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2014 Statute



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9-2107.Allowing for the contracting for trust services; definitions; notice filing; authority of commissioner; fees; examination; branches. (a) As used in this section:

(1) "Contracting trustee" means any trust company, as defined in K.S.A. 9-701, and amendments thereto, any bank that has been granted trust authority by the state bank commissioner under K.S.A. 9-1602, and amendments thereto, or any national bank chartered to do business in Kansas that has been granted trust authority by the comptroller of the currency under 12 U.S.C. § 92a, or any bank that has been granted trust authority or any trust company, regardless of where such bank or trust company is located, and which is controlled, as defined in K.S.A. 9-1612, and amendments thereto, by the same bank holding company as any trust company, state bank or national bank chartered to do business in Kansas, which accepts or succeeds to any fiduciary responsibility as provided in this section;

(2) "originating trustee" means any trust company, bank, national banking association, savings and loan association or savings bank which has trust powers and its principal place of business is in this state and which places or transfers any fiduciary responsibility to a contracting trustee as provided in this section;

(3) "financial institution" means any bank, national banking association, savings and loan association or savings bank which has its principal place of business in this state but which does not have trust powers.

(b) Any contracting trustee and any originating trustee may enter into an agreement by which the contracting trustee, without any further authorization of any kind, succeeds to and is substituted for the originating trustee as to all fiduciary powers, rights, duties, privileges and liabilities with respect to all accounts for which the originating trustee serves in any fiduciary capacity, except as may be provided otherwise in the agreement. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no contracting trustee as defined in K.S.A. 9-2107(a)(1), and amendments thereto, having its home office outside the state of Kansas shall enter into an agreement except with an originating trustee which is commonly controlled as defined in K.S.A. 9-1612, and amendments thereto, by the same bank holding company.

(c) Unless the agreement expressly provides otherwise, upon the effective date of the substitution:

(1) The contracting trustee shall be deemed to be named as the fiduciary in all writings, including, without limitation, trust agreements, wills and court orders, which pertain to the affected fiduciary accounts;

(2) the originating trustee is absolved from all fiduciary duties and obligations arising under such writings and shall discontinue the exercise of any fiduciary duties with respect to such writings, except that the originating trustee is not absolved or discharged from any duty to account required by K.S.A. 59-1709, and amendments thereto, or any other applicable statute, rule of law, rules and regulations or court order, nor shall the originating trustee be absolved from any breach of fiduciary duty or obligation occurring prior to the effective date of the agreement.

(d) The agreement may authorize the contracting trustee:

(1) To establish a trust service desk at any office of the originating trustee at which the contracting trustee may conduct any trust business and any business incidental thereto and which the contracting trustee may otherwise conduct at its principal place of business; and

(2) to engage the originating trustee as the agent of the contracting trustee, on a disclosed basis to customers, for the purposes of providing administrative, advertising and safekeeping services incident to the fiduciary services provided by the contracting trustee.

(e) Any contracting trustee may enter into an agreement with a financial institution providing that the contracting trustee may establish a trust service desk as authorized by subsection (d) in the offices of such financial institution and which provides such financial institution, on a disclosed basis to customers, may act as the agent of contracting trustee for purposes of providing administrative services and advertising incident to the fiduciary services to be performed by the contracting trustee.

(f) No activity authorized by subsections (b) through (e) shall be conducted by any contracting trustee, originating trustee or financial institution until an application for such authority has been submitted to and approved by the commissioner. The application shall be in the form and contain the information required by the commissioner, which shall at a minimum include certified copies of the following documents:

(1) The agreement;

(2) the written action taken by the board of directors of the originating trustee or financial institution approving the agreement;

(3) all other required regulatory approvals;

(4) an affidavit of publication of notice of intent to file the application with the commissioner. Publication of the notice shall be on the same day for two consecutive weeks in the official newspaper of the city or county where the principal office of the originating trustee or financial institution is located. The notice shall be in the form prescribed by the commissioner and shall contain the name of the applicant contracting trustee, the originating trustee or financial institution, the proposed date of filing of the application with the commissioner, a solicitation for written comments concerning the application, and a notice of the public's right to file a written request for a public hearing for the purpose of presenting oral or written evidence regarding the proposed agreement. All comments and requests for public hearing shall be filed with the commissioner on or before the 30th day after the date the application is filed; and

(5) a certification by the parties to the agreement that written notice of the proposed substitution was sent by first-class mail to each cofiduciary, each surviving settlor of a trust, each ward of a guardianship, each person who has sole or shared power to remove the originating trustee as fiduciary and each adult beneficiary currently receiving or entitled to receive a distribution of principle or income from a fiduciary account affected by the agreement, and that such notice was sent to each such person's address as shown in the originating trustee's records. An unintentional failure to give such notice shall not impair the validity or effect of any such agreement, except an intentional failure to give such notice shall render the agreement null and void as to the party not receiving the notice of substitution.

(g) A contracting trustee making application to the commissioner for approval of any agreement pursuant to this section shall pay to the commissioner a fee, in an amount established by rules and regulations of the commissioner adopted pursuant to K.S.A. 9-1713, and amendments thereto, to defray the expenses of the commissioner or designee in the examination and investigation of the application. The commissioner shall remit all amounts received under this section to the state treasurer in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4215, and amendments thereto. Upon receipt of each such remittance, the state treasurer shall deposit the entire amount in the state treasury to the credit of a separate account in the state treasury for each application. The money in each such account shall be used to pay the expenses of the commissioner, or designee in the examination and investigation of the application to which it relates and any unused balance shall be transferred to the bank commissioner fee fund.

