32-1-234. Confidentiality -- penalties. - Montana Statutes

     32-1-234. Confidentiality -- penalties. (1) (a) The report and any information contained in the reports and statements provided for, other than those reports which are required to be published, must be considered secret and for the confidential information of the department only. The information may not be imparted to persons who are not officially associated with the department, and the information contained in the reports and statements may be used by the department only in the furtherance of its official duties.
     (b) The department may exchange information with federal financial institution regulatory agencies and with the financial regulatory departments of other states. The department may furnish information to the legislative auditor for use in pursuit of official duties. A prosecuting official may obtain the information by court order.
     (2) Any knowledge or information gained or discovered by the department in pursuance of its powers or duties is confidential information of the department. The information may not, except as provided in subsection (1)(b), be imparted to any person not officially associated with the department. The information must be used by the department only in the furtherance of its official duties.
     (3) An employee or agent of the department who violates this section or willfully makes a false official report as to the condition of a bank must be removed from office and is also guilty of a felony. Upon conviction, the person shall be fined an amount not exceeding $1,000, imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a term not exceeding 5 years, or both.

     History: En. Secs. 65, 85, Ch. 89, L. 1927; re-en. Secs. 6014.69, 6014.96, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Secs. 28, 33, Ch. 431, L. 1975; R.C.M. 1947, 5-705, 5-1012; amd. Sec. 12, Ch. 395, L. 1993.