every partner, limited liability company member, officer, director, or person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions of a partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director, or employee of such person who materially aids in the conduct giving rise to liability, and every broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative who materially aids in such conduct shall be liable jointly and severally with and to the same extent as such person, unless able to sustain the burden of proof that he or she did not know, and in the exercise of reasonable care could not have known, of the existence of the facts by reason of which the liability is alleged to exist. There shall be contribution as in cases of contract among the several persons so liable.

(4) Any tender specified in this section may be made at any time before entry of judgment. Every cause of action under the Securities Act of Nebraska shall survive the death of any person who might have been a plaintiff or defendant. No person may sue under this section more than three years after the contract of sale or the rendering of investment advice. No person may sue under this section (a) if the buyer received a written offer, before an action is commenced and at a time when he or she owned the security, to refund the consideration paid together with interest at six percent per annum from the date of payment, less the amount of any income received on the security, and the buyer failed to accept the offer within thirty days of its receipt, or (b) if the buyer received such an offer before an action is commenced and at a time when he or she did not own the security, unless the buyer rejected the offer in writing within thirty days of its receipt.

(5) No person who has made or engaged in the performance of any contract in violation of any provision of the act or any rule and regulation or order under the act, or who has acquired any purported right under any such contract with knowledge of the facts by reason of which its making or performance was in violation, may base any action on the contract. Any condition, stipulation, or provision binding any person acquiring any security or receiving any investment advice to waive compliance with any provision of the act or any rule and regulation or order under the act shall be void.

Any person aggrieved by a final order of the director may appeal the order, and the appeal shall be in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Securities Act of Nebraska shall be administered by the Director of Banking and Finance who may employ such deputies, examiners, assistants, or counsel as may be reasonably necessary for the purpose thereof. The employment of any person for the administration of the act is subject to section 49-1499.07. The director may delegate to a deputy director or counsel any powers, authority, and duties imposed upon or granted to the director under the act, such as may be lawfully delegated under the common law or the statutes of this state. The director may also employ special counsel with respect to any investigation conducted by him or her under the act or with respect to any litigation to which the director is a party under the act.

(2) A security issued by and representing an interest in or a debt of, or guaranteed by, any insurance company shall be registered, pursuant to the provisions of sections 8-1104 to 8-1109, with the Director of Insurance who shall as to such registrations administer and enforce the act, and as pertains to the administration and enforcement of such registration of such securities all references in the act to director shall mean the Director of Insurance.

(3)(a) It shall be unlawful for the director or any of his or her employees to use for personal benefit any information which is filed with or obtained by the director and which is not made public. Neither the director nor any of his or her employees shall disclose any confidential information except among themselves, when necessary or appropriate in a proceeding, examination, or investigation under the act, or as authorized in subdivision (3)(b) of this subsection. No provision of the act shall either create or derogate from any privilege which exists at common law or otherwise when documentary or other evidence is sought under a subpoena directed to the director or any of his or her employees.

(b)(i) In administering the act, the director may also:

(A) Enter into agreements or relationships with other government officials, including, but not limited to, the securities administrator of a foreign state and the Securities and Exchange Commission, or self-regulatory organizations, to share resources, standardized or uniform methods or procedures, and documents, records, and information; or

(B) Accept and rely on examination or investigation reports made by other government officials, including, but not limited to, the securities administrator of a foreign state and the Securities and Exchange Commission, or self-regulatory organizations.

(ii) For purposes of this subdivision, foreign state means any state of the United States, other than the State of Nebraska, any territory of the United States, including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.

(4) The director may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations and prescribe forms to carry out the act. No rule and regulation may be adopted and promulgated or form may be prescribed unless the director finds that the action is necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors and consistent with the purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of the act. In adopting and promulgating rules and regulations and prescribing forms the director may cooperate with the securities administrators of the other states and the Securities and Exchange Commission with a view to effectuating the policy of the Securities Act of Nebraska to achieve maximum uniformity in the form and content of registration statements, applications, and reports wherever practicable. All rules and regulations and forms of the director shall be published and made available to any person upon request.