(h) Upon the filing of any such application with the commissioner, the commissioner shall make or cause to be made, a careful examination and investigation concerning:

(1) The reasonable probability of usefulness and success of the contracting trustee;

(2) the financial history and condition of the contracting trustee including the character, qualifications and experience of the officers employed by the contracting trustee; and

(3) whether the contracting agreement will result in any undue injury to properly conducted existing banks, national banks and trust companies.

If the commissioner shall determine any of such matters unfavorably to the applicants, the application shall be disapproved, but if not, then the application shall be approved.

(i) If no written request for public hearing is filed, the commissioner shall render approval or disapproval of the application within 60 days of the date upon which the application was filed.

(j) If a written request for public hearing is filed, the commissioner shall hold within 30 days of the close of the comment period, a public hearing in a location determined by the commissioner. Notice of the time, date and place of such hearing shall be published by the applicant in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the originating trustee or financial institution is located, not less than 10 nor more than 30 days prior to the date of the hearing, and an affidavit of publication shall be filed with the commissioner. At any such hearing, all interested persons may present written and oral evidence to the commissioner in support of or in opposition to the application. Upon completion of a transcript of the testimony given at any such hearing, the transcript shall be filed in the office of the commissioner. Within 14 days after the public hearing, the commissioner shall approve or disapprove the application after consideration of the application and evidence gathered during the commissioner's investigation.

(k) The commissioner may extend the period for approval or disapproval if the commissioner determines that any information required by this section has not been furnished, any material information submitted is inaccurate or additional investigation is required. The commissioner, prior to expiration of the application period provided for by this section, shall give written notice to each party to the agreement of the commissioner's intent to extend the period which shall include a specific date for expiration of the extension period. If any information remains incomplete or inaccurate upon the expiration of the extension period the application shall be disapproved.

(l) Within 15 days of the date of the commissioner's approval or denial, the applicant or any individual or corporation who filed a request for and presented evidence at the public hearing shall have the right to appeal in writing to the state banking board the commissioner's determination by filing a notice of appeal with the commissioner. The state banking board shall fix a date for hearing, which hearing shall be held within 45 days after such notice of appeal is filed. The board shall conduct the hearing in accordance with the provisions of the Kansas administrative procedure act and render its decision affirming or rescinding the determination of the commissioner. Any action of the board pursuant to this section is subject to review in accordance with the Kansas judicial review act. Any party which files an appeal to the state banking board of the commissioner's determination shall pay to the commissioner a fee in an amount established by rules and regulations of the commissioner, adopted pursuant to K.S.A. 9-1713, and amendments thereto, to defray the board's expenses associated with the conduct of the appeal.

(m) When the commissioner determines that any contracting trustee domiciled in this state has entered into a contracting agreement in violation of the laws governing the operation of such contracting trustee, the commissioner shall give written notice to the contracting trustee and the originating trustee or financial institution of such determination. Within 15 days after receipt of such notification, the contracting trustee and originating trustee or financial institution shall have the right to appeal in writing to the state banking board the commissioner's determination. The board shall fix a date for hearing, which shall be held within 45 days after the date of the appeal and shall be conducted in accordance with the Kansas administrative procedure act. At such hearing the board shall hear all matters relevant to the commissioner's determination and shall approve or disapprove the commissioner's determination. The decision of the board shall be final and conclusive. If the contracting trustee does not appeal to the board from the commissioner's determination or if an appeal is made and the commissioner's determination is upheld by the board, the commissioner may proceed as provided in K.S.A. 9-1714, and amendments thereto, until such time as the commissioner determines the contracting trustee, originating trustee and financial institution are in full compliance with the laws governing the operation of a contracting trustee and originating trustee or financial institution.

(n) Any party entitled to receive a notice under subsection (f)(5) may file a petition in the court having jurisdiction over the fiduciary relationship, or if none, in the district court in the county where the originating trustee has its principal office, seeking to remove any contracting trustee substituted or about to be substituted as fiduciary pursuant to this section. Unless the contracting trustee files a written consent to its removal or a written declination to act subsequent to the filing of the petition, the court, upon notice and hearing, shall determine the best interest of the petitioner and all other parties concerned and shall fashion such relief as it deems appropriate in the circumstances, including the awarding of reasonable attorney fees. The right to file a petition under this subsection shall be in addition to any other rights to remove fiduciary provided by any other statute or regulation or by the writing creating the fiduciary relationship. If the removal of the fiduciary is prompted solely as a result of the contracting agreement, any reasonable cost associated with such removal and transfer, not to exceed $200 per account, shall be paid by the originating trustee or financial institution entering into the agreement.

History: L. 1989, ch. 48, § 7; L. 1990, ch. 60, § 3; L. 1993, ch. 30, § 2; L. 1994, ch. 51, § 1; L. 1994, ch. 294, § 1; L. 1999, ch. 18, § 1; L. 2001, ch. 5, § 48; L. 2010, ch. 17, § 31; July 1.



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