§5-17-7. Operating fees; fee filed with certificate of organization.

(a) All state chartered credit unions shall pay an annual operating fee and, if deemed necessary by the administrator, an assessment, the exact amount of which shall be fixed from time to time by the Administrator of the Alabama Credit Union Administration.

(b) Except as hereinafter provided, the annual operating fee set by the administrator shall not exceed the fee calculated by use of the following scale or the administrator may authorize payment of the schedule used by federal credit unions if the administrator determines it to be appropriate:

(1) Credit unions having total assets of less than $500,000.00 shall pay a fee not in excess of $.12 for each $100.00 of assets, subject to a minimum of $200.00.

(2) Credit unions with assets of $500,000 but not in excess of $1,000,000 shall pay a fee of $600 plus $.05 per $100 of assets over $500,000 but not in excess of $1,000,000; credit unions with assets of $1,000,000 but not in excess of $5,000,000 shall pay a fee of $850 plus $.035 per $100 of assets of $1,000,000 but not in excess of $5,000,000; credit unions with assets of $5,000,000 but not in excess of $10,000,000 shall pay a fee of $2,250 plus $.02 per $100 of assets over $5,000,000 but not in excess of $10,000,000; credit unions with assets of $10,000,000 but not in excess of $20,000,000 shall pay a fee of $3,250 plus $.018 per $100 on assets over $10,000,000 but not in excess of $20,000,000; credit unions with assets of $20,000,000 but not in excess of $50,000,000 shall pay a fee of $5,050 plus $.016 per $100 on assets over $20,000,000 but not in excess of $50,000,000; credit unions with assets of $50,000,000 but not in excess of $100,000,000 shall pay a fee of $9,850 plus $.013 per $100 on assets over $50,000,000 but not in excess of $100,000,000; credit unions with assets of $100,000,000 or more shall pay a fee of $16,350 plus $.011 per $100 on all assets over $100,000,000.

(3) The annual operating fee for a corporate credit union shall be set by the administrator and shall not exceed the above scale.

(c) Annually, the administrator may fix an annual operating assessment to ensure that the Alabama Credit Union Administration does not continue to operate in a deficit for any given year. The assessment shall be approved by the Credit Union Board of the Alabama Credit Union Administration. Any credit union failing to pay the assessment within 30 days of the notice of assessment may be charged a fine not to exceed fifty dollars ($50) for each day that the assessment remains unpaid.

(d) The annual operating fee shall be paid on or before the last day of January of each year, based upon the assets of the credit union as of the end of the previous year. Any credit union failing to pay the operating fee may be charged a fine not to exceed fifty dollars ($50) for each day that the fee remains unpaid.

(e) Whenever application is made to the Administrator of the Alabama Credit Union Administration for permission to organize a credit union, the applicant shall at the time of filing the certificate of organization with the Administrator of the Alabama Credit Union Administration pay a fee not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for the purpose of paying the costs incidental to the determination by the Administrator of the Alabama Credit Union Administration whether such certificate of organization shall be approved. The Administrator of the Alabama Credit Union Administration shall from time to time fix the exact charge to be made, but in no event shall the charge exceed one hundred dollars ($100). The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any existing credit union seeking charter conversion.

(f) All fees collected under this section shall be paid into the special fund set up by the State Treasurer. This special fund shall be used to pay the salaries of the officials and employees and the expenses of the Alabama Credit Union Administration including the purchase of equipment, vehicles, and supplies necessary for the examination and supervision of credit unions and may be spent by the Administrator of the Alabama Credit Union Administration for the uses and purposes specified herein. No taxes, fees, assessments, penalties, or other revenues collected by the Alabama Credit Union Administration shall be used for any purpose other than the expenses of operating the Alabama Credit Union Administration.

(g) All the jurisdiction, authority, powers, and duties now conferred upon and imposed by law upon the Superintendent of Banks and the Supervisor of the Credit Union Bureau in relation to the management, control, regulation, and general supervision of credit unions are hereby transferred to, conferred upon, and imposed upon the Alabama Credit Union Administration and administrator.

(h) All assets primarily used by the Bureau of Credit Unions, including books, records, documents, furniture, equipment, and supplies are hereby transferred to the Alabama Credit Union Administration. All funds in the special fund previously maintained by the State Treasurer for the Bureau of Credit Unions are hereby transferred to the Alabama Credit Union Administration. All taxes, fees, assessments, penalties, or other revenues owed to or collected by the Bureau of Credit Unions are hereby transferred to the Alabama Credit Union Administration. Any employee presently employed by the Superintendent of Banks who is presently primarily involved with the Bureau of Credit Unions shall be employed by the Alabama Credit Union Administration.

(Acts 1957, No. 603, p. 862; Acts 1967, No. 221, p. 589; Acts 1975, No. 561, p. 1267, §6; Acts 1981, No. 81-852, p. 1529, §2; Acts 1985, No. 85-457, p. 425, §8; Act 2014-317, §1.)