(5) No provision of the act imposing any liability shall apply to any act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any rule and regulation, form, or order of the director, notwithstanding that the rule and regulation or form may later be amended or rescinded or be determined by judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason.

(6) Every hearing in an administrative proceeding shall be public unless the director in his or her discretion grants a request joined in by all the respondents that the hearing be conducted privately.

(7)(a) The Securities Act Cash Fund is created. All filing fees, registration fees, and all other fees and all money collected by or paid to the director under any of the provisions of the act shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the fund, except that registration fees collected by or paid to the Director of Insurance pursuant to the provisions of the act shall be credited to the Department of Insurance Cash Fund. The Securities Act Cash Fund shall be used for the purpose of administering and enforcing the provisions of the act, except that transfers may be made to the General Fund at the direction of the Legislature. Any money in the Securities Act Cash Fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.

(b) The State Treasurer shall transfer thirty-four million dollars from the Securities Act Cash Fund to the General Fund on or before June 30, 2026, on such dates and in such amounts as directed by the budget administrator of the budget division of the Department of Administrative Services. The State Treasurer shall transfer twenty-eight million dollars from the Securities Act Cash Fund to the General Fund on or before June 30, 2027, on such dates and in such amounts as directed by the budget administrator of the budget division of the Department of Administrative Services. The State Treasurer shall transfer twenty-eight million dollars from the Securities Act Cash Fund to the General Fund on or before June 30, 2028, on such dates and in such amounts as directed by the budget administrator of the budget division of the Department of Administrative Services. The State Treasurer shall transfer twenty-eight million dollars from the Securities Act Cash Fund to the General Fund on or before June 30, 2029, on such dates and in such amounts as directed by the budget administrator of the budget division of the Department of Administrative Services.

(8) A document is filed when it is received by the director. The director shall keep a register of all applications for registration and registration statements which are or have ever been effective under the Securities Act of Nebraska and all denial, suspension, or revocation orders which have ever been entered under the act. The register shall be open for public inspection. The information contained in or filed with any registration statement, application, or report may be made available to the public under such conditions as the director may prescribe.

(9) The director may, by rule and regulation or order, authorize or require the filing of any document required to be filed under the act by electronic or other means, processes, or systems.

(10) Upon request and at such reasonable charges as he or she shall prescribe, the director shall furnish to any person photostatic or other copies, certified under his or her seal of office if requested, of any entry in the register or any document which is a matter of public record. In any proceeding or prosecution under the act, any copy so certified shall be prima facie evidence of the contents of the entry or document certified.

(11) The director in his or her discretion may honor requests from interested persons for interpretative opinions.

In any proceeding under the Securities Act of Nebraska, the burden of proving an exemption or an exception from a definition shall be upon the person claiming it.

The Securities Act of Nebraska shall be construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of those states which enact it and to coordinate the interpretation and administration of the act with the related federal regulation.

The federal limits on the registration of securities, dealers, brokers, broker-dealers, agents, and investment advisers as provided in the federal Philanthropy Protection Act of 1995, Public Law 104-62, shall not apply in Nebraska and are hereby rejected by the State of Nebraska pursuant to section 6(c) of such act. The State of Nebraska elects to retain the authority to require or not require such registration under the Securities Act of Nebraska and to retain the authority to have such registration requirements apply in all administrative and judicial actions commenced after July 15, 1998.

Sections 8-1101 to 8-1123 shall be known and may be cited as the Securities Act of Nebraska.

For the purposes of sections 8-1302 and 8-1303, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Fiduciary shall mean a trustee under any trust, expressed, implied, resulting, or constructive, personal representative, administrator, guardian, committee, conservator, curator, tutor, custodian, nominee, receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, assignee for the benefit of creditors, partner, member, agent, officer of any corporation, public or private, public officer, or any other person acting in a fiduciary capacity for any person, trust, or estate; and

(2) Person shall mean any individual, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, two or more persons having a joint or common interest, or other legal or commercial entity.

