Loans or investments made under *this 1973 amendatory act may provide a less than market rate of return and entail a higher degree of risk than might otherwise be acceptable to the general market, so long as the board of trustees of the bank determines the loan or investment may be beneficial to the community where made, without the need to show a direct corporate benefit, and so long as any private individual who benefits is not, and is not related to any person who is, an officer, employee, or trustee of the bank. It is hereby recognized that the mutual savings banks of the state of Washington and their depositors are affected adversely by the absence of adequate low-cost housing and environmental developments and improvements within the communities they serve and the state of Washington.
The amount a mutual savings bank may invest under *this 1973 amendatory act during any twelve-month period at less than a market rate of return shall not exceed two percent of the total principal amount of all real estate loans made by the bank during the preceding twelve months.