(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, all examination reports and all information obtained by the director and the director's staff in conducting examinations of associations are confidential and privileged information and shall not be made public or otherwise disclosed to any person, firm, corporation, agency, association, governmental body, or other entity.

     (2) Subsection (1) of this section notwithstanding, the director may furnish in whole or in part examination reports prepared by the director's office to federal agencies empowered to examine state associations, to savings and loan supervisory agencies of other states which have authority to examine associations doing business in this state, to the attorney general in his or her role as legal advisor to the director, to the examined association as provided in subsection (4) of this section, and to officials empowered to investigate criminal charges. If the director furnishes any examination report to officials empowered to investigate criminal charges, the director may only furnish that part of the report which is necessary and pertinent to the investigation, and the director may do this only after notifying the affected savings and loan association and any customer of the savings and loan association who is named in that part of the report of the order to furnish the part of the examination report unless the officials requesting the report first obtain a waiver of the notice requirement from a court of competent jurisdiction for good cause. The director may also furnish in whole or in part examination reports concerning any association in danger of insolvency to the directors or officers of a potential acquiring party when, in the director's opinion, it is necessary to do so in order to protect the interests of members, depositors, or borrowers of the examined association.

     (3) All examination reports furnished under subsection (2) of this section shall remain the property of the department of financial institutions and, except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, no person, agency, or authority to whom reports are furnished or any officer, director, or employee thereof shall disclose or make public any of the reports or any information contained therein except in published statistical material that does not disclose the affairs of any individual or corporation: PROVIDED, That nothing herein shall prevent the use in a criminal prosecution of reports furnished under subsection (2) of this section.

     (4) The examination report made by the department of financial institutions is designed for use in the supervision of the association, and the director may furnish a copy of the report to the savings and loan association examined. The report shall remain the property of the director and will be furnished to the association solely for its confidential use. Neither the association nor any of its directors, officers, or employees may disclose or make public in any manner the report or any portion thereof without permission of the board of directors of the examined association. The permission shall be entered in the minutes of the board.

     (5) Examination reports and information obtained by the director and the director's staff in conducting examinations shall not be subject to public disclosure under chapter 42.56 RCW.

     (6) In any civil action in which the reports are sought to be discovered or used as evidence, any party may, upon notice to the director, petition the court for an in camera review of the report. The court may permit discovery and introduction of only those portions of the report which are relevant and otherwise unobtainable by the requesting party. This subsection shall not apply to an action brought or defended by the director.

     (7) This section shall not apply to investigation reports prepared by the director and the director's staff concerning an application for a new association or an application for a branch of an association. The director may adopt rules making confidential portions of such reports if in the director's opinion the public disclosure of the portions of the report would impair the ability to obtain the information which the director considers necessary to fully evaluate the application.

     (8) Every person who intentionally violates any provision of this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

[2005 c 274 § 261; 1994 c 92 § 425; 1982 c 3 § 6; 1977 ex.s. c 245 § 3.]

NOTES:

     Part headings not law -- Effective date--2005 c 274: See RCW 42.56.901 and 42.56.902.

     Severability -- 1982 c 3: See note following RCW 33.04.002.

     Severability -- 1977 ex.s. c 245: See note following RCW 30.04.075.

Examination reports and information from financial institutions exempt: RCW 42.56.400.