With the prior approval of the Secretary, which approval shall state that the proposed merger is in his opinion necessary for the protection of the depositors and other creditors, any savings bank that is an eligible depository institution, as defined in the Illinois Banking Act, may, by a vote of a majority of its board of directors and without a vote of its members or stockholders, merge with another savings bank or depository institution, with the other savings bank or depository institution being the resulting or continuing savings bank or depository institution.