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Okla. Stat. tit. 6, § 6-603

This is the official text of Okla. Stat. tit. 6, § 6-603, part of Oklahoma’s Stat. tit. 6, — part of the compiled statutory law of Oklahoma, published by the state as "Stat. tit. 6,." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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Emergency closing

Official statutory text

A. Power of the Commissioner. Whenever the Commissioner is of

the opinion that an emergency exists or is impending in this state

or in any part or parts of this state, he may, by proclamation,

authorize institutions located in the affected area or areas to

close any or all of their offices. In addition, if the Commissioner

is of the opinion that an emergency exists or is impending, which

affects or may affect a particular institution, or a particular

office or offices thereof, but not institutions located in the area

generally, he may authorize the particular institution or office or

offices so affected to close. The office or offices so closed shall

remain closed until the Commissioner proclaims that the emergency

has ended, or until such earlier time as the officers of the

institution determine that one or more offices, theretofore closed

because of the emergency, should reopen, and, in either event, for

such further time thereafter as may reasonably be required to

reopen. If an emergency exists such that, in the opinion of the

Commissioner, one or more institutions in the affected area will not

be able to resume business at the closed offices within a reasonable

period of time, the Commissioner may authorize the affected

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 6. Banks and Trust Companies Page 85

institutions to open one or more temporary facilities at locations

outside of the affected area, including branch facilities, without

formal application or fee, after notice to and approval by the

Commissioner. Any temporary facility opened under this subsection

may remain open until the Commissioner declares that the emergency

has passed, at which time the institution shall close the temporary

facility or seek approval to remain at the location through filing

of a formal application and payment of any required fee.

B. Powers of officers. Whenever the officers of an institution

are of the opinion that an emergency exists or is impending, which

affects or may affect one or more or all of an institution’s

offices, they shall have the authority, in the reasonable and proper

exercise of their discretion, to determine not to open any one or

more or all of such offices on any business or banking day or, if

having opened, to close any one or more or all of such offices

during the continuation of such emergency, even if the Commissioner

has not issued and does not issue a proclamation of emergency. The

office or offices so closed shall remain closed until such time as

the officers determine that the emergency has ended, and for such

further time thereafter as may reasonably be required to reopen;

however, in no case shall such office or offices remain closed for

more than forty-eight (48) consecutive hours, excluding other legal

holidays, without requesting the approval of the Commissioner.

The officers of an institution may close any one or more or all

of the institution’s offices on any day or days designated by

proclamation of the President of the United States or the Governor

of this state as a day or days of mourning, rejoicing, or other

special observance.

C. Notice to Commissioner. An institution closing an office or

offices pursuant to the authority granted under subsection B of this

section shall give as prompt notice of its action as conditions will

permit, and by any means available, to the Commissioner or, in the

case of a national bank, to the Comptroller of the Currency.

D. Effect of closing. Any day on which an institution, or any

one or more of its offices, is closed during all or any part of its

normal banking hours pursuant to the authorization granted under

this section shall be, with respect to such institution or, if not

all of its offices are closed, then with respect to any office or

offices which are closed, a legal holiday for all purposes with

respect to any banking business of any character. No liability, or
ne or more of its offices, is closed during all or any part of its

normal banking hours pursuant to the authorization granted under

this section shall be, with respect to such institution or, if not

all of its offices are closed, then with respect to any office or

offices which are closed, a legal holiday for all purposes with

respect to any banking business of any character. No liability, or

loss of rights of any kind, on the part of any institution, or

director, officer, or employee thereof, shall accrue or result by

virtue of any closing authorized by this section.

The provisions of this section shall be construed and applied as

being in addition to, and not in substitution for or limitation of,

any other law of this state or of the United States, authorizing the

closing of an institution or excusing the delay by an institution in

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 6. Banks and Trust Companies Page 86

the performance of its duties and obligations because of emergencies

or conditions beyond the institution’s control or otherwise.

E. National banks. This section shall apply to national banks

only with the approval of the Comptroller of the Currency.

F. As used in this section, the term “institution” means banks,

credit unions, and savings associations chartered under the laws of

this state. The term also includes banks, credit unions, and

savings associations chartered under the laws of another state that

have branch offices in this state unless the laws of the other state

provide a more restrictive rule in the case of emergencies.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.