TITLE IV

RESOLUTION
CHAPTER IV

Resolution tools
Section 2

The sale of business tool

The sale of business tool
Article 38
1
Member States shall ensure that resolution authorities have the power to transfer to a purchaser that is not a bridge institution:
a
shares or other instruments of ownership issued by an institution under resolution;
b
all or any assets, rights or liabilities of an institution under resolution;
Subject to paragraphs 8 and 9 of this Article and to Article 85, the transfer referred to in the first subparagraph shall take place without obtaining the consent of the shareholders of the institution under resolution or any third party other than the purchaser, and without complying with any procedural requirements under company or securities law other than those included in Article 39.
2
A transfer made pursuant to paragraph 1 shall be made on commercial terms, having regard to the circumstances, and in accordance with the Union State aid framework.
3
In accordance with paragraph 2 of this Article, resolution authorities shall take all reasonable steps to obtain commercial terms for the transfer that conform with the valuation conducted under Article 36, having regard to the circumstances of the case.
4
Subject to Article 37(7), any consideration paid by the purchaser shall benefit:
a
the owners of the shares or other instruments of ownership, where the sale of business has been effected by transferring shares or instruments of ownership issued by the institution under resolution from the holders of those shares or instruments to the purchaser;
b
the institution under resolution, where the sale of business has been effected by transferring some or all of the assets or liabilities of the institution under resolution to the purchaser.
5
When applying the sale of business tool the resolution authority may exercise the transfer power more than once in order to make supplemental transfers of shares or other instruments of ownership issued by an institution under resolution or, as the case may be, assets, rights or liabilities of the institution under resolution.
6
Following an application of the sale of business tool, resolution authorities may, with the consent of the purchaser, exercise the transfer powers in respect of assets, rights or liabilities transferred to the purchaser in order to transfer the assets, rights or liabilities back to the institution under resolution, or the shares or other instruments of ownership back to their original owners, and the institution under resolution or original owners shall be obliged to take back any such assets, rights or liabilities, or shares or other instruments of ownership.
7
A purchaser shall have the appropriate authorisation to carry out the business it acquires when the transfer is made pursuant to paragraph 1. Competent authorities shall ensure that an application for authorisation shall be considered, in conjunction with the transfer, in a timely manner.
8
By way of derogation from Articles 22 to 25 of Directive 2013/36/EU, from the requirement to inform the competent authorities in Article 26 of Directive 2013/36/EU, from Article 10(3), Article 11(1) and (2) and Articles 12 and 13 of Directive 2014/65/EU and from the requirement to give a notice in Article 11(3) of that Directive, where a transfer of shares or other instruments of ownership by virtue of an application of the sale of business tool would result in the acquisition of or increase in a qualifying holding in an institution of a kind referred to in Article 22(1) of Directive 2013/36/EU or Article 11(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU, the competent authority of that institution shall carry out the assessment required under those Articles in a timely manner that does not delay the application of the sale of business tool and prevent the resolution action from achieving the relevant resolution objectives.
9
Member States shall ensure that if the competent authority of that institution has not completed the assessment referred to in paragraph 8 from the date of transfer of shares or other instruments of ownership in the application of the sale of business tool by the resolution authority, the following provisions shall apply:
a
such a transfer of shares or other instruments of ownership to the acquirer shall have immediate legal effect;
b
during the assessment period and during any divestment period provided by point (f), the acquirer’s voting rights attached to such shares or other instruments of ownership shall be suspended and vested solely in the resolution authority, which shall have no obligation to exercise any such voting rights and which shall have no liability whatsoever for exercising or refraining from exercising any such voting rights;
c
during the assessment period and during any divestment period provided by point (f), the penalties and other measures for infringing the requirements for acquisitions or disposals of qualifying holdings contemplated by Articles 66, 67 and 68 of Directive 2013/36/EU shall not apply to such a transfer of shares or other instruments of ownership;
d
promptly upon completion of the assessment by the competent authority, the competent authority shall notify the resolution authority and the acquirer in writing of whether the competent authority approves or, in accordance with Article 22(5) of Directive 2013/36/EU, opposes such a transfer of shares or other instruments of ownership to the acquirer;
e
if the competent authority approves such a transfer of shares or other instruments of ownership to the acquirer, then the voting rights attached to such shares or other instruments of ownership shall be deemed to be fully vested in the acquirer immediately upon receipt by the resolution authority and the acquirer of such an approval notice from the competent authority;
f
if the competent authority opposes such a transfer of shares or other instruments of ownership to the acquirer, then:
1. the voting rights attached to such shares or other instruments of ownership as provided by point (b) shall remain in full force and effect;
2. the resolution authority may require the acquirer to divest such shares or other instruments of ownership within a divestment period determined by the resolution authority having taken into account prevailing market conditions; and
3. if the acquirer does not complete such a divestment within the divestment period established by the resolution authority, then the competent authority, with the consent of the resolution authority, may impose on the acquirer penalties and other measures for infringing the requirements for acquisitions or disposals of qualifying holdings contemplated by Articles 66, 67, and 68 of Directive 2013/36/EU.
10
Transfers made by virtue of the sale of business tool shall be subject to the safeguards referred to in Chapter VII of Title IV.
11
For the purposes of exercising the rights to provide services or to establish itself in another Member State in accordance with Directive 2013/36/EU or Directive 2014/65/EU, the purchaser shall be considered to be a continuation of the institution under resolution, and may continue to exercise any such right that was exercised by the institution under resolution in respect of the assets, rights or liabilities transferred.
12
Member States shall ensure that the purchaser referred to in paragraph 1 may continue to exercise the rights of membership and access to payment, clearing and settlement systems, stock exchanges, investor compensation schemes and deposit guarantee schemes of the institution under resolution, provided that it meets the membership and participation criteria for participation in such systems.
Notwithstanding the first subparagraph, Member States shall ensure that:
a
access is not denied on the ground that the purchaser does not possess a rating from a credit rating agency, or that rating is not commensurate to the rating levels required to be granted access to the systems referred to in the first subparagraph;
b
where the purchaser does not meet the membership or participation criteria for a relevant payment, clearing or settlement system, stock exchange, investor compensation scheme or deposit guarantee scheme, the rights referred to in the first subparagraph are exercised for such a period of time as may be specified by the resolution authority, not exceeding 24 months, renewable on application by the purchaser to the resolution authority.
13
Without prejudice to Chapter VII of Title IV, shareholders or creditors of the institution under resolution and other third parties whose assets, rights or liabilities are not transferred shall not have any rights over or in relation to the assets, rights or liabilities transferred.