220.06 Not to disclose information.

(1) In this section, “licensee" means a person licensed by the division under ch. 138, 217 or 218 or under s. 224.72, 224.725, or 224.92.

(1m) No division employee may examine a bank or licensee in which that person is interested as a stockholder, officer, or employee. No division employee may examine a bank or licensee located in the same village, city, or county with any bank or licensee in which that person is so interested. Employees in the division, and each member and employee of the banking institutions review board, shall keep secret all facts and information obtained in the course of examinations or from reports not under s. 221.1002 (1) filed by a bank or licensee with the division, except so far as the public duty of the person requires reporting upon or taking special action regarding the affairs of any bank or licensee, and except when called as a witness in any criminal proceeding or trial in a court of justice. The division may furnish to the federal deposit insurance corporation, to a federal home loan bank, or to any regulatory authority for state or federal financial institutions, insurance, or securities a copy of any examination made of any such bank or licensee or of any report made by such bank or licensee and may give access to and disclose to the corporation or to any regulatory authority for state or federal financial institutions, insurance, or securities any information possessed by the division, or to a federal home loan bank any information created by the division, with reference to the conditions or affairs of any such insured bank or licensee if the regulatory authority agrees to treat all information received with the same degree of confidentiality as applies to reports of examination that are in the custody of the division.

(2) If any employee in the division or any member of the banking institutions review board or any employee thereof discloses the name of any debtor of any bank or licensee, or anything relative to the private account or transactions of such bank or licensee, or any fact obtained in the course of any examination of any bank or licensee, except as herein provided, that person is guilty of a Class I felony and shall be subject, upon conviction, to forfeiture of office or position.

(3)

(a) Examination reports possessed by a bank or licensee are confidential, remain the property of the division and are returnable immediately on request of the division.

(b) Officers and employees of a bank or licensee may not redisclose information in the examination reports. A person violating this paragraph may be fined not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than 6 months or both.

History: 1977 c. 418; 1979 c. 102; 1983 a. 27; 1985 a. 127, 325; 1987 a. 252; 1995 a. 27, 336; 1997 a. 283; 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 109; 2005 a. 215; 2009 a. 2; 2017 a. 340; 2019 a. 65.