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The United States Government Manual
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
400 7th Street SW., Washington, DC 20219
202-649-6800
http://www.occ.gov
| COMPTROLLER | Michael J. Hsu, Acting |
| Senior Deputy Comptrollers | Gregory J. Coleman |
| Grovetta N. Gardineer | |
| Larry L. Hattix | |
| Benjamin W. McDonough | |
| Sydney Menefee | |
| Kathy K. Murphy | |
| Blake Paulson |
ESTABLISHMENT AND ORGANIZATION
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) was created on February 25, 1863 (12 Stat. 665), as a bureau of the Department of the Treasury. In 1929, with the issuance of the last national bank notes, the OCC essentially became an organization of national bank examiners with a singular mission: to maintain the safety and soundness of the banks under its supervision. In 2011, when the Office of Thrift Supervision integrated into the OCC, the bureau also assumed responsibility for regulating Federal savings associations, also referred to as Federal thrifts.
https://www.loc.gov/collections/united-states-statutes-at-large/about-this-collection/73rd-congress/session-2/c73s2ch668.pdfThe Comptroller of the Currency, whom the President appoints to a 5-year term by the advice of the Senate and with its consent, administers the Federal banking system and serves as the chief officer of the OCC and as a director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
The OCC's statement of organization has been codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and assigned to part 4 of 12 CFR.
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=7c57a800de8e85e36874c72aa364ac10&mc=true&node=pt12.1.4&rgn=div5A number of departments and offices that are under the leadership of the Comptroller and senior deputy comptrollers provide the organizational structure for carrying out the OCC's mission.
https://occ.gov/about/who-we-are/organizations/index-organization.htmlSTATUTORY AND REGULATORY AUTHORITIES
Statutory material affecting the Comptroller of the Currency has been consolidated and codified in the United States Code (U.S.C.). This material has been assigned to the first chapter, sections 1–16, of 12 U.S.C.
https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title12/chapter1&edition=prelimRules and regulations that are associated with the Comptroller of the Currency have been consolidated and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These rules and regulations have been assigned to the first chapter, parts 1–199, of 12CFR.
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9239dee7caf69de5910e02babdd4547c&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title12/12chapterI.tplACTIVITIES
The OCC regulates national banks and Federal thrifts by examining them; approving or denying applications for new charters, branches, capital, and other changes in corporate or banking structure; taking enforcement actions—removing officers and directors, negotiating agreements to change practices, and issuing cease and desist orders and civil monetary penalties—when national banks and Federal thrifts fail to comply with laws and regulations or when they engage in unsound practices; and issuing rules, regulations, interpretations, and corporate decisions that govern investments, lending, and other practices.
The bureau supervises over 1,100 national banks, Federal savings associations, and Federal branches, including their trust activities and overseas operations. A nationwide team of bank examiners works under the supervision of four district offices. National banks and Federal thrifts pay for their examinations, as well as for the processing of their corporate applications.
Assessments on national banks and Federal savings associations cover most OCC operating expenses. The OCC also benefits from some investment income, primarily from U.S. Treasury securities.
https://occ.gov/about/what-we-do/index-what-we-do.htmlSources of Information
Alerts
The OCC posts counterfeiting, fictitious correspondence, fraudulent issuances, misrepresentation, and unauthorized banking activity alerts.
https://occ.gov/news-events/newsroom/index.html?nr=AlertAlphabetical Topics List
Online visitors may browse the contents of the "Topics" web page by using an alphabetized list or by subject area.
https://occ.gov/topics/topics-sitemap.html#T|tab-accordion-wrpr2Annual Reports
The "2020 Annual Report" is available online in Portable Document Format (PDF) for downloading. Starting with the year 2003, earlier annual reports are available, too.
https://www.occ.gov/publications-and-resources/publications/annual-report/index-annual-report.htmlAnswers / Solutions
The "HelpWithMyBank" website has information and resources to help customers of national banks and Federal savings associations find answers to questions and solutions for problems.
https://www.helpwithmybank.gov/about/index-about.htmlArchived Records
The "Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States" indicates that OCC records have been assigned to record group 101.
https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/101.html?_ga=2.154427440.926928378.1628716780-2085205018.1628716780Bulletins
Starting with the year 1994 and continuing to the present, OCC bulletins are accessible online. Rescinded and some pre-1994 bulletins are also included in the collection.
https://occ.gov/news-events/newsroom/index.html?nr=BulletinBusiness Opportunities
Procurement awards typically fall within the following service categories: computer-related services; computer facilities management services; computer systems design services; data processing, hosting, and related services; real estate agent and broker services; insurance agency and brokerage services; and administrative management and general management consulting services.
https://occ.gov/about/connect-with-us/doing-business-with-the-occ/index-doing-business-with-the-occ.html | Email: OCCAcquisitionManagement@occ.treas.govCareer Opportunities
The OCC relies on accountants, attorneys, economists, financial analysts, human resources specialists, information technology specialists, project management analysts, and other professionals, particularly bank examiners, to carry out its mission. For more information, contact the Director for Human Resources Operations. Phone, 202-649-6590. Fax, 202-649-5998.
