54B-48.5. Prohibitions.
(a) Except as may be expressly permitted by federal law, no savings and loan holding company that is not either a North Carolina savings and loan holding company or a Southern Region savings and loan holding company shall acquire a North Carolina savings and loan holding company or a North Carolina association.
(b) Except as required by federal law, a North Carolina savings and loan holding company or a Southern Region savings and loan holding company that ceases to be a North Carolina savings and loan holding company or a Southern Region savings and loan holding company shall as soon as practicable and, in all events, within one year after such event divest itself of control of all North Carolina savings and loan holding companies and all North Carolina associations: Provided, however, that such divestiture shall not be required if the North Carolina savings and loan holding company or the Southern Region savings and loan holding company ceases to be a North Carolina savings and loan holding company or a Southern Region savings and loan holding company, as the case may be, because of an increase in the deposits held by association subsidiaries not located within the region and if such increase is not the result of the acquisition of an association or savings and loan holding company. Provided further that nothing in this Article shall be construed to permit interstate branching by associations nor to require the divestiture of a North Carolina association or a North Carolina savings and loan holding company by a savings and loan holding company which acquired its subsidiary North Carolina association or North Carolina savings and loan holding company prior to the effective date of this Article. Nor shall anything in this Article be construed to prohibit any savings and loan holding company which has acquired a North Carolina association or North Carolina savings and loan holding company prior to the effective date of this Article from acquiring additional North Carolina associations or North Carolina savings and loan holding companies. Nor shall anything in this Article be construed to limit the authority of the Commissioner of Banks pursuant to G.S. 54B-44.