The Banking Commissioner shall determine the deposit index for each calendar year and publish such deposit index in the Department of Banking’s news bulletin and on the department’s Internet web site not later than December fifteenth of the prior year. The commissioner may also disseminate the deposit index and any information the commissioner deems appropriate in a manner designed to alert the parties that may rely on the deposit index, including the issuance of press releases and public service announcements, the encouragement of news stories in the mass media and the posting of conspicuous notices at financial institutions. For purposes of this section, “deposit index” means (1) the average of the national rates for savings deposits and money market deposits for the last week in November of the prior year, as published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in accordance with 12 C.F.R. § 337.6, as amended from time to time, or (2) if said corporation no longer publishes such rates, the average of substantially similar national rates for the last week in November of the prior year as published by a federal banking agency.