N.Y. Banking Law § 7015 – Duty of directors and officers; oath of directors

1. Directors and officers shall discharge the duties of their respective positions in good faith and with that degree of diligence, care and skill which ordinarily prudent men would exercise under similar circumstances in like positions. In discharging their duties, directors and officers, when acting in good faith, may rely upon (a) financial statements of the corporation represented to them to be correct by the president or the officer of the corporation having charge of its books of account, or stated in a written report by an independent public or certified public accountant or firm of such accountants fairly to reflect the financial condition of such corporation, and (b) reports required to be submitted to them by any provision of this chapter or prepared in the ordinary course of business by an officer or committee charged with the responsibility therefor. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to require the directors to perform functions vested in any committee, officer or other person pursuant to the provisions of any other section of this chapter.
2. In taking action, including, without limitation, action which may involve or relate to a change or potential change in the control of the banking institution, a director shall be entitled to consider, without limitation, (1) both the long-term and the short-term interests of the corporation and its shareholders and (2) the effects that the corporation's actions may have in the short-term or in the long-term upon any of the following:
1. (i) the prospects for potential growth, development, productivity and profitability of the corporation;
2. (ii) the corporation's current employees;
3. (iii) the corporation's retired employees and other beneficiaries receiving or entitled to receive retirement, welfare or similar benefits from or pursuant to any plan sponsored, or agreement entered into, by the corporation;
4. (iv) the corporation's customers and creditors; and
5. (v) the ability of the corporation to provide, as a going concern, goods, services, employment opportunities and employment benefits and otherwise to contribute to the communities in which it does business. Nothing in this subdivision shall create any duties owed by any director to any person or entity to consider or afford any particular weight to any of the foregoing or abrogate any duty of the directors, either statutory or recognized by common law or court decisions. For purposes of this subdivision, "control" shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a banking institution whether through the ownership of voting stock of such banking institution, the ownership of voting stock of any company which possesses such power or otherwise.
3. Each director of a bank or trust company, stock-form savings bank, or stock-form savings and loan association, when appointed or elected, shall take an oath that he will, so far as the duty devolves on him, diligently and honestly administer the affairs of such corporation, and will not knowingly violate, or willingly permit to be violated, any of the provisions of law applicable to such corporation. Such oath shall be subscribed by the director making it, and certified by an officer authorized by law to administer oaths, and immediately transmitted to the superintendent.
4. Each director of a safe deposit company, when appointed or elected, shall take an oath that he will, so far as the duty devolves on him, diligently and honestly administer the affairs of such corporation, and will not knowingly violate, or willingly permit to be violated, any of the provisions of law applicable thereto. Such oath shall be subscribed by the director making it, and certified by an officer authorized by law to administer oaths, and immediately transmitted to the superintendent.