[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 7]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR1.585-4]

[Page 325-327]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
    CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
PART 1_INCOME TAXES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1.585-4  Reorganizations and asset acquisitions.

    (a) In general. In computing a reasonable addition to the reserve 
for losses

[[Page 326]]

on loans for the first taxable year ending after a transaction to which 
section 381(a) applies and for subsequent taxable years, the separate 
reserves for losses on loans, the amount of loans outstanding, the total 
bad debts sustained (adjusted for recoveries), and the amount of 
eligible loans outstanding of the distributor or transferor corporation 
and the acquiring corporation (or, in the case of a consolidation, the 
transferor corporations) shall be combined for all applicable years. 
Thus, for example, in applying Sec. 1.585-2(c)(1)(i) for the first 
taxable year ending after the distribution or transfer, the total bad 
debts sustained during the 5 preceding taxable years are the sum of the 
bad debts sustained by the acquiring corporation for the 5 preceding 
taxable years and bad debts sustained by the distributor or transferor 
corporation for the taxable year ending on the date of distribution or 
transfer and the 4 preceding taxable years.
    (b) Base year and base year amounts of acquiring corporation--(1) 
Base year. For transactions to which section 381(a) applies, the base 
year of the acquiring corporation for the first taxable year ending 
after the date of distribution or transfer shall be the last taxable 
year ending on or before the date of distribution or transfer. The 
balance of the reserve, the amount of loans outstanding, and the amount 
of eligible loans outstanding at the close of such base year shall be 
determined in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (2)(i) of 
this paragraph. For taxable years subsequent to the first taxable year 
ending after the date of distribution or transfer, the base year of the 
acquiring corporation shall be the more recent of the base year provided 
by the first sentence of this subparagraph or the base year provided by 
Sec. 1.585-2(e)(1). If Sec. 1.585-2(e)(1) provides the more recent 
base year, the balance of the reserve for losses on loans, the amount of 
loans outstanding, and the amount of eligible loans outstanding shall be 
determined at the close of such base year without regard to this 
paragraph.
    (2) Base year amounts--(i) Method of determination. The balance of 
the reserve for losses on loans, the amount of loans outstanding, and 
the amount of eligible loans outstanding at the close of the base year 
provided by the first sentence of subparagraph (1) of this paragraph 
shall be the total of such amounts of the distributor or transferor 
corporation and the acquiring corporation (or, in the case of a 
consolidation, the transferor corporations) at the close of what would 
have been their respective base years determined under Sec. 1.585-
2(e)(1) if the distribution or transfer to which section 381(a) applies 
had not occurred, except that the method (experience or percentage) used 
or adopted by the acquiring corporation to determine its reasonable 
addition to a reserve for losses on loans for the first taxable year 
ending after the date of the distribution or transfer shall be 
considered to be the method that the distributor or transferor 
corporation (or, in the case of a consolidation, that the transferor 
corporation) would have used or adopted for its first taxable year 
ending after the date of distribution or transfer if the distribution or 
transfer had not occurred.
    (ii) Examples. The application of the rule provided by this 
subparagraph may be illustrated by the following examples:

    Example 1. The X Corporation and the Y Corporation are commercial 
banks both of which have a calendar year as a taxable year. Both X and Y 
adopted the reserve method of accounting for bad debts prior to July 11, 
1969. For the taxable year 1970 through 1973, X and Y determined their 
reasonable additions to a reserve for losses on loans as defined in 
Sec. 1.585-2(e)(2) under the percentage method. On June 30, 1974, the X 
Bank is merged into the Y Bank; for its short taxable year ending on 
June 30, 1974, X determines its reasonable addition under the percentage 
method. If, for the taxable year ending on December 31, 1974 (the first 
taxable year ending after the date of distribution or transfer), Y 
determines its reasonable addition to a reserve for losses on loans 
under the percentage method, then at the close of the base year the 
reserve balance, the amount of outstanding loans, and the amount of 
eligible loans outstanding are the sum of X's and Y's respective amounts 
at the close of the taxable year endingDecember 31, 1969 (the base year 
of both X and Y determined under Sec. 1.585-2(e)(1) as if the 
distribution or transfer had not taken place). If, instead of the above, 
Y adopts the experience method of determining its reasonable addition to 
a reserve for losses for the taxable

[[Page 327]]

year 1974, than at the close of the base year (1973) the reserve 
balances, the amount of loans outstanding, and the amount of eligible 
loans outstanding are the sum of X's respective amounts at the close of 
its short taxable year ending on June 30, 1974 (X's last taxable year 
before its (Y's) most recent adoption of the experience method) and of 
Y's respective amounts at the close of its taxable year 1973 (Y's last 
taxable year before its most recent adoption of the experience method).
    Example 2. The M Corporation and the N Corporation are commercial 
banks. M has a fiscal year ending September 30, as its taxable year and 
N has a calendar year as its taxable year. Both M and N adopted the 
reserve method of accounting for bad debts prior to July 11, 1969. For 
the taxable years ending in 1970, 1971, and 1972, M determined its 
reasonable addition to a reserve for losses under the percentage method; 
for the taxable year ending in 1973 M adopted the experience method. For 
the taxable years 1970 through 1973 N determined its reasonable addition 
under the percentage method. M is merged into N on June 30, 1974, and 
for its short taxable year ending on June 30, 1974, M determines its 
reasonable addition under the experience method. If, for the taxable 
year ending on December 31, 1974 (thefirst taxable year ending after the 
date of distribution or transfer), N determines its reasonable addition 
to a reserve for losses under the percentage method, then at the close 
of the base year (1973) the reserve balance, the amount of loans 
outstanding, and the amount of eligible loans outstanding are the sum of 
M's respective amounts at the close of (a) if M had a reserve deficiency 
as of June 30, 1974, its short taxable year ending on June 30, 1974 (M's 
last taxable year before its (N's) most recent adoption of the 
percentage method), or (b) if M did not have a reserve deficiency, the 
taxable year ending on September 30, 1969, and N's respective amounts at 
the close of its taxable year 1979. If, instead of the above, N adopts 
the experience method for the taxable year 1974, then at the close of 
the base year the reserve balance, the amount of outstanding loans, and 
the amount of eligible loans outstanding are the sum of M's respective 
amounts at the close of its taxable year ending on September 30, 1972 
(the last taxable year before M's most recent adoption of the experience 
method), and N's respective amounts at the close of the taxable year 
1973 (the last taxable year ending before N's most recent adoption of 
the experience method).

(Sec. 585(b)(4), of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (83 Stat. 618; (26 
U.S.C. 585(b)(4))))

[T.D. 7532, 43 FR 3114, Jan. 23, 1978]