The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is committed to maintaining the privacy of your personal information and protecting the technical infrastructure through which you communicate with us.

Privacy

The Privacy Act of 1974 establishes certain controls over any personal information collected by the OCC and how it is used.  For additional information on your rights under the Privacy Act, as well as the Freedom of Information Act, please see Your Right to Federal Records-Questions and Answers on the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act.

This privacy policy explains the information we capture when you visit our Web site and how we will handle this information. The OCC collects this information pursuant to 12 U.S.C. §1 et seq.

When you visit our Web site, we gather and store the following information about your visit:

• The Internet domain from which you access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if you are connecting from an America Online account, or princeton.edu, if you are connecting from Princeton University’s domain);
• The IP (Internet Protocol) address from which you access our site. An IP address is a number automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are connected to the Internet;
• Your user name;
• The type of browser and operating system (for example, Netscape or Internet Explorer) used to access our site;
• The date and time you access our site;
• The pages you visit;
• The address of the Web site you visited immediately prior to visiting our site; and,
• The action that you tried to perform and whether you were successful (for example, download a document).

We use the information we collect to measure the number of visitors to our site and to help make our site more useful to visitors.  Computer software programs create summary statistics, which are used for such purposes as assessing what information is of most interest and identifying system performance or problem areas.

Registration and User Profile

During registration for access we collect information that identifies you personally. This information is provided specifically and knowingly by you.  You have the ability to edit this information once access is granted. We may use the information in various ways. Your information may be made available to OCC employees, such as our examiners or attorneys, having a business reason to see it. In other limited circumstances, including requests from congressional committees or pursuant to subpoenas or other legal process, we also may disclose the information submitted to us.

Use of Web Forms or Electronic Messages

Registered users may contact us electronically by submitting electronic comments, emails, inquiries or on-line forms. When doing so, we collect information that identifies you personally only if it is provided specifically and knowingly by you (for example, your user name). We maintain your personally identifying information in secure computer systems and we limit access to those with a business reason to see it.  We may use the information you send us in various ways. When you send us information that identifies you (e.g., in an electronic mail message containing a question or comment), we use this information to respond to your request. Your information may be made available to OCC employees, such as our examiners or attorneys, having a business reason to see it. A copy of your message or form may be retained in our supervisory file for your bank. In addition, we may share the information you send us with other government agencies involved in financial services regulation or law enforcement. In other limited circumstances, including requests from congressional committees or pursuant to subpoenas or other legal process, we also may disclose the information you submit to us.

About “Cookies”

A cookie is a small piece of information that a Web site stores in the Web browser. There are “persistent cookies” and there are “temporary” or “session” cookies.

“Persistent” cookies collect personal information to recognize your computer in the future.  The OCC does not use “persistent cookies” or other technology like this.

“Temporary’ or “session” cookies are used by the OCC on our Web pages to collect information about how you are using our site.  These cookies are stored only in the temporary memory of your computer and are only available during an active browser session.  These cookies do not collect and keep personal information on visitors.  The cookies are erased as soon as you close your Web browser and no personally identifiable information about you is maintained as a result of a “temporary” or “session” cookie.

The OCC uses “session” cookies to help us make our site more useful to visitors. We learn what users like and need; what kind of technology they are using; how often they visit; and other valuable information that helps us offer our visitors the best site possible.

If your Web browser is configured to refuse “session” cookies, the OCC site will not work properly. If your Web browser is configured to refuse only “persistent” cookies, the site will work properly. If you use the signoff button, the cookie will expire and your browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) will remove the expired cookie.

Website Security

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, we employ software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage, on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under federal law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996.