(a) Any association, owning all the outstanding stock of any corporation, may merge its wholly owned subsidiary corporation if the laws under which the subsidiary corporation exists permit a merger as this section provides. The association shall submit to the commissioner for approval a certificate of ownership in its name signed by its president or a vice president, and its secretary or an assistant secretary, which shall be verified by their affidavit, stating, in effect, that the matters set forth in the certificate are true of their own knowledge. The certificate shall set forth:
(1) That it owns all the outstanding stock of the merged corporation.
(2) A copy of the resolution adopted by its board of directors to merge the corporation, and to assume all of its obligations.
(3) The time and place of the meeting of the board of directors at which the resolution was adopted, and the vote by which it was adopted.
(b) If an association owns less than all the outstanding stock but at least 90 percent of the outstanding shares of stock of each class of a corporation or corporations, domestic or foreign, the merger of the subsidiary corporation or corporations into the parent association may be effected by resolutions adopted by the boards of the parent and each subsidiary corporation, and the filing of a certificate of ownership as provided in subdivision (d). The resolution of the board of the parent association shall provide for the merger, shall provide that the parent association assumes all the liabilities of each subsidiary corporation and shall set forth the securities, cash property or rights to be issued, paid, delivered or granted by the parent association upon surrender of each share of stock of each subsidiary corporation not owned by the parent association. The resolution of the board of each subsidiary corporation shall approve the fairness of the consideration to be received for each share of stock of the subsidiary corporation not owned by the parent association.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in any merger pursuant to this section, the parent association may change its name regardless of whether the name so adopted is the same or similar to that of one of the disappearing associations. In this case the resolution shall provide for the amendment of articles to change the name.
(d) After adoption of the resolution or resolutions of merger, as provided under subdivision (b), the association shall submit to the commissioner for approval a certificate of ownership in its name signed by its president or a vice president, and its secretary or an assistant secretary, which shall be verified by their affidavit, stating, in effect, that the matters set forth in the certificate are true of their own knowledge. The certificate shall set forth:
(1) That the association owns at least 90 percent of the outstanding stock of the merged corporations.
(2) A copy of the resolution adopted by the association’s board of directors to merge the corporation, to assume all of its obligations, and including the resolution for a change of name if applicable.
(3) A copy of the resolution or resolutions adopted by the board of each subsidiary corporation, if required.
(4) The time and place of the meeting of the boards of directors of the parent and the subsidiary at which the resolutions were adopted, and the vote by which they were adopted.
(e) In the event all of the outstanding shares of stock of a subsidiary domestic corporation party to a merger effected under this section are not owned by the parent association immediately prior to the merger, the parent association shall, at least 20 days before the effective date of the merger, give notice to each stockholder of the subsidiary corporation that the merger will become effective on or after a specific date, which notice shall contain (1) a copy of the resolutions of the boards of directors of the parent and the subsidiary required by subdivision (b) above and (2) the information which must accompany the notice required by subdivision (a) of Section 1301 of the Corporations Code. The notice shall be sent by mail addressed to the stockholder at the address of the stockholder as it appears on the records of the corporation. The stockholder shall have the right to demand payment of cash for the shares of stock of the stockholder pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 1300) of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Corporations Code.
(f) If a merger authorized by this section is approved, the commissioner shall attach to the certificate written approval, and the certificate shall be filed with the Secretary of State. A copy of the approved certificate certified by the Secretary of State shall be filed with the commissioner. Thereupon, all of the estate, property, rights, privileges, and franchises of the merged corporation shall vest in and be held and enjoyed by the parent association as fully as the same were before held and enjoyed by the merged corporation, but subject to all the liabilities and obligations of the merged corporation and the rights of all creditors. The parent association shall not, however, thereby acquire the right to engage in any business or to exercise any right, privilege, or franchise of a kind which it could not lawfully engage in or exercise under the provisions of this division. The parent association shall be deemed to have assumed all the liabilities and obligations of the merged corporation, and shall be liable in the same manner as if it had itself incurred the liabilities and obligations.
(g) If the merged subsidiary is a domestic corporation, a copy of the certificate shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State on behalf of the subsidiary corporation. If the merged subsidiary is a foreign corporation qualified for the transaction of intrastate business in this state there shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State on behalf of the foreign subsidiary a certificate of surrender and right to transact intrastate business as provided in Section 2112 of the Corporations Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 773, Sec. 48. Effective September 29, 2006.)