12 C.F.R. Subpart G—Releasing Information
Title 12 - Banks and Banking
Except as necessary in performing official duties or as authorized in the following paragraphs, no director or employee of a bank, association, or agency thereof shall disclose information of a type not ordinarily contained in published reports or press releases regarding any such banks or associations or their borrowers or members. [37 FR 11442, June 7, 1972. Redesignated at 47 FR 12151, Mar. 22, 1982] (a) Any System institution, for the purpose of protecting the security position of the institution, may provide lists of borrowers to buyers, warehousemen, and others who deal in produce or livestock of the kind that secures such loans, except to the extent such actions are prohibited by State laws adopted in accordance with the Food Security Act of 1985, Pub. L. 99–198, 99 Stat. 1354. Lists of borrowers or stockholders shall not otherwise be released by any bank or association except in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section. (b)(1) Within 7 days after receipt of a written request by a stockholder, each Farm Credit bank or association must provide a current list of its stockholders' names, addresses, and classes of stock held to such requesting stockholder. As a condition to providing the list, the bank or association may only require that the stockholder agree and certify in writing that the stockholder will: (i) Utilize the list exclusively for communicating with stockholders for permissible purposes; and (ii) Not make the list available to any person, other than the stockholder's attorney or accountant, without first obtaining the written consent of the institution. (2) As an alternative to receiving a list of stockholders, a stockholder may request the institution mail or otherwise furnish to each stockholder a communication for a permissible purpose on behalf of the requesting stockholder. This alternative may be used at the discretion of the requesting stockholder, provided that the requester agrees to defray the reasonable costs of the communication. In the event the requester decides to exercise this option, the institution must provide the requester with a written estimate of the costs of handling and mailing the communication as soon as practicable after receipt of the stockholder's request to furnish a communication. However, a stockholder may not exercise this option when requesting the list to distribute campaign material for election to the institution board or board committees. Farm Credit banks and associations are prohibited from distributing or mailing campaign material under §611.320(e) of this chapter. (3) For purposes of paragraph (b) of this section “permissible purpose” is defined to mean matters relating to the business operations of the institutions. This includes matters relating to the effectiveness of management, the use of institution assets, the distribution by stockholder candidates of campaign material for election to the institution board or board committees, and the performance of directors and officers. This does not include communications involving commercial, social, political, or charitable causes, communications relating to the enforcement of a personal claim or the redress of a personal grievance, or proposals advocating that the bank or association violate any Federal, State, or local law or regulation. [51 FR 39503, Oct. 28, 1986, as amended at 53 FR 35457, Sept. 14, 1988; 61 FR 67188, Dec. 20, 1996; 71 FR 5763, Feb. 2, 2006] (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the directors, officers, and employees of every bank and association shall hold in strict confidence all information regarding the character, credit standing, and property of borrowers and applicants for loans. They shall not exhibit or quote the following documents: Loan applications; supplementary statements by applicants; letters and statements relative to the character, credit standing, and property of borrowers and applicants; recommendations of loan committees; and reports of inspectors, fieldmen, investigators, and appraisers. (b) The requirements of paragraph (a) of this section are subject to the following exceptions. (1) Examiners and other authorized representatives of the Farm Credit Administration and the bank concerned shall have free access to all information, records, and files. (2) In connection with a legitimate law enforcement inquiry, accredited representatives of any agency or department of the United States may be given access to information upon presentation of official identification and a written request specifying: (i) The particular information desired; and (ii) That the information is relevant to the law enforcement inquiry and will be used only for the purpose for which it is sought. (3) The chairman of the presidents committees and the presidents of the banks may supply statistical and other impersonal information pertaining to groups of borrowers, applicants, and loans, in response to requests from any department or independent office of the Government of the United States, or responsible private organizations, with the understanding that the information will not be published. (4) Information concerning borrowers may be given for the confidential use of any Farm Credit institution in contemplation of the extension of credit or the collection of loans. (5) Impersonal information based solely on transactions or experience with a borrower, such as amounts of loans, terms, and payment records, may be given by a bank or association to any reliable organization for its confidential use in contemplation of the extension of credit or to a consumer reporting agency. (6) Credit information concerning any borrower may be given when such borrower consents thereto in writing. (7) An unsuccessful applicant for credit which primarily is for personal, family, or household purposes, if his application was rejected either wholly or partly because of information contained in a consumer report from a consumer reporting agency shall be advised as required