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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Senate Bill 773

Authorized activities and operations of credit unions; the lending area of savings and loan associations; automated teller machines; residential mortgage loans and variable rate loans; payments for public deposit losses in failed financial institutions; promissory notes of certain public bodies; repealing rules promulgated by the Department of Financial Institutions; providing an exemption from rule-making procedures; and providing a penalty. (FE)

Became law

The governor signed it on Mar 22, 2024. It's ⁠.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Dec 8, 2023

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Senate vote, passed

    Passed Jan 16, 2024

  4. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Jan 18, 2024

  5. Governor, passed

    Signed

  6. Law, here now

    2023 Wisconsin Act 128

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 22, 2024: “Published 3-22-2024”

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What it does

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, the Office of Credit Unions (OCU) in the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) regulates state-chartered credit unions, and DFI's Division of Banking (division) regulates state-chartered banks, savings banks, and savings and loan (S&L) associations. Current law specifies various authorized activities and powers of these financial institutions.

This bill does the following with respect to the authorized operations of financial institutions:

Read the full summary

1. Expands the ability of a credit union to purchase, lease, and sell real property, subject to limitations.

2. Specifies that credit unions may issue or offer supplemental forms of capital approved by OCU.

3. Repeals certain DFI rules related to the placement or operation of automated teller machines (ATMs) by financial institutions.

4. Creates the crime of interfering with an ATM.

5. Eliminates a geographical lending restriction for an S&L association.

6. Eliminates certain lender disclosure requirements applicable to residential mortgage loans and variable rate loans.

7. Extends the maximum maturity date, from 10 to 20 years, of a promissory note issued by a municipality, county, or school district.

8. Extends the period in which a credit union's board of directors must appoint a director to fill a board vacancy.

9. Increases the amount of compensation available from DFI for losses resulting from the deposit of public moneys in a failed financial institution.

10. Extends the period during which OCU must determine whether an activity or power that becomes authorized for a federally chartered credit union should also be authorized for a Wisconsin-chartered credit union.

11. Extends the deadline for a credit union to pay OCU for the cost of an OCU examination.

Credit union property Under current law, a credit union may purchase, hold, and dispose of property as necessary for or incidental to its operations.

The bill specifies that a credit union may purchase, lease, hold, and convey certain real estate, including real estate conveyed to the credit union in satisfaction of a debt or foreclosed real estate, subject to guidance by OCU and a five-year limit on holding the real estate.

Supplemental capital The bill specifies that credit unions may issue or offer supplemental forms of capital in the form and with the conditions, including those related to the safety and soundness of the proposed use of the capital and the overall condition of the credit union, approved by OCU.

Off-site ATMs Under current law, a bank, savings bank, S&L association, or credit union (collectively, financial institution) may acquire, place, and operate, or participate in the acquisition, placement, and operation of, at locations away from the financial institution, what is variously referred to as customer bank communications terminals, remote terminals, or remote service units, in accordance with rules established by OCU and DFI's Division of Banking (division). These devices are terminals or other facilities that are not located at a financial institution and through which customers and financial institutions may engage in electronic transactions that are incidental to the conduct of the business of financial institutions (collectively, off-site ATMs).

Under current rules of the division, a financial institution other than a credit union must provide advance written notice to the division before acquiring, placing, or operating an off-site ATM. The bill repeals these rules.

Current statutes provide that OCU or the division may, by order, authorize the installation and operation of an off-site ATM in a mobile facility, after notice and hearing upon the proposed service stops of the mobile facility. The bill repeals these provisions.

Interference with automated teller machines The bill also creates a Class H felony for intentionally causing impairment or interruption of use of a financial institution's ATM or customer bank communications terminal. A Class H felony is punishable by a fine not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six years, or both.

Savings and loan association lending areas Current law specifies the authority of an S&L association to make mortgage loans but also limits the lending area of an S&L association to a radius of 100 miles of the S&L association's home office. In general, an S&L association may establish branch offices within the lending area of its home office.

The bill eliminates the lending-area restriction on an S&L association and, consequently, the limitation that a branch office must be located within the lending area.

Residential mortgage loans and variable rate loans Under current law, a residential mortgage loan generally is a loan secured by a first lien real estate mortgage on a one-family to four-family dwelling that the borrower uses as his or her principal residence. Current law imposes various requirements related to residential mortgage loans, including the following:

1. Before a lender accepts an application or fee in connection with a residential mortgage loan, the lender must deliver to the potential loan applicant a written disclosure that contains certain information, including whether an application fee is refundable and whether the interest rate and other terms of the agreement may change before the closing date.

2. The lender must provide a written statement to an applicant of the reasons for adverse action on an application. Delivery of a notice of adverse action in compliance with federal law satisfies this requirement.

3. The lender must provide written notice to the borrower if the loan servicing for the residential mortgage loan is sold. The notice must include the name, address, and telephone number of the new loan servicer.

The bill repeals the requirements identified as 1. to 3. immediately above.

Under current law, a variable rate loan generally is a residential mortgage loan the terms of which permit the interest rate to be increased or decreased. Current law imposes various requirements related to variable rate loans, including a disclosure requirement. Before making a variable rate loan, the lender must disclose specified information to at least one of the borrowers, including that the loan contract contains a variable interest rate provision; identification of the index used and its current base; and rights of the borrower with respect to a change in the interest rate.

The bill repeals these disclosure requirements.

