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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Washington, D.C. 20530
STATEMENT OF CUSTOMER RIGHTS UNDER THE RIGHT
TO FINANCIAL PRIVACY ACT OF 1978
Federal law protects the privacy of your financial records. Before
banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, credit card issuers or
other financial institutions may give financial information about you to a
Federal agency, certain procedures must be followed.
Consent to Financial Records
You may be asked to consent to make your financial records available
to the Government. You may withhold your consent, and your consent is not
required as a condition of doing business with any financial institution.
If you give your consent, it can be revoked in writing at any time before
your records are disclosed. Furthermore, any consent you give is effective
for only three months, and your financial institution must keep a record of
the instances in which it discloses your financial information.
Without Your Consent
Without your consent, a Federal agency that wants to see your
financial records may do so ordinarily only by means of a lawful subpoena,
summons, formal written request,or search warrant for that purpose.
Generally, the federal agency must give you advance notice of its
request for your records explaining why the information is being sought and
telling you how to object in court. The Federal agency must also send you
copies of court documents to be prepared by you #1th instructions for
filling them out. While these procedures will be kept as simple as
possible, you may want to consult with an attorney before making a challenge
to a Federal agency 5 request.
Exceptions
In some circumstances, a Federal agency may obtain financial
information about you without advance notice or your consent. In most of
these cases the Federal agency will be required to go to court to get
permission to obtain your records without giving you notice beforehand. In
these instances, the court will make the Government show that its
investigation and request for your records are proper.
When the reason for the delay of notice no longer exists, you will
usually be notified that your records were obtained.
Transfer of Information
Generally, a Federal agency which obtains your financial records is
prohibited from transferring them to another Federal agency unless it
certifies in writing that the transfer is proper and sends a notice to you
that your records have been sent to another agency.
Penalties
If a Federal agency or financial institution violates the Right To
Financial Privacy Act, you may sue for damages or to seek compliance with
the law. If you win, you may be repaid your attorney's fees and costs.
Additional Information
If you have any questions about your rights under this law, or about
how to consent to release your financial records, please call the official
whose name and telephone number appear below:
______________________________
(Name)
______________________________
(Title)
______________________________
(Government Agency)
______________________________
(Telephone)
Sec. 1104(a) of the Right To Financial
FORM DOJ-462 Attachment
Privacy Act, 12 U.S.C. Sec. 3404(a)
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