Section 215.13. Powers of savings and loan associations.

  Savings and loan associations may:

(1)   Savings accounts. Accept payments on savings accounts in accordance with s. 215.14 .

(2)   Evidence of savings account ownership. Issue evidence of ownership to savers, in accordance with s. 215.15 .

(3)   Declaration and distribution of earnings on savings accounts. Declare and distribute earnings to savers, in accordance with s. 215.16 .

(4)   Withdrawals of savings accounts. Pay withdrawal requests of savings accounts, in part or in full, in accordance with s. 215.17 .

(5)   Close savings accounts. Close savings accounts, in part or in full, in accordance with s. 215.18 .

(6)   Loans on savings accounts. Make loans to savers on the security of savings accounts owned by them, in accordance with s. 215.19 .

(7)   Property improvement loans. Make property improvement loans in accordance with s. 215.20 .

(8)   Insured or guaranteed loans. Make secured or unsecured loans, which are partially insured or guaranteed in any manner by the United States or any instrumentality thereof or for which there is a commitment to so insure or guarantee, pursuant to ch. 219 .

(9)   Mortgage loans. Make mortgage loans in accordance with s. 215.21 .

(10)   Additional collateral to mortgage loans. Accept additional collateral to mortgage loans in accordance with s. 215.21 (10) .

(11)   Purchasing mortgage loans. Purchase mortgage loans in accordance with s. 215.21 (13) .

(12)   Servicing of purchased mortgage loans. Negotiate servicing agreements to enable vendors of mortgage loans, purchased by the association, to collect payments for transmission to the association, in accordance with s. 215.21 (13) .

(13)   Selling mortgage loans. Sell mortgage loans in accordance with s. 215.21 (14) .

(14)   Servicing of mortgage loans sold. Negotiate servicing agreements to enable the association to collect payments for transmission to the purchasers of mortgage loans in accordance with s. 215.21 (14) .

(15)   Purchasing participating interests in mortgage loans. Purchase participating interests in mortgage loans from other lenders and negotiate servicing agreements with said lenders in accordance with s. 215.21 (15) .

(16)   Selling participating interests in mortgage loans. Sell participating interests in mortgage loans, to other lenders, and negotiate servicing agreements with said lenders in accordance with s. 215.21 (15) .

(17)   Acquiring real estate. Acquire real estate to enforce protection of its securities in accordance with s. 215.22 (1) .

(18)   Selling of acquired real estate. Sell acquired real estate in accordance with s. 215.22 (2) .

(19)   Acquiring real estate subject to sales contracts. Acquire real estate, subject to a sales contract, from any instrumentality of the United States.

(20)   Purchasing property improvement loans. Purchase secured or unsecured property improvement loans from any person, whether or not such loans are partially insured or guaranteed in any manner by the United States or any instrumentality thereof, provided such loans could have been made by the association in the first instance.

(21)   Acquiring assets of other associations. Acquire all or any part of the assets of any other association with prior approval of the division.

(22)   Selling of assets to other associations. Sell all or any part of its assets to any other association with prior approval of the division.

(23)   Association office building. Acquire real estate for use as the association's office building in accordance with s. 215.23 .

(24)   Membership in any federal finance or credit corporation. Become a member in any federal finance or credit corporation organized by an act of congress for aiding associations to utilize their resources and credit. Membership in such federal finance or credit corporation to include:

(a) Purchasing stock therein;

(b) Purchasing notes and debentures thereof;

(c) Borrowing money therefrom, not exceeding that allowed under sub. (28) .

(25)   Membership in a national mortgage company. Become a member in, and purchase stock or securities of a national mortgage company, under the national housing act approved June 27, 1934, and acts amendatory thereof and supplemental thereto.

(26)   Investment securities. Invest in the following types of securities, subject to such limitations as may be fixed by the division:

(a) United States government securities.

(b) Savings accounts of savings and loan associations doing business in the state.

(c) Savings accounts of savings and loan associations located outside the state, if those savings accounts are insured by the deposit insurance corporation.

(d) Bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness which are general obligations supported by the full faith and credit of any state in the United States or any city, town, village, county, technical college district or school district in any state in the United States if the obligations have been assigned one of the 4 highest grades by a nationally recognized investment rating service. Before purchasing any obligation under this paragraph other than an obligation issued in this state, the association shall ascertain whether suitable obligations issued in this state are available in the quantity sought by the association at a competitive rate of return at the time the investment is intended to be made. If such obligations are available, the association shall give preference to obligations issued in this state. Notwithstanding any other requirement of this paragraph, an association may invest not more than one percent of its assets in the obligations of any city, town, village, county, technical college district or school district in this state which are not assigned one of the 4 highest grades by a nationally recognized investment rating service, if the obligations are issued by a city, town, village, county, technical college district or school district in which the association maintains one or more offices.

