Privacy Policy
Federal agencies have been instructed to provide members of the public with information about (1) agency information-collection practices where personally identifiable information is involved, and (2) how individual's rights under the federal Privacy Act may be affected, in light of that instruction, and because by contacting the FDIC OIG Hotline, members of the public may provide the FDIC OIG with personally identifying information, we are hereby providing you with privacy-related information that is in addition to the provisions of the FDIC OIG Web Privacy Policy. That policy, which, in general, is incorporated as part of this Hotline Privacy Policy.

Security Protections
The information that you provide the FDIC OIG is stored securely. Operational and technical safeguards are in place ensuring the security and confidentiality of personally identifiable records you provide our office.

Privacy Act

Rights under the Privacy Act
The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) seeks to balance the government's need for information and the need to protect the privacy of information provided to the government by individuals. ("Individuals" means citizens of the United States and aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence.) This law:

• contains obligations that government agencies must fulfill regarding personal information. For example, agencies shall:
  
  
  1. maintain only such information that is relevant and necessary for the agency to accomplish its official purposes;
  2. not release information about individuals without their consent, or unless certain exceptions apply;
  3. advise persons when collecting information from them why the information is being collected, the "routine uses" for which the agency will use the information; and whether providing the information is required or voluntary, as well as the consequences for not providing the information;
  
  
• provides individuals with certain rights, including right of access to agency records that pertain to that individual, and the right to request amendment of those records. Individuals seeking to access Privacy Act-related records maintained by the FDIC or OIG may contact the following address:

  Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
  FOIA/Privacy Act Group, Legal Division
  550 17th Street, NW
  Washington, DC 20429-9990

  The FDIC's Privacy Act regulations are found at Part 310 of title 12, Code of Federal Regulations.
  
  
• contains civil remedies and criminal penalties for violations of the Act's provisions.
  
  For additional information about your rights under the Privacy Act, select this link.

Privacy Act Statement

Providing information, including personally identifiable information, to the OIG Hotline is a voluntary act on your part; that is, the FDIC or OIG is not requiring that you provide information to it. Moreover, if, in response to any information you provide to the OIG Hotline, OIG then requests additional information from you, providing such additional information is also voluntary on your part. Failure to provide such information may result in OIG's terminating some or all of its efforts pertaining to the matters you raised.

To the extent that information provided to the Hotline becomes part of OIG's Investigative Files of the Office of Inspector General system of records, such information is maintained pursuant to section 9 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1811), and under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 3).

The information you provide may be used by OIG in conducting and documenting administrative and/or law enforcement investigations of FDIC employees and third parties (e.g., contractors) regarding fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement in the FDIC's programs and operations; reporting the results of such investigations, and acting as a repository and source of information necessary for complying with the Inspector General Act. Routine uses of the information you provide to the OIG Hotline, if that information becomes part of the OIG Investigative Files system of records can be found at: - select this link. By submitting such information, you are providing consent to the FDIC's use of that information, consistent with the uses mentioned or referred to in this paragraph and the paragraph that follows.