Building Societies Act, 1989

Formation, registration and incorporation.

10.—(1) A building society is formed under this Act on compliance by the persons forming it with the requirements of this Act in relation to the formation of a society and is incorporated under this Act on this issue of a certificate of incorporation.

(2) Any 10 or more persons not disqualified under section 64 may form a society by—

(a) agreeing on the objects of the society and on the extent of its powers in a memorandum the provisions of which comply with the requirements for the time being of Part I of the Second Schedule ;

(b) agreeing on rules for the regulation of the society which comply with the requirements of Part II of the Second Schedule and any regulations for the time being made under section 11 (2); and

(c) delivering to the Central Bank 3 copies of the memorandum and rules, each copy signed by not less than 10 of those persons and by the intended secretary.

(3) Where copies of the memorandum and rules are delivered to the Central Bank in accordance with subsection (2), the Bank, if—

(a) it is satisfied that the memorandum and rules are in conformity with this Act and any regulations made thereunder and that the name of the proposed society is not undesirable,

(b) it has no reason to believe that the society will not be authorised under section 17 , and

(c) it is satisfied that registration would not be prejudicial to the orderly and proper regulation of building societies generally,

shall register the memorandum and rules and issue the society with a certificate of incorporation.

(4) Whenever the Central Bank decides to refuse to register a memorandum and rules it shall, within 6 months of the date of delivery of the rules and memorandum or of the date of receipt of such other information as it may require, whichever is the later, notify the signatories of the memorandum and the rules of its decision and of its reasons for it, and an appeal may be made to the Court against the decision within one month of the receipt of the Bank's decision by not less than 10 such persons.

(5) Where the Central Bank decides to register the memorandum and rules delivered to it under subsection (2) it shall retain and register one copy, return another copy to the secretary of the society together with a certificate of incorporation, keep another copy together with a copy of the certificate of incorporation in the public file of the society and notify the incorporation to the Minister and the Minister for Finance.

(6) From the date of its incorporation a society shall be a body corporate (with the name contained in its memorandum and rules) having perpetual succession and a seal and the power to hold land.

(7) A certificate of incorporation given under this section by the Central Bank shall be sufficient evidence until the contrary is shown that all the requirements of this Act in respect of registration and of matters precedent and incidental thereto have been complied with and that the society is a society duly registered and incorporated under this Act.