OCC 2001-51
OCC Bulletin

Subject:      Privacy of Consumer Financial Information
Description:  Small Bank Compliance Guide

Date:         December 12, 2001

TO:  Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks, 
     Department and Division Heads, All Examining 
     Personnel, and Other Interested Parties


The OCC has prepared a "Small Bank Compliance Guide" to 
help community banks comply with the rule implementing 
the privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.  A 
copy of the guide is attached.  

The guide begins with an overview of a bank's basic 
obligations under the privacy rule, followed by a summary 
of the rule, a privacy preparedness checklist, and 
questions and answers.  In each part of the guide, we 
focus on issues that we believe are of particular 
interest to community banks.  

The overview, summary, and checklist were prepared by the
OCC, while the questions and answers were prepared on an 
interagency basis by the OCC, together with the Federal 
Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 
the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the National Credit 
Union Administration, in consultation with the Securities 
and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and 
the Commodity Futures Trade Commission. 

For more information, contact Amy Friend, assistant chief 
counsel, (202) 874-5200; Michael Byslma, director, 
Community and Consumer Law, (202) 874-5750; 
Steve Van Meter, assistant director, Community and 
Consumer Law, (202) 874-5750; Mark Tenhundfeld, assistant 
director, Legislative and Regulatory Activities, 
(202) 874-5090; Deborah Katz, senior counsel, Legislative 
and Regulatory Activities, (202) 874-5090; or Paul 
Utterback, national bank examiner, Compliance Operations 
and Policy, (202) 874-5461.



____________________
Julie L. Williams
First Senior Deputy Comptroller and Chief Counsel


Attachment