(a) Basic criteria for access. Any national bank, State bank, trust company, agriculture credit corporation, incorporated livestock loan company, savings association, credit union, or any association of agricultural producers engaged in the making of loans to farmers and ranchers, and any corporation engaged in the making of loans to producers or harvesters of aquatic products may become an other financing institution (OFI) that funds, discounts, and obtains other similar financial assistance from a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank in order to extend short- and intermediate-term credit to eligible borrowers for authorized purposes pursuant to sections 1.10(b) and 2.4(a) and (b) of the Act. Each OFI shall be duly organized and qualified to make loans and leases under the laws of each jurisdiction in which it operates.

(b) Assured access. Each Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank must fund, discount, or provide other similar financial assistance to any creditworthy OFI that:

(1) Maintains at least 15 percent of its loan volume at a seasonal peak in loans and leases to farmers, ranchers, aquatic producers and harvesters. The Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank shall not include the loan assets of the OFI's parent, affiliates, or subsidiaries when determining compliance with the requirement of this paragraph; and

(2) Executes a general financing agreement with the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank that establishes a financing or discount relationship for at least 2 years.

(c) Underwriting standards. Each Farm Credit Bank and agricultural credit bank shall establish objective policies, procedures, pricing guidelines, and loan underwriting standards for determining the creditworthiness of each OFI applicant. A copy of such policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards shall be made available, upon request to each OFI and OFI applicant.

(d) Denial of OFI access. A Farm Credit Bank or an agricultural credit bank may deny the funding request of any creditworthy OFI that meets the conditions in paragraph (b) of this section only when such request would:

(1) Adversely affect a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank's ability to:

(i) Achieve and maintain established or projected capital levels; or

(ii) Raise funds in the money markets; or

(2) Otherwise expose the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank to safety and soundness risks.

(e) Notice to applicants. Each Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank shall render its decision on an OFI application in as expeditious a manner as is practicable. Upon reaching a decision on an application, the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank shall provide prompt written notice of its decision to the applicant. When the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank makes an adverse credit decision on an application, the written notice shall include the specific reason(s) for the decision.

(f) Reports to the board of directors. Each Farm Credit Bank and agricultural credit bank shall provide its board of directors with a written annual report regarding the scope of OFI program activities during the preceding fiscal year.

A Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank may provide funding, discounting, or other similar financial assistance to any OFI applicant. However, a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank cannot fund, discount, or extend other similar financial assistance to an OFI that maintains its headquarters, or has more than 50 percent of its outstanding loan volume to eligible borrowers who conduct agricultural or aquatic operations in the chartered territory of another Farm Credit bank unless it notifies such bank in writing within five (5) business days of receiving the OFI's application for financing. Two or more Farm Credit banks cannot simultaneously fund the same OFI.

(a) As a condition for extending funding, discount and other similar financial assistance to an OFI, each Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank shall require every OFI to:

(1) Execute a general financing agreement pursuant to the regulations in subpart C of part 614; and

(2) Purchase non-voting stock in its Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank pursuant to the bank's bylaws.

(b) A Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank shall extend funding, discount and other similar financial assistance to an OFI only for purposes and terms authorized under sections 1.10(b) and 2.4(a) and (b) of the Act.

(c) Rural home loans to borrowers who are not bona fide farmers, ranchers, and aquatic producers and harvesters are subject to the restrictions in § 613.3030 of this chapter. Loans that an OFI makes to processing and marketing operators who supply less than 20 percent of the throughput shall be included in the calculation that § 613.3010(b)(1) of this chapter establishes for Farm Credit Banks and agricultural credit banks.

(d) The borrower rights requirements in part C of title IV of the Act, and the regulations in part 617 of this chapter shall apply to all loans that an OFI funds or discounts through a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank, unless such loans are subject to the Truth-in-Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.

