Alert 2010-9 | August 4, 2010

Fraudulent Regulatory Agency Issuance – ICC Black List: Misrepresentation of Involvement of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in ICC Black List

To

Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks; All State Banking Authorities; Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Deputy Comptrollers (districts); Assistant Deputy Comptrollers; District Counsel; and All Examining Personnel

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has been notified that a fictitious Black List purportedly compiled and maintained by the OCC for the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is currently in circulation via the Internet and email.

Neither the OCC nor any of its employees have issued any such list or similar documents. The OCC supervises and regulates financial institutions within the National Banking System; the agency does not have any knowledge of entities listed within any so-called “Black List.”

Please refer to guidance issued by the ICC in regard to the bogus lists that are in circulation. This material may be accessed via the ICC’s Website: http://www.iccwbo.org/id10478/index.html

Consumers are encouraged to perform due diligence by contacting appropriate regulatory authorities when researching the authenticity of businesses and their related activities rather than relying on information contained within Internet-based publications.

Any information regarding the subject of this or any other alert that you wish to bring to the attention of the OCC may be sent to occalertresponses@occ.treas.gov.

Richard C. Stearns
Director for Enforcement & Compliance

Topic(s):

Financial Crime