OCC Rules Regarding the Availability of OCC Information
Key claim: The OCC proposes to clarify when non-public OCC information and confidential supervisory information may be disclosed (including limited CSI disclosure without prior OCC approval if safeguards are met) and to streamline FOIA request handling, including expedited processing.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Treasury Department, Comptroller of the Currency) The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is proposing changes to its rules on information disclosure. The proposal would clarify the process for obtaining OCC approval to disclose non- public OCC information and allow for the disclosure of confidential supervisory information without OCC approval in certain circumstances, provided that applicable safeguards are observed. It also refines the OCC’s process for requesting records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), amends the rules to provide for expedited process of FOIA requests, and makes other structural and conforming changes.
Why this matters
Confidential supervisory information rules govern what bank examiners’ findings and non-public agency records can be seen by the public, litigants, or third parties working with regulated institutions. The OCC’s proposal would slightly loosen constraints on CSI sharing (via safeguard-based self-executing disclosures) while speeding FOIA processing, shifting the balance between supervisory secrecy and transparency. Alongside FDIC’s parallel effort, it signals a coordinated federal banking-agency refresh of information-disclosure practices.