2017 Delaware Code
Title 5 - Banking
CHAPTER 1. STATE BANK COMMISSIONER
Subchapter II Powers and Duties
§ 145. Financial institution supervisory privilege.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) "Confidential supervisory information" means any of the following information, or any portion of any such information, other than any ordinary business record, which is treated as, or considered to be, confidential information by the Commissioner, regardless of the medium in which the information is conveyed or stored:

a. Any report of examination and any information prepared or collected by the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee in connection with the supervisory process, including any computer file, work paper or similar document.

b. Any correspondence or communication from the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee to a financial institution as part of an examination or otherwise in connection with the supervisory process.

c. Any correspondence, communication or document, including any compliance and other reports, created by a financial institution in response to any request, inquiry or directive from the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee in connection with any examination or other supervisory process and provided to the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee.

d. Any record of the Commissioner, to the extent it contains information derived from any report, correspondence, communication or other information described above in subparagraph a., b. or c. of this paragraph.

(2) "Ordinary business record" means any book or record in the possession of the financial institution routinely prepared by the financial institution and maintained in the ordinary course of business or any information required to be made publicly available by any law or regulation of this State or of the United States.

(3) "Supervisory process" means any activity engaged in by the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee to carry out the official responsibilities of the Commissioner with regard to the regulation or supervision of financial institutions.

(b) All confidential supervisory information shall be the property of the Commissioner and shall be privileged and protected from disclosure to any other person and shall not be discoverable or admissible into evidence in any civil action; provided, however, that the Commissioner may waive, in whole or in part, in the discretion of the Commissioner, any privilege established under this section, except as otherwise provided in § 125 of this title.

(c) No person in possession of confidential supervisory information may disclose such information, in whole or in part, without the prior authorization of the Commissioner, except for a disclosure made in published statistical material that does not disclose, either directly or when used in conjunction with publicly available information, the affairs of any person.

(d) The Commissioner may require any person in possession of confidential supervisory information to notify the Commissioner whenever the person is served with a subpoena, order, discovery request or other judicial or administrative process requiring the personal attendance of such person as a witness or requiring the production of such information in any proceeding.

(e) In any proceeding in this State in which a person seeks to compel production or disclosure by any person of any information or document prepared or collected by any bank regulatory or supervisory authority that would, had it been prepared or collected by or on behalf of the Commissioner, be confidential supervisory information for purposes of this section, such information or document shall be privileged to the same extent that confidential supervisory information is privileged in accordance with this section.

(f) The submission by a financial institution of any information to the Commissioner for any purpose in the course of the supervisory process shall not be construed as waiving, destroying or otherwise affecting any privilege such institution may claim with respect to such information.

(g) A person seeking discovery or disclosure, in whole or in part, of confidential supervisory information may not seek to obtain such information through subpoena, discovery procedures or other process from any person, except that such information may be sought in accordance with this section from the Commissioner, who shall determine in accordance with the standard established in § 125 of this title and within a reasonable period of time whether to disclose such information.

(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or § 125 of this title, the Commissioner, without waiving any privilege, may authorize access to confidential supervisory information for any appropriate governmental, law enforcement or public purpose, as determined by the Commissioner.

72 Del. Laws, c. 286, § 1.;