Title 12—Banks and Banking--Volume 1
PART 1214—AVAILABILITY OF NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION
§ 1214.1   Definitions.
Confidential supervisory information means information prepared or received by FHFA that meets all of the following criteria:
(1) The information is not a document prepared by a regulated entity or the Office of Finance for its own business purposes that is in its possession;
(2) The information is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552 (1966); and
(3) The information—(i) Consists of reports of examination, inspection and visitation, confidential operating and condition reports, and any information derived from, related to, or contained in such reports, or
(ii) Is gathered by FHFA in the course of any investigation, suspicious activity report, cease-and-desist order, civil money penalty enforcement order, suspension, removal or prohibition order, or other supervisory or enforcement orders or actions taken under the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, Public Law 102-550, 122 Stat. 2654.
Disclosure means release or divulgence of information by any person to a person outside of FHFA.
FHFA employee means strictly for the purpose of this regulation, any person employed by FHFA, including any current or former officer, intern, agent, contractor or contractor personnel, or detailee of FHFA, and any person employed by the FHFA Office of the Inspector General (FHFA-OIG), including any current or former officer, intern, agent, contractor or contractor personnel, or detailee of FHFA-OIG.
Non-public information means information that FHFA has not made public that is created by, obtained by, or communicated to an FHFA employee in connection with the performance of official duties, regardless of who is in possession of the information. This includes confidential supervisory information as defined above. It does not include information or documents that FHFA has disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552; 12 CFR part 1202), or Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a; 12 CFR part 1204). It also does not include specific information or documents that were previously disclosed to the public at large or information or documents that are customarily furnished to the public at large in the course of the performance of official FHFA duties, including but not limited to: Disclosures made by the Director pursuant to 24 CFR subpart F, and any FHFA successor rules; the annual report that FHFA submits to Congress pursuant to the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4501 et seq. ), press releases, FHFA blank forms, and materials published in the Federal Register.
Person means individual or business entity.
§ 1214.2   Purpose and scope.
(a) Purpose. The purpose of this part is to control the dissemination of non-public information, which includes confidential supervisory information, and maintain its controlled, sensitive, privileged, or proprietary nature, as appropriate.
(b) Scope. This part imposes a broad-based prohibition against unauthorized disclosure of any non-public information. This part does not supersede the regulations at 12 CFR part 1202 (governing disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act); 12 CFR part 1204 (governing disclosure under the Privacy Act); and the sections describing permitted disclosures in any FHFA rules on Federal Home Loan Bank Information Sharing or on the FHFA Public Use Database.
(c) These provisions also do not supersede or otherwise alter the rights or liabilities created by 5 U.S.C. 7211 (governing disclosures to Congress); 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(8) (governing disclosures of illegality, waste, fraud, abuse, or public health or safety threats); or 12 U.S.C. 3401 (governing disclosure of financial institution customer information).
§ 1214.3   General rule.
(a) In general, Non-FHFA Employees. The Director makes available to each regulated entity a copy of FHFA's report of examination of that regulated entity. The report of examination and all other confidential supervisory information is the property of FHFA and is provided to the regulated entity for its confidential internal use only. Under no circumstance shall any person in possession or control of confidential supervisory information make public or disclose, in any manner, the confidential supervisory information, or any portion of the contents thereof, except as authorized in writing by the Director.
(b) In general, FHFA Employees. Except as authorized in writing by the Director, no FHFA employee in possession or control of non-public information may disclose or permit the use or disclosure of such information in any manner or for any purpose.
(c) Persons possessing confidential supervisory information. All confidential supervisory information, for which the Director authorizes disclosure, remains the property of FHFA and may not be used or disclosed for any purpose other than that authorized under this part without the prior written permission of the Director.
(d) No Waiver. FHFA's disclosure of non-public information to any person does not constitute a waiver by FHFA of any privilege or FHFA's right to control, supervise, or impose limitations on, the subsequent use and disclosure of the non-public information.
(e) Penalties, Confidential Supervisory Information. Any person that discloses or uses confidential supervisory information except as authorized under this part may be subject to the penalties provided in 18 U.S.C. 641 and other applicable laws. In addition to those penalties, FHFA, regulated entity, Office of Finance, affiliate (as defined in 12 U.S.C. 4502(20)), or entity-affiliated party (as defined in 12 U.S.C. 4502(11)) employees may be subject to appropriate administrative, enforcement, or disciplinary proceedings.
(f) Penalties, Non-Public Information. Any FHFA employee that discloses or uses non-public information except as authorized under this part may be subject to the penalties provided in 18 U.S.C. 641, other applicable laws, and appropriate administrative, enforcement, or disciplinary proceedings.
§ 1214.4   Exceptions.
(a) FHFA Employees. Current FHFA employees may disclose or permit the disclosure of non-public information to another FHFA employee or regulated entity or the Office of Finance, when necessary and appropriate, for the performance of their official duties.
(b) Regulated Entity Agents and Consultants. (1) When necessary and appropriate for regulated entity or Office of Finance business purposes, a regulated entity, the Office of Finance, or any director, officer, or employee thereof may disclose confidential supervisory information to any person currently engaged by the regulated entity or the Office of Finance, as officer, director, employee, attorney, auditor, or independent auditor (“regulated entity agents”).
(2) A regulated entity, the Office of Finance, or a director, officer, employee, or agent thereof, also may disclose confidential supervisory information to a consultant under this paragraph if the consultant is under a written contract to provide services to the regulated entity or the Office of Finance and the consultant has agreed in writing:
(i) To abide by the prohibition on the disclosure of confidential supervisory information contained in this section; and
(ii) That it will not use the confidential supervisory information for any purposes other than those stated in its contract to provide services to the regulated entity or the Office of Finance.
(c) Law Enforcement Proceedings. Notwithstanding the general prohibition of disclosure of non-public information, to the minimum extent required by the Inspector General Act, Public Law 95-452, 92 Stat. 1101 (1978), FHFA's Office of Inspector General is permitted under this section to disclose non-public FHFA information without Director approval.
(d) Privilege. FHFA retains all privilege claims for non-public information shared under § 1214.4, including, but not limited to attorney-client, attorney-work product, deliberative process, and examination privileges.