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SECTION 1101—Definitions

For the purpose of this title, the term—
(1) “financial institution,” except as provided in section 1114, means any office of a bank, savings bank, card issuer as defined in section 103 of the Consumers Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1602(n)), industrial loan company, trust company, savings association, building and loan, or homestead association (including cooperative banks), credit union, or consumer finance institution, located in any State or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, or the Virgin Islands;
(2) “financial record” means an original of, a copy of, or information known to have been derived from, any record held by a financial institution pertaining to a customer’s relationship with the financial institution;
(3) “Government authority” means any agency or department of the United States, or any officer, employee, or agent thereof;
(4) “person” means an individual or a partnership of five or fewer individuals;
(5) “customer” means any person or authorized representative of that person who utilized or is utilizing any service of a financial institution, or for whom a financial institution is acting or has acted as a fiduciary, in relation to an account maintained in the person’s name;
(6) “holding company” means—
(A) any bank holding company (as defined in section 2 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956); and
(B) any company described in section 4(f)(1) of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956;
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(7) “supervisory agency” means with respect to any particular financial institution, holding company, or any subsidiary of a financial institution or holding company, any of the following which has statutory authority to examine the financial condition, business operations, or records or transactions of that institution, holding company, or subsidiary—
(A) the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;
(B) the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection;
(C) the National Credit Union Administration;
(D) the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;
(E) the Comptroller of the Currency;
(F) the Securities and Exchange Commission;
(G) the Commodity Futures Trading Commission;
(H) the Secretary of the Treasury, with respect to the Bank Secrecy Act and the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act (Public Law 91-508, title I and II); or
(I) any State banking or securities department or agency; and
(8) “law enforcement inquiry” means a lawful investigation or official proceeding inquiring into a violation of, or failure to comply with, any criminal or civil statute or any regulation, rule, or order issued pursuant thereto.
[12 USC 3401. As amended by acts of Aug. 9, 1989 (103 Stat. 438, 496); Nov. 29, 1990 (104 Stat. 4908); Nov. 12, 1999 (113 Stat. 1475); Dec. 13, 2003 (117 Stat. 2628); and July 21, 2010 (124 Stat. 2105).]

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