No merger may be approved by the board under this Article 3: (1) which would result in a monopoly, or which would be in furtherance of a combination or conspiracy to monopolize or to attempt to monopolize the banking business of this State; or (2) the effect of which in this State would be substantially to lessen competition, or to tend to create a monopoly, or which in another manner would be in restraint of trade, unless it finds that the anticompetitive effects of the proposed transaction clearly are outweighed in the public interest by the probable effect of the proposed merger in meeting the purposes of this chapter or the convenience and needs of the primary service area served. HISTORY: 1997 Act No. 90, Section 1, eff June 10, 1997.
South Carolina Legal Code