(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any fiduciary holding securities in its fiduciary capacity, any bank or trust company holding securities as a custodian or managing agent, and any bank or trust company holding securities as custodian for a fiduciary is authorized to deposit or arrange for the deposit of such securities in a clearing corporation, as defined in section 8-102, Uniform Commercial Code, or with any other agency or organization. When such securities are so deposited, certificates representing securities of the same class of the same issuer may be merged and held in bulk in the name of the nominee of such clearing corporation, agency or other organization with any other such securities deposited in such clearing corporation by any person regardless of the ownership of such securities. Certificates of small denomination may be merged into one or more certificates of larger denomination. The records of such fiduciary and the records of such bank or trust company acting as custodian, as managing agent, or as custodian for a fiduciary shall at all times show the name of the party for whose account the securities are so deposited. Title to such securities may be transferred by bookkeeping entry on the books of such clearing corporation, agency or other organization without physical delivery of certificates representing such securities. A bank or trust company so depositing securities pursuant to this section shall be subject to such rules and regulations as, in the case of state-chartered institutions, the Director of Banking and Finance or, in the case of national banking associations, the Comptroller of the Currency may from time to time issue. A bank or trust company acting as custodian for a fiduciary shall, on demand by the fiduciary, certify in writing to the fiduciary the securities so deposited by such bank or trust company in such clearing corporation, agency or other organization for the account of such fiduciary. A fiduciary shall, on demand by any party to a judicial proceeding for the settlement of such fiduciary's account or on demand by the attorney for such party, certify in writing to such party the securities deposited by such fiduciary in such clearing corporation, agency or other organization for its account as such fiduciary.

(2) This section shall apply to any fiduciary holding securities in its fiduciary capacity, and to any bank or trust company holding securities as a custodian, managing agent, or custodian for a fiduciary, acting on September 2, 1977, or who thereafter may act regardless of the date of the agreement, instrument, or court order by which it is appointed and regardless of whether or not such fiduciary, custodian, managing agent, or custodian for a fiduciary owns capital stock of such clearing corporation.

(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any bank or trust company, when acting as a fiduciary and any bank or trust company, when holding securities as custodian for a fiduciary, is authorized to deposit, or arrange for the deposit, with the federal reserve bank in its district of any securities the principal and interest of which the United States or any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof has agreed to pay, or has guaranteed payment, to be credited to one or more accounts on the books of such federal reserve bank in the name of such bank or trust company, to be designated fiduciary or safekeeping accounts, to which account other similar securities may be credited. A bank or trust company so depositing securities with a federal reserve bank shall be subject to such rules and regulations with respect to the making and maintenance of such deposit as, in the case of state-chartered institutions, the Director of Banking and Finance or, in the case of national banking associations, the Comptroller of the Currency may from time to time issue. The records of such bank or trust company shall at all times show the ownership of the securities held in such account. Ownership of, and other interests in, the securities credited to such account may be transferred by entries on the books of such federal reserve bank without physical delivery of any securities. A bank or trust company acting as custodian for a fiduciary shall, on demand by the fiduciary, certify in writing to the fiduciary the securities so deposited by such bank or trust company with such federal reserve bank for the account of such fiduciary. A fiduciary shall, on demand by any party to its accounting or on demand by the attorney for such party, certify in writing to such party the securities deposited by such fiduciary with such federal reserve bank for its account as such fiduciary.

(2) This section shall apply to all fiduciaries, and custodians for fiduciaries, acting on September 2, 1977, or who thereafter may act regardless of the date of the instrument or court order by which they are appointed.

