§ 31A-4-22 — Reserves required of banking institutions; reports; penalties

Each state banking institution shall at all times maintain on hand as a reserve in lawful money of the United States of America an amount equal to at least seven percent of the aggregate of all of its deposits which are subject to withdrawal on demand and three percent of its time deposits. Whenever the commissioner of banking shall determine that the maintenance of sound banking practices or the prevention of injurious credit expansion or contraction makes such action advisable, he may by rule from time to time change such requirements as to reserves against demand or time deposits, or both, but the reserves so prescribed shall in no event be less than those specified in this section nor more than twice those specified. Whenever such reserve shall fall below that required, the institution shall not thereafter make any new loan or investment until the required reserve shall be restored. For the purpose of computing such reserve, all deposits requiring notice of thirty days or more for withdrawal and time certificates of deposit and Christmas savings shall be deemed time deposits, and all checking accounts, certified checks, cashier's checks, demand certificates of deposit and balances due other banks shall be deemed demand deposits. But in lieu of lawful money on hand, four fifths of such reserve may consist of balances payable on demand from any national or state bank doing business in this state or solvent banking institutions in other states. The reserve balances required herein shall be computed on the basis of average daily net deposit balances and average daily currency and coin during biweekly periods. The required reserve balance of each bank shall be computed at the close of business each day based upon its net deposit balances and currency and coin at the opening of business on the same day. The biweekly period shall end at the close of business on days to be fixed by the commissioner in his promulgated rules. When, however, the reserve computation period ends with a nonbusiness day, or two or more consecutive nonbusiness days, such nonbusiness day or days may, at the option of the banking institution, and whether or not it had a deficiency in reserve balances in such computation period, be included in the next biweekly computation period.

The commissioner shall, by rule and regulation, require regular reports from such banking institutions, which reports shall be submitted at such times and contain such information as will enable the commissioner to adequately supervise the maintenance of reserves under this section. Penalties for any deficiencies in the required reserves of any banking institution shall be assessed monthly by the commissioner on the basis of average daily deficiencies during each of the computation periods ending in the preceding calendar month. Such penalties shall be assessed at a rate of two percent per annum above the lowest rate applicable to borrowings by member banks from the federal reserve bank of the district in which such deficient institution is located on the first day of the calendar month in which the deficiencies occurred. Such penalties shall be paid by the commissioner into the treasury of the State of West Virginia and credited to the General Fund.

Compliance on the part of any banking institution with the reserve requirements of the federal reserve act, as amended prior to January 31, 1981, shall be considered full compliance with the provisions of this section. No such bank may be required to carry or maintain a reserve other than such as required under terms of the federal reserve act, as amended prior to January 31, 1981.

Legislative History

1996 Reg. Sess., SB366; 1981 Reg. Sess., SB184; 1974 Reg. Sess., HB912; 1969 Reg. Sess., SB176