Promissory notes of certain public bodies Under current law, a public body that has the authority to borrow money and issue obligations to repay the money out of public funds or revenues and that has the authority to levy a tax may issue promissory notes for any public purpose. Public bodies covered by this provision include cities, villages, towns, counties, and school districts. Each promissory note, with several exceptions, must be repaid within 10 years after the original date of the note. Under the bill, each promissory note must be repaid within 20 years after the original date of the note.

Vacancy on board of directors Current law allows the board of directors of a credit union to remove a director.

Within 60 days after the date of removal of a director, the board of directors must appoint a director to fill the vacancy. The bill requires a credit union's board of directors to fill any vacancy, including a vacancy resulting from removal of a director, within 90 days.

Public deposit losses Under current law, the Investment Board (SWIB) and the governing bodies of counties, municipalities, and certain other local governmental units (collectively, public depositors) must designate one or more financial institutions in this state for deposit of all public moneys received by the public depositor. DFI administers a claims process that repays public depositors for losses that exceed applicable deposit insurance resulting from a failed or failing financial institution's failure to repay the deposit of public moneys. The maximum payment that DFI can make to a public depositor for losses from a single financial institution is $400,000. These loss payment provisions also apply to local government deposits in the local government pooled-investment fund managed by SWIB.

The bill increases, from $400,000 to $1,000,000, the maximum payment that DFI can make to a public depositor for losses from a single financial institution that exceed deposit insurance.

Parity with federally chartered credit unions Down Down /2023/related/proposals/sb773 true proposaltext /2023/related/proposals/sb773 proposaltext/2023/REG/SB773 proposaltext/2023/REG/SB773 section true Menu » 2023 » Related Documents » Proposal Text » SB773: Bill Text × Details for PDF view Link (Permanent link) Bookmark this location View toggle Go to top of document Search in this chapter Search in this section Search in this agency Search in this chapter group Search in this chapter Search in this section Cross references for section Acts affecting this section References to this 1970 Statutes Annotations Appellate Court Citations Administrative Code Index Reference lines Clear highlighting $(document).ready(function () {

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Who's behind it

5 senators are its ⁠. 4 are Republicans and 1 is a Democrat.

14 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 19 names

Authors (5)

Signed on in support (14)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There were 2 votes on this bill.

Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage vote on an amendment

Passed, 5 to 0 · Jan 5, 2024

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage vote to recommend it

Passed, 5 to 0 · Jan 5, 2024

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 22, 2024

    The new law was published.

  2. Mar 22, 2024

    The governor signed it. It became 2023 Wisconsin Act 128.

  3. Mar 18, 2024

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Jan 18, 2024

    The Assembly passed it too.

  5. Jan 17, 2024

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  6. Jan 16, 2024

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  7. Jan 16, 2024

    The Assembly received it.

  8. Jan 16, 2024

    The Senate passed it.

  9. Jan 16, 2024

    The Senate adopted it.

  10. Jan 9, 2024 to Jan 12, 2024

    2 more senators signed on in support.

  11. Jan 5, 2024

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 0.

  12. Jan 5, 2024

    “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage, Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)

  13. Dec 20, 2023

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  14. Dec 19, 2023

    The committee held a public hearing.

  15. Dec 8, 2023

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage.

  16. Dec 8, 2023

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Dec 8, 2023 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Stafsholt, Cabral-Guevara, Felzkowski, Marklein and Taylor; cosponsored by Representatives Katsma, Murphy, O'Connor, Allen, Behnke, Dittrich, Goeben, Gundrum, Novak, Penterman and Rettinger

  2. Dec 8, 2023 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage

  3. Dec 19, 2023 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  4. Dec 20, 2023 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Jan 3, 2024 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Stafsholt

  6. Jan 5, 2024 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  7. Jan 5, 2024 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  8. Jan 5, 2024 · Senate

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  9. Jan 5, 2024 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  10. Jan 9, 2024 · Senate

    Senator Cowles added as a coauthor

  11. Jan 12, 2024 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 1-16-2024 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  12. Jan 12, 2024 · Senate

    Senator Spreitzer added as a coauthor

  13. Jan 16, 2024 · Senate

    Read a second time

  14. Jan 16, 2024 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 adopted

  15. Jan 16, 2024 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  16. Jan 16, 2024 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  17. Jan 16, 2024 · Senate

    Read a third time and passed

  18. Jan 16, 2024 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  19. Jan 16, 2024 · Assembly

    Received from Senate

  20. Jan 16, 2024 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Rules

  21. Jan 16, 2024 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 1-18-2024 by Committee on Rules

  22. Jan 17, 2024 · Assembly

    Representatives Emerson and Gustafson added as cosponsors

  23. Jan 18, 2024 · Assembly

    Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up

  24. Jan 18, 2024 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  25. Jan 18, 2024 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  26. Jan 18, 2024 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  27. Jan 18, 2024 · Assembly

    Read a third time and concurred in

  28. Jan 18, 2024 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  29. Jan 18, 2024 · Senate

    Received from Assembly concurred in

  30. Jan 22, 2024 · Senate

    Report correctly enrolled

  31. Mar 18, 2024 · Senate

    Presented to the Governor on 3-18-2024

  32. Mar 22, 2024 · Senate

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-21-2024. 2023 Wisconsin Act 128

  33. Mar 22, 2024 · Senate

    Published 3-22-2024

Terms on this page

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote