Authority. (1) This part is issued by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board) pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552; Sections 9, 11, and 25A of the Federal Reserve Act, 12 U.S.C. 248(i) and (k), 321 et seq., (including 326), 611 et seq.; Section 22 of the Federal Home Loan Bank Act, 12 U.S.C 1442; section 10 of the Home Owners' Loan Act, 12 U.S.C. 1467a; the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. 1817(a)(2)(A), 1817(a)(8), 1818(u) and (v), 1821(o); section 5 of the Bank Holding Company Act, 12 U.S.C. 1844; the Bank Secrecy Act, 12 U.S.C. 1951 et seq., and Chapter 53 of title 31; the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, 12 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.; the Community Reinvestment Act, 12 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.; the International Banking Act, 12 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.; the Right to Financial Privacy Act, 12 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.; the Securities and Exchange Commission Authorization Act, 15 U.S.C. 77uuu(b), 78q(c)(3); the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, 29 U.S.C. 1204; the Money Laundering Suppression Act, 31 U.S.C. 5301, the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601; the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3510; and any other applicable law that establishes a basis for the exercise of governmental authority by the Board.

This part establishes mechanisms for carrying out the Board's statutory responsibilities under statutes in paragraph (a)(1) of this section to the extent those responsibilities require the disclosure, production, or withholding of information. In this regard, the Board has determined that the Board, or its delegees, may disclose exempt information of the Board, in accordance with the procedures set forth in this part, whenever it is necessary or appropriate to do so in the exercise of any of the Board's supervisory or regulatory authorities, including but not limited to, authority granted to the Board in the Federal Reserve Act, 12 U.S.C. 221 et seq., the Bank Holding Company Act, 12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq., the Home Owners' Loan Act, 12 U.S.C. 1461 et seq., and the International Banking Act, 12 U.S.C. 3101 et seq. The Board has determined that all such disclosures, made in accordance with the rules and procedures specified in this part, are authorized by law.

The Board has also determined that it is authorized by law to disclose information to a law enforcement or other federal or state government agency that has the authority to request and receive such information in carrying out its own statutory responsibilities, or in response to a valid order of a court of competent jurisdiction or of a duly constituted administrative tribunal.

Purpose. This part sets forth the categories of information made available to the public, the procedures for obtaining documents and records, the procedures for limited release of exempt and confidential supervisory information, and the procedures for protecting confidential business information.

Scope. (1) This subpart A contains general provisions and definitions of terms used in this part.

Subpart B of this part implements the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552).

Subpart C of this part sets forth:

The kinds of exempt information made available to supervised institutions, supervisory agencies, law enforcement agencies, and others in certain circumstances;

The procedures for disclosure; and

The procedures with respect to subpoenas, orders compelling production, and other process.