(1) No person organized under the Credit Union Act, the Nebraska Banking Act, the Nebraska Industrial Development Corporation Act, the Nebraska Model Business Corporation Act, the Nebraska Nonprofit Corporation Act, the Nebraska Professional Corporation Act, the Nebraska Trust Company Act, or Chapter 8, article 3, or otherwise authorized to conduct business in Nebraska or organized under the laws of the United States, shall be required to disclose any records or information, financial or otherwise, that it deems confidential concerning its affairs or the affairs of any person with which it is doing business to any person, party, agency, or organization, unless:

(a) The disclosure relates to a lawyers trust account and is required to be made to the Counsel for Discipline of the Nebraska Supreme Court pursuant to a rule adopted by the Nebraska Supreme Court;

(b) The disclosure is governed by rules for discovery promulgated pursuant to section 25-1273.01;

(c) The disclosure is made pursuant to section 8-1404;

(d) The request for disclosure is made by a law enforcement agency regarding a crime, a fraud, or any other unlawful activity in which the person to whom the request for disclosure is made is or may be a victim of such crime, fraud, or unlawful activity;

(e) The request for disclosure is made by a governmental agency which is a duly constituted supervisory regulatory agency of the person to whom the request for disclosure is made and the disclosure relates to examinations, audits, investigations, or inquiries of such persons;

(f) The request for disclosure is made pursuant to subpoena issued under the laws of this state by a governmental agency exercising investigatory or adjudicative functions with respect to a matter within the agency's jurisdiction;

(g) The production of records is pursuant to a written demand of the Tax Commissioner under section 77-375;

(h) There is first presented to such person a subpoena, summons, or warrant issued by a court of competent jurisdiction;

(i) A statute by its terms or rules and regulations adopted and promulgated thereunder requires the disclosure, other than by subpoena, summons, warrant, or court order;

(j) There is presented to such person an order of a court of competent jurisdiction setting forth the exact nature and limits of such required disclosure and a showing that all persons to be affected by such order have had reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard upon the merits of such order;

(k) The request for disclosure relates to information or records regarding the balance due, monthly payments due, payoff amounts, payment history, interest rates, due dates, or similar information for indebtedness owed by a deceased person when the request is made by a person having an ownership interest in real estate or personal property which secures such indebtedness owed to the person to whom the request for disclosure is made; or

(l) There is first presented to such person the written permission of the person about whom records or information is being sought authorizing the release of the requested records or information.

(2) Any person who makes a disclosure of records or information as required by this section shall not be held civilly or criminally liable for such disclosure in the absence of malice, bad faith, intent to deceive, or gross negligence.

(3) This section does not prohibit:

(a) The disclosure of records or information to a certified public accountant while engaged to perform an independent audit;

(b) The disclosure of records or information or the making of reports pursuant to a statute which, by its terms or rules and regulations adopted and promulgated thereunder, permits the disclosure or reports; or

(c) The disclosure, in the regular course of business, of records or information for the purpose of conducting due diligence pursuant to a proposed purchase or sale of a person subject to the provisions of this section or of the assets or liabilities of such a person.

(1) Any person, party, agency, or organization requesting disclosure of records or information pursuant to section 8-1401 shall pay the costs of providing such records or information unless:

(a) The request for disclosure is made pursuant to subdivision (1)(a) of section 8-1401 and a Nebraska Supreme Court rule provides for the method of payment;

(b) The request for disclosure is made pursuant to subdivision (1)(d) or (1)(e) of section 8-1401;

(c) Otherwise ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction; or

(d) The person making the disclosure waives any or all of the costs.

(2)(a) The requesting person, party, agency, or organization shall pay the actual cost of providing the records or information.

(b) For purposes of this subsection, actual cost means:

(i) Search and processing costs, including the total amount of personnel direct time incurred in locating and retrieving, reproducing, packaging, and preparing records or information for shipment or delivery. Search and processing costs may include the actual cost of extracting information stored by computer in the format in which it is normally produced, based on computer time and necessary supplies;

(ii) Reproduction costs incurred in making copies of records or information requested. The rate for reproduction costs for making copies of requested records or information shall be the usual rate charged by the person making the disclosure to its customers for reproducing copies, including copies produced by reader-printer reproduction processes. Photographs, films, and other materials shall be reimbursed at actual cost; and