Financial Services

Subscribe to Financial Services via RSS

The Ohio Supreme Court unanimously affirmed a Board of Tax Appeals decision upholding the tax commissioner’s denial of a bank’s refund claims, holding that Ohio’s financial-institutions tax (FIT) is internally consistent and therefore does not discriminate against interstate commerce in violation of the dormant Commerce Clause. Ohio taxes banks through a regressive-rate structure, meaning that…

A recent letter ruling from the Tennessee Department of Revenue concludes that the ownership of mortgages backed by Tennessee property was insufficient to subject a foreign investment fund (“Fund”) to the state’s franchise and excise taxes.

Tennessee broadly applies its franchise and excise tax to the extent permitted by the U.S. and state constitutions.  A…

The New Jersey Tax Court rejected a taxpayer’s due process claim finding that the Division of Taxation properly issued the notice of assessment. The taxpayer made three arguments: (1) that the Division issued the assessment in the name of the predecessor corporation instead of the successor corporation, (2) that the assessment was addressed to the…

The South Carolina Administrative Law Court found that the taxpayer bank could not deduct net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards when computing its bank tax liability. The taxpayer argued that banks should be allowed to deduct NOLs regardless of whether it is paying under the income or the franchise tax, because of the state’s conformity with…

In interpreting an ambiguous statute allowing for a tax credit against the state’s financial institution excise tax (FIET), the Alabama Court of Appeals held in favor of the Department of Revenue’s interpretation. Alabama imposes a 6½% FIET on the net income of certain financial institutions. After deducting administrative charges payable to the Department, the Department…

By Liz Cha and Open Weaver Banks

The North Carolina Supreme Court affirmed the North Carolina Business Court’s decision that Fidelity Bank was precluded from deducting “market discount income” from US bonds for North Carolina corporate income tax purposes. Fidelity Bank acquired US government bonds at a discount, held these bonds until maturity, and earned…

By Alla Raykin and Eric Coffill

The Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board (ATB) upheld the Commissioner’s assessment, resulting from a denial of a subsidiary’s securities corporation classification for corporate excise tax purposes. Companies classified as securities corporations receive favorable excise tax treatment under G.L. c. 63, § 38B(a), including not being subject to inclusion in the…

By Charles Capouet and Madison Barnett

The New York City Tax Appeals Tribunal held that a bank filing a combined New York City bank tax return properly excluded from its combined group a Connecticut investment subsidiary that primarily held mortgage loans secured by non-New York property. Where there are substantial intercorporate transactions among banking corporations…

By Charles Capouet and Todd Lard

The New Jersey Tax Court ruled on the sourcing of mortgage-related receipts received by a bank and also held that the Division of Taxation could not throw out receipts from the bank’s denominator. The taxpayer originated loans for its New Jersey borrowers through its New Jersey lending office employees…