Florida Statutes § 658.44 — Approval by stockholders; rights of dissenters; preemptive rights.

658.44 Approval by stockholders; rights of dissenters; preemptive rights.—(1) The office shall not issue a certificate of merger to a resulting state bank or trust company unless the plan of merger and merger agreement, as adopted by a majority of the entire board of directors of each constituent bank or trust company, and as approved by each appropriate federal regulatory agency and by the office, has been approved:(a) By the stockholders of each constituent national bank as provided by, and in accordance with the procedures required by, the laws of the United States applicable thereto, and (b) After notice as hereinafter provided, by the affirmative vote or written consent of the holders of at least a majority of the shares entitled to vote thereon of each constituent state bank or state trust company, unless any class of shares of any constituent state bank or state trust company is entitled to vote thereon as a class, in which event as to such constituent state bank or state trust company the plan of merger and merger agreement shall be approved by the stockholders upon receiving the affirmative vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of each class of shares entitled to vote thereon as a class and of the total shares entitled to vote thereon. Such vote of stockholders of a constituent state bank or state trust company shall be at an annual or special meeting of stockholders or by written consent of the stockholders without a meeting as provided in s. 607.0704. Approval by the stockholders of a constituent bank or trust company of a plan of merger and merger agreement shall constitute the adoption by the stockholders of the articles of incorporation of the resulting state bank or state trust company as set forth in the plan of merger and merger agreement. (2) Written notice of the meeting of, or proposed written consent action by, the stockholders of each constituent state bank or state trust company shall be given to each stockholder of record, whether or not entitled to vote, and whether the meeting is an annual or a special meeting or whether the vote is to be by written consent pursuant to s. 607.0704, and the notice shall state that the purpose or one of the purposes of the meeting, or of the proposed action by the stockholders without a meeting, is to consider the proposed plan of merger and merger agreement. Except to the extent provided otherwise with respect to stockholders of a resulting bank or trust company pursuant to subsection (7), the notice shall also state that dissenting stockholders, including stockholders not entitled to vote but dissenting under paragraph (c), will be entitled to payment in cash of the value of only those shares held by the stockholders:(a) Which at a meeting of the stockholders are voted against the approval of the plan of merger and merger agreement; (b) As to which, if the proposed action is to be by written consent of stockholders pursuant to s. 607.0704, such written consent is not given by the holder thereof; or (c) With respect to which the holder thereof has given written notice to the constituent state bank or trust company, at or prior to the meeting of the stockholders or on or prior to the date specified for action by the stockholders without a meeting pursuant to s. 607.0704 in the notice of such proposed action, that the stockholder dissents from the plan of merger and merger agreement, and which shares are not voted for approval of the plan or written consent given pursuant to paragraph (a) or paragraph (b). Hereinafter in this section, the term “dissenting shares” means and includes only those shares, which may be all or less than all the shares of any class owned by a stockholder, described in paragraphs (a), (b), and (c). (3) On or promptly after the effective date of the merger, the resulting state bank or trust company, or a bank holding company which, as set out in the plan of merger or merger agreement, is offering shares rights, obligations, or other securities or property in exchange for shares of the constituent banks or trust companies, may fix an amount which it considers to be not more than the fair market value of the shares of a constituent bank or trust company and which it will pay to the holders of dissenting shares of that constituent bank or trust company and, if it fixes such amount, shall offer to pay such amount to the holders of all dissenting shares of that constituent bank or trust company. The amount payable pursuant to any such offer which is accepted by the holders of dissenting shares, and the amount payable to the holders of dissenting shares pursuant to an appraisal, shall constitute a debt of the resulting state bank or state trust company. (4) The owners of dissenting shares who have accepted an offer made pursuant to subsection (3) shall be entitled to receive the amount so offered for such shares in cash upon surrendering the stock certificates representing such shares at any time within 30 days after the effective date of the merger, and the owners of dissenting shares, the value of which is to be determined by appraisal, shall be entitled to receive the value of such shares in cash upon surrender of the stock certificates representing such shares at any time within 30 days after the value of such shares has been determined by appraisal made on or after the effective date of the merger. (5) The fair value, as defined in s. 607.1301(5), of dissenting shares of each constituent state bank or state trust company, the owners of which have not accepted an offer for such shares made pursuant to subsection (3), shall be determined pursuant to ss. 607.1326-607.1331 except as the procedures for notice and demand are otherwise provided in this section as of the effective date of the merger. (6) Upon the effective date of the merger, all the shares of stock of every class of each constituent bank or trust company, whether or not surrendered by the holders thereof, shall be void and deemed to be canceled, and no voting or other rights of any kind shall pertain thereto or to the holders thereof except only such rights as may be expressly provided in the plan of merger and merger agreement or expressly provided by law. (7) The provisions of subsection (6) and, unless agreed by all the constituent banks and trust companies and expressly provided in the plan of merger and merger agreement, subsections (3), (4), and (5) are not applicable to a resulting bank or trust company or to the shares or holders of shares of a resulting bank or trust company the cash, shares, rights, obligations, or other securities or property of which, in whole or in part, is provided in the plan of merger or merger agreement to be exchanged for the shares of the other constituent banks or trust companies. (8) The stock, rights, obligations, and other securities of a resulting bank or trust company may be issued as provided by the terms of the plan of merger and merger agreement, free from any preemptive rights of the holders of any of the shares of stock or of any of the rights, obligations, or other securities of such resulting bank or trust company or of any of the constituent banks or trust companies. (9) After approval of the plan of merger and merger agreement by the stockholders as provided in subsection (1), there shall be filed with the office, within 30 days after the time limit in s. 658.43(5), a fully executed counterpart of the plan of merger and merger agreement as so approved if it differs in any respect from any fully executed counterpart thereof theretofore filed with the office, and copies of the resolutions approving the same by the stockholders of each constituent bank or trust company, certified by the president, or chief executive officer if other than the president, and the cashier or corporate secretary of each constituent bank or trust company, respectively, with the corporate seal impressed thereon.