[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 12, Volume 3]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 12CFR261b.5]

[Page 721-722]
 
                       TITLE 12--BANKS AND BANKING
 
                   CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
 
PART 261b--RULES REGARDING PUBLIC OBSERVATION OF MEETINGS--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 261b.5  Exemptions.

    (a) Except in a case where the agency finds that the public interest 
requires otherwise, the agency may close a meeting or a portion or 
portions of a meeting under the procedures specified in Sec. 261b.7 or 
Sec. 261b.8 of this part, and withhold information under the provisions 
of Secs. 261b.6, 261b.7, 261b.8, or 261b.11 of this part, where the 
agency properly determines that such meeting or portion or portions of 
its meeting or the disclosure of such information is likely to:
    (1) Disclose matters that are (i) specifically authorized under 
criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the 
interests of national defense or foreign policy, and (ii) in fact 
properly classified pursuant to such Executive order;
    (2) Relate solely to internal personnel rules and practices;
    (3) Disclose matters specifically exempted from disclosure by 
statute (other than section 552 of title 5 of the United States Code), 
provided that such statute (i) requires that the matters be withheld 
from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue, 
or (ii) establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to 
particular types of matters to be withheld;
    (4) Disclose trade secrets and commercial or financial information 
obtained from a person and privileged or confidential;
    (5) Involve accusing any person of a crime, or formally censuring 
any person;
    (6) Disclose information of a personal nature where disclosure would 
constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
    (7) Disclose investigatory records compiled for law enforcement 
purposes, or information which if written would be contained in such 
records, but only to the extent that the production of such records or 
information would--
    (i) Interfere with enforcement proceedings,
    (ii) Deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial 
adjudication,
    (iii) Constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,
    (iv) Disclose the identity of a confidential source and, in the case 
of a record compiled by a criminal law enforcement authority in the 
course of a criminal investigation, or by a Federal agency conducting a 
lawful national security intelligence investigation, confidential 
information furnished only by the confidential source,
    (v) Disclose investigative techniques and procedures, or
    (vi) Endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement 
personnel;
    (8) Disclose information contained in or related to examination, 
operating, or condition reports prepared by, on behalf of, or for the 
use of the Board or other Federal agency responsible for the regulation 
or supervision of financial institutions;
    (9) Disclose information the premature disclosure of which would--
    (i) Be likely to (A) lead to significant speculation in currencies, 
securities, or commodities, or (B) significantly endanger the stability 
of any financial institution; or
    (ii) Be likely to significantly frustrate implementation of a 
proposed action, except that paragraph (a)(9)(ii) of this section shall 
not apply in any instance where the Board has already disclosed to the 
public the content or nature of its proposed action, or where the Board 
is required by law to make such disclosure on its own initiative prior 
to taking final action on such proposal; or
    (10) Specifically concern the issuance of a subpoena, participation 
in a civil action or proceeding, an action in a foreign court or 
international tribunal, or an arbitration, or the initiation, conduct, 
or disposition of a particular case of formal agency adjudication 
pursuant to the procedures in section 554 of title 5 of the United 
States Code or otherwise involving a determination on

[[Page 722]]

the record after opportunity for a hearing.