(e) Certificates of deposit of a state or national bank.

(em) Shares of stock, whether purchased or otherwise acquired, in a corporation acquiring, placing and operating remote service units under sub. (46) .

(f) Such other types of securities which may be approved and authorized by the division.

Cross-reference: See also ch. DFI-SL 15 , Wis. adm. code.

(27)   Lend money to other associations. Lend money to other savings and loan associations incorporated and operating under this chapter, subject to approval of the division.

(28)   Borrowing money. Borrow money and issue its obligations for the borrowed money, including but not limited to obligations, bonds, notes or other debt securities. The aggregate amount borrowed under this subsection may not exceed 50 percent of the association's total assets, except with the prior written approval of the division. An obligation, bond, note or other debt security may include a written provision subordinating the debt to claims of other creditors or of savers.

(29)   Assign collateral for borrowed money. Assign as collateral for borrowed money its mortgages and mortgage notes or any of the securities enumerated in sub. (26) .

(30)   Interest and other charges. Assess and collect interest, premiums, fines, fees and other charges. No savings and loan association may demand or receive for loans or discounts a rate of interest exceeding that allowed by law.

(31)   Insurance of savings accounts. Insure the savings accounts of savers with the deposit insurance corporation or with another instrumentality approved by the division.

(32)   Act as agent for the United States. Whenever designated by the secretary of the treasury of the U.S. or any other instrumentality of the U.S., and authorized by a resolution of the board of directors, act as agent for them, and perform all duties as agent that may be required.

(33)   Store microfilm records of other associations. Act as custodian or keeper of microfilm records of other savings and loan associations for a fee.

(34)   Place microfilm records for storage at other associations. Place microfilm records of the association for storage and safekeeping with another association for a fee.

(36)   Limited office. With the prior written approval of the division, establish a limited office providing lending or other services. Deposits to savings accounts may not be accepted at a limited office except as permitted under sub. (46) .

(37)   Omnibus powers. Exercise any powers reasonably related or incident to the purposes of the association.

(38)   Educational loans. Make loans to defray the expense of attending any college or university.

(39)   Branches. Subject to the approval of the division, any savings and loan association may establish and maintain one or more branch offices within the normal lending area of the home office, as defined in s. 215.21 (2) , in this state or in any one of the regional states, as defined in s. 215.36 (1) (f) . In the division's approval, the division may limit the powers of the branch. Savings and loan associations may promote thrift in their local schools by accepting payments in the school upon savings accounts of the teachers and pupils.

(40)   Location of branches. Whenever an association is absorbed or a branch office is acquired under s. 215.36 , 215.53 or 215.73 , maintain and operate a branch office at the location of the absorbed association or of the acquired branch office, if the division finds that the continued operation of a branch office at the location of the absorbed association or of the acquired branch office would be in the public interest. This subsection does not permit continued operation of an office of an absorbed association which received its certificate of incorporation less than 5 years prior to its absorption.

(41)   Seller of checks. To engage as an authorized agent in the business and functions provided for in ch. 217 for their members upon receiving a certificate of authority from the division. Such applicants shall be under the jurisdiction and supervision of the division and meet the same requirements as other applicants under ch. 217 , but no license or investigation fee shall be charged savings and loan association applicants. The division has the authority to enforce ch. 217 as it applies to savings and loan associations. The division shall determine the records that shall be maintained and shall require the segregation of such funds as is necessary for operations permitted savings and loan associations under this subsection and ch. 217 .

(42)   Invest in real property. Invest in, or in interests in, real property, subject to such rules as the division shall issue.

Cross-reference: See also ss. DFI-SL 2.05 and 14.01 , Wis. adm. code.

(43)   Securities guaranteed under national housing act. Issue and sell securities which are guaranteed under the national housing act.

(44)   Act as trustee. Act as trustee of trusts created or organized in the United States under the self-employed individuals tax retirement act of 1962, and amendments thereto, and which qualify for specific tax treatment under section 401 (d) or 408 (a) of the internal revenue code, if the funds of such trust are invested in savings accounts or deposits in such association or in obligations or securities issued by such association. Individual accounts and records shall be kept by the association for each participant and shall show in proper detail all transactions therein.

(45)   Other loans and investments. Make loans and investments in accordance with s. 215.205 .

(46)   Remote service units.

