Section 7-1-112. Business restrictions

   (a) During the period of or as a result of any financial emergency proclaimed by the Governor or declared by the department, or during any impending or existing emergency situation as described in Code Section 7-1-111, the department, in addition to all of the powers conferred upon it by law, shall have the authority to order any one or more financial institutions to restrict all or any part of their business and to limit or postpone for any length of time the payment of any amount or proportion of the deposits in any of the departments of the financial institutions as it may deem necessary or expedient. The department may further regulate the payments of such financial institutions as to time and amount, as in its opinion the interest of the public or of such financial institutions or the depositors thereof may require.

(b) No liability or loss of any rights of any kind shall be incurred by any financial institution during any emergency period declared by the Governor or the department by reason of the delay in the payment of any item or by the return or transmission of any item or document if such delay is caused by orders of the Governor or the department, interruption of communication facilities, suspension of payments by another financial institution, war or emergency conditions, or other circumstances beyond the control of the financial institution if it exercises such diligence as the circumstances require.

Code 1933, § 14-1812, enacted by Ga. L. 1971, p. 812, § 2; Code 1933, § 41A-501, enacted by Ga. L. 1974, p. 705, § 1; Code 1933, § 41A-503, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 1714, § 5; Ga. L. 1999, p. 674, § 2.