https://careers.occ.gov/index.htmlNational bank examiners work to ensure the safety and soundness of America's national banking system, to provide fair access to financial services and equal treatment, and to establish and maintain a flexible regulatory framework that allows the Nation's banks to be competitive. The OCC generally hires examiners at the entry level through college recruitment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPrQmlcF0s0In 2020, the OCC ranked 87th among 411 agency subcomponents in the Partnership for Public Service's Best Places To Work Agency Rankings.
https://bestplacestowork.org/rankings/detail/?c=TRAJConsumer Protection
The OCC posts information and resources on its website to protect consumers.
https://occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/consumer-protection/index-consumer-protection.htmlContact Information
The "Contact the OCC" web page has informational resources for contacting the agency.
https://occ.gov/about/connect-with-us/contact-the-occ/index-contact-the-occ.htmlCustomer Complaints
An online form is available for submitting a complaint against a national bank or Federal savings association.
https://appsec.helpwithmybank.gov/olcc_form/intro.aspxDistrict and Field Offices
Contact information for district and field offices is available online.
https://occ.gov/about/who-we-are/locations/index-locations.htmlFederal Register
Significant documents and documents that the OCC recently published in the Federal Register are accessible online.
https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/comptroller-of-the-currencyFreedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The FOIA serves as the vehicle for obtaining Federal agency documents and records. The statute does contain, however, nine exemptions and three special law enforcement exclusions that shield some documents and records, or parts of them, from disclosure.
https://www.occ.gov/about/connect-with-us/foia/index-foia.htmlThe electronic reading room contains documents that attract public interest and have been the subject of FOIA requests in the past.
https://foia-pal.occ.gov/app/ReadingRoom.aspxFrequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answers to FAQs on checking accounts, credit cards, credit reports, mortgages, overdraft fees, and more are posted on the "HelpWithMyBank" website.
https://www.helpwithmybank.gov/help-topics/index-help-topics.htmlGlossary
A dictionary of banking terms and phrases is available on the "HelpWithMyBank" website.
https://www.helpwithmybank.gov/dictionary/index-dictionary.htmlA list of abbreviations and acronyms is available on the OCC's website in Portable Document Format (PDF).
https://www.occ.gov/annual-report/download-the-full-report/abbreviations.pdfHistory
The OCC's role in the Federal banking system started in a tumultuous year, near the midpoint of the American Civil War. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln emancipated over 3 million men, women, and children by signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Fifty-five days later, he added his signature to the National Currency Act, which established the OCC and charged it with responsibility for organizing and administering a system of nationally chartered banks and a uniform national currency. After 1913, its mission increasingly centered on the safety and soundness of national banks. To learn more about the agency's development over the past 155 years, see the "Founding of the OCC and the National Banking System" web page.
https://occ.gov/about/who-we-are/history/founding-occ-national-bank-system/index-founding-occ-national-banking-system.htmlOn March 3, 1865, Congress enacted legislation to establish the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, which came to be known as the Freedmen's Bureau. On that same day, it chartered the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, or Freedman's Savings Bank (FSB), to meet a growing need for financial services among African Americans. To learn more about the intertwining histories of the OCC and FSB, read the online article by former OCC historian Jesse Stiller.
https://www.occ.gov/about/what-we-do/history/freedman-savings-bank.htmlMinority Outreach
The OCC's External Outreach and Minority Affairs division maintains a "Minority Outreach" web page.
https://www.occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/minority-outreach/index-minority-outreach.htmlNews
The OCC posts news releases on its website.
https://occ.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/index.htmlPublications
The "Publications" web page allows visitors to browse OCC publications by collection, subject area, or recent dates of publication.
https://occ.gov/publications-and-resources/publications/index-publications.htmlPublic Information on Banks
Federal bank regulators post public information on individual banks. The OCC's website provides convenient access to the websites of these regulators.
https://occ.gov/about/contact-us/public-information/public-information.htmlThe Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council's website has a searchable database for identifying the Federal bank regulatory agency that oversees a particular bank or financial institution.
https://www.ffiec.gov/consumercenter/default.aspxSite Map
The careers section has a site map of its web pages.
https://careers.occ.gov/sitemap/sitemap-page.htmlThe "HelpWithMyBank" website has its own site map.
https://www.helpwithmybank.gov/site-map/index-sitemap.htmlSocial Media
The OCC tweets announcements and other newsworthy items on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/usoccThe OCC has a Facebook account.
https://www.facebook.com/US-Comptroller-of-the-Currency-213254918823/The OCC posts videos on its YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/user/OCCChannel#p/c/2BAA3C3A20C2630ETools
The "Tools" web page brings together in one place all of the tools that are available on the OCC website.
https://occ.gov/publications-and-resources/tools/index-tools.html