Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 221 - State banks.
221.0316 - Trust powers.

221.0316 Trust powers.
(1) General. When authorized by the division, and after the bank has in good faith complied with all requirements of law and fulfilled all the conditions precedent to the exercise of trust powers imposed by law upon trust company banks, a bank may act as trustee, personal representative, registrar of stocks and bonds, guardian of estates, assignee, receiver, and in any other fiduciary capacity in which trust company banks are permitted to act. A bank authorized by the division to exercise trust powers under this section shall comply with s. 223.02 before exercising such authority. Upon compliance with s. 223.02, the bank is entitled to the same exemption as to making and filing any oath or giving any bond or security as is conferred on trust company banks by s. 223.03 (6) (a).
(2) Application and approval.
(a) With its application for permission to exercise trust powers under this section, a bank shall submit to the division a fee determined by the division.
(b) In approving an application by a bank to exercise trust powers, the division may take into consideration the amount of capital of the applying bank, whether the capital is sufficient under the circumstances, the needs of the community to be served, and any other facts and circumstances that may be material. The division shall approve or disapprove the application within 6 months after the date on which the application is filed. The division may approve an application under this subsection if the division is satisfied that the bank has in good faith complied with all the requirements of law and has fulfilled all the conditions precedent to the exercise of these powers imposed by law.
(c) If the division approves the application, the division shall issue, in duplicate, a special authorization certificate to the bank. The certificate shall state that the bank has complied with the provisions of law applicable to banks exercising trust powers and that the bank is authorized to exercise trust powers. One of the duplicate special authorization certificates shall be transmitted by the division to the bank and the other shall be filed with the division.
(d) In exercising trust powers, a bank shall comply with all the provisions of law applicable to individuals acting in a trust or fiduciary capacity.
(3) Trust Funds; how kept.
(a) In this subsection, “affiliated bank" means, with respect to a bank exercising trust powers, any bank that directly or indirectly controls, or is directly or indirectly controlled by, or is under common control with, the bank exercising trust powers.
(b) A bank that exercises trust powers shall keep its trust accounts in books separate from its other books of account. All funds and property held by the bank in a trust capacity shall, at all times, be kept separate from the other funds and property of the bank, except that uninvested trust funds may be deposited in an account in the bank or in any other bank, including an affiliated bank, that is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. All deposits of uninvested trust funds shall be deposited as trust funds to its credit as trustee. In the event of insolvency or liquidation of a bank in which the accounts are maintained, all bank accounts comprising trust funds so deposited have preference and priority in all assets of the bank over the bank's general creditors, without the necessity of tracing or identifying the trust funds.
(4) Trust service offices. A state bank exercising trust powers may, with the approval of the division, establish and maintain a trust service office at any office of any other depository institution, as defined under s. 221.0901 (2) (i). A state bank may, with the approval of the division, permit any other depository institution, as defined under s. 221.0901 (2) (i), exercising trust powers or any trust company bank organized under ch. 223 to establish and maintain a trust service office at any of its banking offices. The establishment and operation of a trust service office are subject to s. 223.07. This subsection does not authorize branch banking.
History: 1995 a. 336; 1997 a. 138; 2001 a. 102; 2005 a. 158.

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