in section 615(a) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (84 Stat. 1133), and if his application was rejected either wholly or partly because of information obtained from a person other than a consumer reporting agency shall be advised as required in section 615(b) thereof. (8)(i) Any information or analysis of information requested during the course of mediation by a State agency, governor's office or mediator under any State mediation program certified under section 501 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987, may be provided to the State agency, governor's office or mediator, with the approval of the borrower. (ii) Information concerning borrowers contained in an appraisal report may be given by a Farm Credit institution to any State agency certifying and licensing real estate appraisers provided that the Farm Credit institution: (A) Certifies that the information is required in connection with an employee's application for certification and licensure and that the institution has taken appropriate steps to protect the confidentiality of any borrower information that is not essential to the State's evaluation of the application; and (B) Determines that the State certification and licensing program makes reasonable provisions for protecting the confidentiality of the borrower information contained in the appraisal report. (9) Collateral evaluation reports may be released to a loan applicant, when required by the Equal Credit Opportunity Act or related regulations. (c) The exceptions in paragraph (b) of this section shall be exercised by Farm Credit institutions with full awareness of the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. [37 FR 11442, June 7, 1972. Redesignated at 47 FR 12151, Mar. 22, 1982, and amended at 53 FR 35457, Sept. 14, 1988; 56 FR 2675, Jan. 24, 1991; 58 FR 51994, Oct. 6, 1993; 59 FR 46734, Sept. 12, 1994; 61 FR 67188, Dec. 20, 1996; 62 FR 25831, May 12, 1997; 64 FR 43049, Aug. 9, 1999] (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) Borrower means any signatory to a loan contract who is either primarily or secondarily liable on such contract, including guarantors, endorsers, cosigners or the like. (2) Execution of the loan means the time at which the borrower and the qualified lender have entered into a legal, binding, and enforceable loan contract and any subsequent amendment or modification of such contract. (3) Loan means a loan made to a farmer, rancher, or producer or harvester of aquatic products, for any agricultural or aquatic purpose and other credit needs of the borrower, including financing for basic processing and marketing directly related to the borrower's operations and those of other eligible farmers, ranchers, and producers or harvesters of aquatic products. (4) Loan contract means any written agreement under which a qualified lender lends or agrees to lend funds to a borrower in consideration for, among other things, the borrower's promise to repay the loaned funds at an agreed-upon rate of interest. (5) Loan document means any form, application, agreement, contract, instrument, or other writing to which a borrower affixes his signature or seal and which the qualified lender intends to retain in its files as evidence relating to the loan contract entered into between it and the borrower, but shall not include any document related to a loan which the borrower has not signed. (6) Qualified lender means: (i) A System institution that makes loans (as defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section) except a bank for cooperatives; and (ii) Each bank, institution, corporation, company, union, and association described in section 1.7(b)(1)(B) of the Act, but only with respect to loans discounted or pledged under section 1.7(b)(1) of the Act. (b) Each qualified lender shall provide a copy of all loan documents to the borrower or the borrower's legal representative at the execution of the loan. Subsequently, upon written request of a borrower or a borrower's legal representative, a qualified lender shall provide, as soon as practicable, a copy of any loan documents signed by the borrower, a copy of other documents delivered by such borrower to that qualified lender, and a copy of each collateral evaluation of the borrower's assets made or used by the qualified lender. To the extent that a collateral evaluation may contain confidential third party information, the lender may protect such confidential third party information by withholding any information that would disclose identifying characteristics of the third party or his property. One copy shall be furnished free of charge. The lender may assess reasonable copying charges for any additional copies requested by the borrower. (c) Each System bank and association shall have available in its offices copies of the institution's articles of incorporation or charter and bylaws for inspection and shall furnish a copy of such documents to any owner of stock or participation certificates upon request. [51 FR 39504, Oct. 28, 1986, as amended at 53 FR 35458, Sept. 14, 1988; 56 FR 2675, Jan. 24, 1991; 59 FR 46734, Sept. 12, 1994; 61 FR 67188, Dec. 20, 1996] (a) If your bank or association is a party to litigation with a borrower or a successor in interest, you or your directors, officers, or employees may disclose confidential information about that borrower or the successor in interest during the litigation. (b) If the Government or your bank or association is not a party to litigation, you or your directors, officers, or employees may produce confidential documents or testimony only if a court of competent jurisdiction issues a lawful order signed by a judge. [64 FR 43049, Aug. 9, 1999]
Title 12: Banks and Banking
PART 618—GENERAL PROVISIONS
Subpart G—Releasing Information
§ 618.8300 General regulation.
§ 618.8310 Lists of borrowers and stockholders.
§ 618.8320 Data regarding borrowers and loan applicants.
§ 618.8325 Disclosure of loan documents.
§ 618.8330 Production of documents and testimony during litigation.
§ 618.8340 [Reserved]
