Section 7-1-262. Power to hold real estate; prior approval of acquisitions

   (a) A bank or trust company may solely or jointly with other persons or corporations acquire and hold such real property as it:

   (1) Occupies or intends to occupy primarily for the transaction of its business, the business of any subsidiary or affiliate, or the recreational use of its employees or partly so occupies and partly leases;

   (2) Acquires for the purpose of providing parking or other facilities primarily for the use of its tenants, customers, officers, and employees; or

   (3) Acquires with others for the purpose of providing data processing facilities or other support services for the bank or trust company or any subsidiary solely or in cooperation with others,

subject to the limitation that the investment of the bank or trust company in all such real property, in all furniture, fixtures, and equipment acquired in connection with any real property owned or leased by the bank or trust company, in all alterations of buildings on real property owned or leased by the bank or trust company, in all shares of corporations organized for the purpose of holding real estate in the categories described above where the bank or trust company or a subsidiary of the bank or trust company owns 25 percent or more of such shares outstanding, in obligations of or for the benefit of such corporations or loans upon the security of the shares of such corporations or, to the extent of the bank's or trust company's pro rata interest, the security of the real estate itself, and in all real estate, furniture, fixtures, or equipment held beyond the limits specified in Code Section 7-1-263 shall not exceed 60 percent of the statutory capital base of the bank or trust company, or such larger amount as may be approved by the department.

(b) All acquisitions of real property for purposes authorized above must be accorded prior written approval by the department in advance of the acquisition except to the extent authorized by regulation.

Ga. L. 1898, p. 78, § 3; Civil Code 1910, § 2817; Ga. L. 1917, p. 56, § 1; Ga. L. 1919, p. 135, art. 19, § 24; Ga. L. 1920, p. 76, § 1; Code 1933, §§ 13-2024, 109-201; Ga. L. 1963, p. 512, § 1; Ga. L. 1972, p. 1242, § 1; Code 1933, § 41A-1203, enacted by Ga. L. 1974, p. 705, § 1; Ga. L. 1975, p. 445, § 16; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1249, § 3.