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Alert 2001-11 | September 28, 2001

Joint Agency Request Relating to Information Pertaining to Terrorist Attacks: Joint Agency Request Relating to Information Pertaining to Terrorist Attacks

To

Chief Executive Officers and Chief Information Technology Officers of National Banks, Federal Branches, Department and Division Heads, and Examining Personnel

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency requests your participation in a system to facilitate cooperation with law enforcement authorities in their ongoing investigation of terrorist activity. As explained in the attached release, the federal financial institution supervisory agencies have worked with law enforcement on an electronic system to distribute a unified list of individuals and entities identified by the FBI or other law enforcement agencies (the "Control List").

We need your immediate help in starting this system. We will distribute the Control List once we receive the following information from your institution:

  • Designate a senior-level person within your organization to serve as a contact point for all communications related to this matter. By Friday, October 12, 2001, please provide the name, title, bank address, telephone number, facsimile number, and email address of your contact person to the following OCC email address: nationalbankinfo@occ.treas.gov, and send a copy of this information to your bank's examiner-in-charge.
  • If your bank does not have an email address, you may want to consider obtaining one for this effort, as well as for similar emergency communications in the future. It will be critical that all banks be able to receive future updates quickly.
  • If your bank does not wish to establish an email address, please submit by facsimile the contact person's name, title, bank address, telephone number and facsimile number to the attention of the Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Division listed below, and send a copy of this information to your bank's examiner-in-charge.

As discussed in the attached release, if you identify a suspect account from the Control List at your bank, you need to note only that your bank has a positive response. Law enforcement officials will follow up as appropriate. No information about a particular account—including the identity of the account holder—should be provided in your response.

Thank you for your assistance in this important matter. Inquiries may be directed to Brian C. McCormally, Director, or Robert S. Pasley, Assistant Director, Enforcement and Compliance Division by phone at (202) 874-4800 and facsimile at (202) 874-5301.

Daniel P. Stipano
Deputy Chief Counsel

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