Holding company formation by merger by certain corporations.

(1) This section applies only to a corporation that has shares registered pursuant to s. 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or held of record by not fewer than 2,000 shareholders.

(2) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Constituent corporation” means a corporation that is a party to a merger governed by this section.

(b) “Holding company” means a corporation that, from the date it first issued shares until consummation of a merger governed by this section, was at all times a wholly owned subsidiary of a constituent corporation, and whose shares are issued in such merger.

(c) “Wholly owned subsidiary” means, as to a corporation, any other corporation of which it owns, directly or indirectly through one or more subsidiaries, all of the issued and outstanding shares.

(3) Notwithstanding the requirements of s. 607.1103, unless expressly required by its articles of incorporation, no vote of shareholders of a corporation is necessary to authorize a merger of the corporation with or into a wholly owned subsidiary of such corporation if:

(a) Such corporation and wholly owned subsidiary are the only constituent corporations to the merger;

(b) Each share or fraction of a share of the constituent corporation whose shares are being converted pursuant to the merger which are outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the merger is converted in the merger into a share or equal fraction of share of a holding company having the same designations, rights, powers and preferences, and qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof as the share of the constituent corporation being converted in the merger;

(c) The holding company and each of the constituent corporations to the merger are domestic corporations;

(d) The articles of incorporation and bylaws of the holding company immediately following the effective date of the merger contain provisions identical to the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the constituent corporation whose shares are being converted pursuant to the merger immediately prior to the effective date of the merger, except provisions regarding the incorporators, the corporate name, the registered office and agent, the initial board of directors, the initial subscribers for shares and matters solely of historical significance, and such provisions contained in any amendment to the articles of incorporation as were necessary to effect a change, exchange, reclassification, or cancellation of shares, if such change, exchange, reclassification, or cancellation has become effective;

(e) As a result of the merger, the constituent corporation whose shares are being converted pursuant to the merger or its successor corporation becomes or remains a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company;

(f) The directors of the constituent corporation become or remain the directors of the holding company upon the effective date of the merger;

(g) The articles of incorporation of the surviving corporation immediately following the effective date of the merger are identical to the articles of incorporation of the constituent corporation whose shares are being converted pursuant to the merger immediately prior to the effective date of the merger, except provisions regarding the incorporators, the corporate name, the registered office and agent, the initial board of directors, the initial subscribers for shares and matters solely of historical significance, and such provisions contained in any amendment to the articles of incorporation as were necessary to effect a change, exchange, reclassification, or cancellation of shares, if such change, exchange, reclassification, or cancellation has become effective. The articles of incorporation of the surviving corporation must be amended in the merger to contain a provision requiring, by specific reference to this section, that any act or transaction by or involving the surviving corporation, other than the election or removal of directors, which requires for its adoption under this chapter or its articles of incorporation the approval of the shareholders of the surviving corporation also be approved by the shareholders of the holding company, or any successor by merger, by the same vote as is required by this chapter or the articles of incorporation of the surviving corporation. The articles of incorporation of the surviving corporation may be amended in the merger to reduce the number of classes and shares which the surviving corporation is authorized to issue;

(h) The board of directors of the constituent corporation determines that the shareholders of the constituent corporation will not recognize gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes; and

(i) The board of directors of such corporation adopts a plan of merger that sets forth:

1. The names of the constituent corporations;

2. The manner and basis of converting the shares of the corporation into shares of the holding company and the manner and basis of converting rights to acquire shares of such corporation into rights to acquire shares of the holding company; and

3. A provision for the pro rata issuance of shares of the holding company to the holders of shares of the corporation upon surrender of any certificates therefor.

(4) From and after the effective time of a merger adopted by a constituent corporation by action of its board of directors and without any vote of shareholders pursuant to this section:

(a) To the extent the restrictions of ss. 607.0901 and 607.0902 applied to the constituent corporation and its shareholders at the effective time of the merger, such restrictions also apply to the holding company and its shareholders immediately after the effective time of the merger as though it were the constituent corporation, and all shares of the holding company acquired in the merger shall, for purposes of ss. 607.0901 and 607.0902, be deemed to have been acquired at the time that the shares of the constituent corporation converted in the merger were acquired, and provided further that any shareholder who immediately prior to the effective time of the merger was not an interested shareholder within the meaning of s. 607.0901 shall not, solely by reason of the merger, become an interested shareholder of the holding company; and

(b) If the corporate name of the holding company immediately following the effective time of the merger is the same as the corporate name of the constituent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, the shares of the holding company into which the shares of the constituent corporation are converted in the merger shall be represented by the share certificates that previously represented shares of the constituent corporation.

(5) If a plan of merger is adopted by a constituent corporation by selection of its board of directors without any vote of shareholders pursuant to this section, the secretary or assistant secretary of the constituent corporation shall certify in the articles of merger that the plan of merger has been adopted pursuant to this section and that the conditions specified in subsection (3) have been satisfied. The articles of merger so certified shall then be filed and become effective in accordance with s. 607.1106.