(a)

1. Directly or indirectly, acquire, place and operate, or participate in the acquisition, placement and operation of, at locations other than its home or branch offices, remote service units, in accordance with rules established by the division. Remote service units established in accordance with such rules are not subject to sub. (36) , (39) , (40) or (47) or s. 215.03 (8) . The rules of the division shall provide that any such remote service unit shall be available for use, on a nondiscriminatory basis, by any state or federal savings and loan association which has its principal place of business in this state, by any other savings and loan association obtaining the consent of a state or federal savings and loan association which has its principal place of business in this state and is using the terminal and by all customers designated by a savings and loan association using the unit. This paragraph does not authorize a savings and loan association which has its principal place of business outside this state to conduct business as a savings and loan association in this state. The remote service units also shall be available for use, on a nondiscriminatory basis, by any credit union, state or national bank or state or federal savings bank, whose home office is located in this state, if the credit union, bank or savings bank requests to share its use, subject to the joint rules established under s. 221.0303 (2) . The division by order may authorize the installation and operation of a remote service unit in a mobile facility, after notice and hearing upon the proposed service stops of the mobile facility.

2. In this paragraph “ remote service unit" means a terminal or other facility or installation, attended or unattended, which is not located at the principal place of business or at a branch or extended facility of a savings and loan association and through which customers and savings and loan associations may engage, by means of either the direct transmission of electronic impulses to and from a savings and loan association or the recording of electronic impulses or other indicia of a transaction for delayed transmission to a savings and loan association, in transactions which are incidental to the conduct of the business of a savings and loan association and which are otherwise permitted by law. “Remote service unit" also includes all equipment, regardless of location, which is interconnected with a remote service unit and which is necessary to transmit, route and process electronic impulses in order to enable the remote service unit to perform any function for which it is designed.

3. If any person primarily engaged in the retail sale of goods or services owns or operates a remote service unit on such person's premises and allows access to the unit by any financial institution, group of financial institutions or their customers, nothing in this paragraph or in rules established by the division shall, or shall be construed or interpreted to, require such person to accept any connection to or use of the unit on its premises for any other purpose or function or to accept any connection to the unit on its premises by any other financial institution.

4. If a person primarily engaged in the retail sale of goods or services owns or operates a remote service unit on such person's premises and allows access to the unit by any financial institution, group of financial institutions or their customers for any purpose or function, no laws governing such institutions or rules established by the division shall apply to such person other than those laws or rules directly related to the particular function performed by the unit on such person's premises for a financial institution.

5. Information transmitted from a remote service unit, either identified as to particular transactions or aggregate information, shall only be used for purposes of effecting the financial transactions for which such information was received, for any other purpose lawfully authorized by contract, or for any other purpose permitted by statute and rules pertaining to the dissemination and disclosure of such information.

Cross-reference: See also ch. DFI-SL 12 , Wis. adm. code.

(47)   Extended office. With the approval of the division, extend its home office or branch by purchasing or leasing real estate for the purpose of establishing, identifying and maintaining an extended office, but only if the extended office is located within 1,000 feet of the home office or branch. All measurements under this subsection shall be made in a straight line from the nearest adjacent points in the respective property lines. The authority under this subsection is in addition to the authority to establish branch offices under s. 215.03 (8) .

(48)   Trust accounts. Maintain real estate broker trust accounts under s. 452.13 , attorney trust accounts under s. 757.293 and collection agency trust accounts under s. 218.04 (9g) .

(49)   Contract for trust services. Contract for the provision of trust services to its members with a trust company or other organization with trust powers authorized to do business in this state. For this purpose, the trust company or other organization with trust powers may serve association members at association facilities on a full-time or part-time basis.

(50)   Demand deposit accounts. Accept and maintain demand deposit accounts.

(51)   Contract for financial services. Contract with a bank that is owned by a bank holding company which also owns the contracting association, to provide products or services under s. 221.0301 (8) . The bank shall be subject to regulation and examination by the division with regard to services performed under the contract to the same extent as if the services were being performed by the association itself on its own premises.

1971 c. 154 , 164 , 173 , 229 ; 1973 c. 205 ; 1975 c. 3 , 11 , 359 , 389 , 391 ; 1977 c. 26 s. 75 ; 1977 c. 136 , 272 , 387 ; 1979 c. 78 , 280 ; 1979 c. 287 ss. 8 , 14 ; 1981 c. 319 , 391 ; 1983 a. 167 ss. 14 to 19 , 112 ; 1985 a. 157 , 325 ; 1987 a. 403 s. 256 ; 1989 a. 313 ; 1991 a. 39 , 221 , 234 , 269 , 316 ; 1993 a. 399 ; 1995 a. 27 , 55 , 104 , 336 ; 1999 a. 83 . Cross-reference: See also DFI-SL , Wis. adm. code. The commissioner [now the division] may, pursuant to sub. (41), issue a certificate of authority to a state-chartered savings and loan association to engage as an authorized agent for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, which is lawfully engaged in the business of a seller of checks. 61 Atty. Gen. 186.