(a) Scope and purpose. Section 5136A of the Revised Statutes permits a national bank that is within the second 50 largest insured banks to own or control a financial subsidiary only if, among other requirements, the bank satisfies the eligible debt requirement set forth in section 5136A or an alternative criteria jointly established by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. This section establishes the alternative criteria that a national bank among the second 50 largest insured banks may meet, which criteria is comparable to and consistent with the purposes of the eligible debt requirement established by section 5136A.

(b) Alternative criteria. A national bank satisfies the alternative criteria referenced in Section 5136A(a)(2)(E) of the Revised Statutes (12 U.S.C. 24a) and 12 CFR 5.39(g)(3) if the bank has a current long-term issuer credit rating from at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization that is within the three highest investment grade rating categories used by the organization.

(c) Definition of long-term issuer credit rating. A “long-term issuer credit rating” is a written opinion issued by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization of the bank's overall capacity and willingness to pay on a timely basis its unsecured, dollar-denominated financial obligations maturing in not less than one year.