[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 16, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2006]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 16CFR313.9]

[Page 399-400]
 
                     TITLE 16--COMMERCIAL PRACTICES
 
                   CHAPTER I--FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
 
PART 313_PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION--Table of Contents
 
                  Subpart A_Privacy and Opt Out Notices
 
Sec. 313.9  Delivering privacy and opt out notices.

    (a) How to provide notices. You must provide any privacy notices and 
opt out notices, including short-form initial notices, that this part 
requires so that each consumer can reasonably be expected to receive 
actual notice in writing or, if the consumer agrees, electronically.
    (b)(1) Examples of reasonable expectation of actual notice. You may 
reasonably expect that a consumer will receive actual notice if you:
    (i) Hand-deliver a printed copy of the notice to the consumer;

[[Page 400]]

    (ii) Mail a printed copy of the notice to the last known address of 
the consumer;
    (iii) For the consumer who conducts transactions electronically, 
clearly and conspicuously post the notice on the electronic site and 
require the consumer to acknowledge receipt of the notice as a necessary 
step to obtaining a particular financial product or service;
    (iv) For an isolated transaction with the consumer, such as an ATM 
transaction, post the notice on the ATM screen and require the consumer 
to acknowledge receipt of the notice as a necessary step to obtaining 
the particular financial product or service.
    (2) Examples of unreasonable expectation of actual notice. You may 
not, however, reasonably expect that a consumer will receive actual 
notice of your privacy policies and practices if you:
    (i) Only post a sign in your branch or office or generally publish 
advertisements of your privacy policies and practices;
    (ii) Send the notice via electronic mail to a consumer who does not 
obtain a financial product or service from you electronically.
    (c) Annual notices only. You may reasonably expect that a customer 
will receive actual notice of your annual privacy notice if:
    (1) The customer uses your web site to access financial products and 
services electronically and agrees to receive notices at the web site 
and you post your current privacy notice continuously in a clear and 
conspicuous manner on the web site; or
    (2) The customer has requested that you refrain from sending any 
information regarding the customer relationship, and your current 
privacy notice remains available to the customer upon request.
    (d) Oral description of notice insufficient. You may not provide any 
notice required by this part solely by orally explaining the notice, 
either in person or over the telephone.
    (e) Retention or accessibility of notices for customers--(1) For 
customers only, you must provide the initial notice required by Sec. 
313.4(a)(1), the annual notice required by Sec. 313.5(a), and the 
revised notice required by Sec. 313.8 so that the customer can retain 
them or obtain them later in writing or, if the customer agrees, 
electronically.
    (2) Examples of retention or accessibility. You provide a privacy 
notice to the customer so that the customer can retain it or obtain it 
later if you:
    (i) Hand-deliver a printed copy of the notice to the customer;
    (ii) Mail a printed copy of the notice to the last known address of 
the customer; or
    (iii) Make your current privacy notice available on a web site (or a 
link to another web site) for the customer who obtains a financial 
product or service electronically and agrees to receive the notice at 
the web site.
    (f) Joint notice with other financial institutions. You may provide 
a joint notice from you and one or more of your affiliates or other 
financial institutions, as identified in the notice, as long as the 
notice is accurate with respect to you and the other institutions.
    (g) Joint relationships. If two or more consumers jointly obtain a 
financial product or service from you, you may satisfy the initial, 
annual, and revised notice requirements of Sec. Sec. 313.4(a), 
313.5(a), and 313.8(a) by providing one notice to those consumers 
jointly, unless one or more of those consumers requests separate 
notices.