(a) In general

An appropriate Federal banking agency, with the concurrence of the Attorney General, may pay a reward to a person who provides original information which leads to—

(1) recovery of a criminal fine, restitution, or civil penalty—

(A) under—

(i) this chapter;

(ii) the Federal Credit Union Act [12 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.];

(iii) section 93(b), 164, or 481 to 485 of this title;

(iv) the Federal Reserve Act [12 U.S.C. 221 et seq.];

(v) the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970;

(vi) the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 [12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.];

(vii) the Home Owners’ Loan Act [12 U.S.C. 1461 et seq.]; or

(viii) section 3663 of title 18 pursuant to a conviction for an offense referred to in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph,


(B) pursuant to a conviction for an offense under section 215, 656, 657, 1005, 1006, 1007, 1014, 1341, 1343, or 1344 of title 18 affecting a depository institution insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or for a conspiracy to commit such an offense; or

(C) under section 1833a of this title; or


(2) a forfeiture under section 981 or 982 of title 18 that arises in connection with a depository institution insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

(b) Percentage limitation

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Terms Used In 12 USC 1831k

  • appropriate Federal banking agency: means &mdash. See 12 USC 1813
  • bank holding company: has the meaning given to such term in section 1841 of this title. See 12 USC 1813
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • deposit: means &mdash. See 12 USC 1813
  • depository institution: means any bank or savings association. See 12 USC 1813
  • Federal banking agency: means the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. See 12 USC 1813
  • Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: A government corporation that insures the deposits of all national and state banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System. Source: OCC
  • officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • State: means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, any territory of the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. See 12 USC 1813
  • violation: includes any action (alone or with another or others) for or toward causing, bringing about, participating in, counseling, or aiding or abetting a violation. See 12 USC 1813

An appropriate Federal banking agency may not pay a reward under subsection (a) of more than 25 percent of the amount of the fine, penalty, restitution, or forfeiture or $100,000, whichever is less.

(c) Officials and persons ineligible

An appropriate Federal banking agency may not pay a reward under subsection (a) to—

(1) an officer or employee of the United States or of a State or local government who provides information described in subsection (a), obtained in the performance of official duties; or

(2) a person who—

(A) deliberately causes or participates in the alleged violation of law or regulation, or

(B) knowingly or recklessly provides substantially false information to such an agency or the Attorney General.

(d) Nonreviewability

Any agency decision under this section is final and not reviewable by any court.