(e) As a condition for obtaining funding, discount and other similar financial assistance from a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank, all State banks, trust companies, or State-chartered savings associations shall execute a written consent that authorizes their State regulators to furnish examination reports to the Farm Credit Administration upon its request. Any OFI that is not a depository institution shall consent in writing to examination by the Farm Credit Administration as a condition precedent for obtaining funding, discount and other similar financial assistance from a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank, and file such consent with its Farm Credit funding bank.

(a) Full recourse and guarantee. All obligations that are funded or discounted through a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank shall be endorsed with the full recourse or unconditional guarantee of the OFI.

(b) General collateral. (1) Each Farm Credit Bank and agricultural credit bank shall take as collateral all notes, drafts, and other obligations that it funds or discounts for each OFI; and

(2) Each Farm Credit Bank and agricultural credit bank shall perfect, in accordance with State law, a senior security interest in any and all obligations and the proceeds thereunder that the OFI pledges as collateral.

(c) Supplemental collateral. (1) Each Farm Credit Bank and agricultural credit bank shall develop policies and loan underwriting standards that establish uniform and objective requirements to determine the need and amount of supplemental collateral or other credit enhancements that each OFI shall provide as a condition for obtaining funding, discount and other similar financial assistance from such Farm Credit bank.

(2) The amount, type, and quality of supplemental collateral or other credit enhancements required for each OFI shall be established in the general financing agreement and shall be proportional to the level of risk that the OFI poses to the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank.

(a) No obligation shall be purchased from or discounted for and no loan shall be made or other similar financial assistance extended by a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank to an OFI if the amount of such obligation added to the aggregate liabilities of such OFI, whether direct or contingent (other than bona fide deposit liabilities), exceeds ten times the paid-in and unimpaired capital and surplus of such OFI or the amount of such liabilities permitted under the laws of the jurisdiction creating such OFI, whichever is less.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any national bank that is indebted to any Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank, on paper discounted or purchased, to incur any additional indebtedness, if by virtue of such additional indebtedness its aggregate liabilities, direct or contingent, will exceed the limitation described in paragraph (a) of this section.

(a) Each Farm Credit Bank and agricultural credit bank shall apply comparable and objective loan underwriting standards and pricing requirements to both OFIs and Farm Credit System direct lender associations.

(b) The total charges that a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank assesses an OFI through capitalization requirements, interest rates, and fees shall be comparable to the charges that the same Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank imposes on its direct lender associations. Any variation between the overall funding costs that OFIs and direct lender associations are charged by the same funding bank shall result from differences in credit risk and administrative costs to the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank.

(c) Upon request, each Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank must provide each OFI and OFI applicant, that has or is seeking to establish a funding relationship with the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank, a copy of its policies, procedures, loan underwriting standards, and pricing guidelines for OFIs. The pricing guidelines must identify the specific components that make up the cost of funds for OFIs, and the amount of these components expressed in basis points.

(d) Upon request of any OFI or OFI applicant, that has or is seeking to establish a funding relationship with the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank, the bank must explain in writing the reasons for any variation in the overall funding costs it charges to OFIs and affiliated direct lender associations. The written explanation must compare the cost of funds that the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank charges the OFIs and affiliated direct lender associations. When possible, the written explanation shall compare the costs of funding that the bank charges several OFIs and Farm Credit associations that are similar in size. However, the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank must not disclose financial or confidential information about any individual Farm Credit association.

A Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank may disclose to members of the public the name, address, telephone number, and Internet Web site address of any affiliated OFI only if such OFI, through a duly authorized officer, consents in writing. Each Farm Credit Bank and agricultural credit bank must adopt policies and procedures for requesting, obtaining, and maintaining the consent of its OFIs and for disclosing this information to the public.

If an OFI that is indebted to a Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank becomes insolvent, is in process of liquidation, or fails to service its loans properly, the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank may take over such loans and other assets that the OFI pledged as collateral. Once the Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank exercises its remedies, it shall have the authority to make additional advances, to grant renewals and extensions, and to take such other actions as may be necessary to collect and service loans to the OFI's borrower. The funding Farm Credit Bank or agricultural credit bank may also liquidate the OFI's loans and other assets in order to achieve repayment of the debt.