§ 163.170 - Examinations and audits; appraisals; establishment and maintenance of records.

§ 163.170 Examinations and audits; appraisals; establishment and maintenance of records.

(a) Examinations and audits. Each Federal savings association and affiliate thereof shall be examined periodically, and may be examined at any time, by the OCC, with appraisals when deemed advisable, in accordance with general policies from time to time established by the OCC. The costs, as computed by the OCC, of any examinations made by it, including office analysis, overhead, per diem, travel expense, other supervision by the OCC, and other indirect costs, shall be paid by the savings associations examined, except that in the case of service corporations of Federal savings associations the cost of examinations, as determined by the OCC, shall be paid by the service corporations. Payments shall be made in accordance with a schedule of annual assessments based upon each savings association's total assets and of rates for examiner time in amounts determined by the OCC.

(b) Appraisals.

(1) Unless otherwise ordered by the OCC, appraisal of real estate by the OCC in connection with any examination or audit of a savings association, affiliate, or service corporation shall be made by an appraiser, or by appraisers, selected by the OCC. The cost of such appraisal shall promptly be paid by such savings association, affiliate, or service corporation direct to such appraiser or appraisers upon receipt by the savings association, affiliate, or service corporation of a statement of such cost as approved by the OCC. A copy of the report of each appraisal made by the OCC pursuant to any of the foregoing provisions of this section shall be furnished to the savings association, affiliate, or service corporation, as appropriate within a reasonable time, not to exceed 90 days, following the completion of such appraisals and the filing of a report thereof by the appraiser, or appraisers, with the OCC.

(2) The OCC may obtain at any time, at its expense, such appraisals of any of the assets, including the security therefore, of a savings association, affiliate, or service corporation as the OCC deems appropriate.

(c) Establishment and maintenance of records. To enable the OCC to examine Federal savings associations and affiliates and audit savings associations, affiliates, and service corporations pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, each savings association, affiliate, and service corporation shall establish and maintain such accounting and other records as will provide an accurate and complete record of all business it transacts. This includes, without limitation, establishing and maintaining such other records as are required by statute or any other regulation to which the savings association, affiliate, or service corporation is subject. The documents, files, and other material or property comprising said records shall at all times be available for such examination and audit wherever any of said records, documents, files, material, or property may be.

(d) Change in location of records. A Federal savings association shall not transfer the location of any of its general accounting or control records, or the maintenance thereof, from its home office to a branch or service office, or from a branch or service office to its home office or to another branch or service office unless prior to the date of transfer its board of directors has:

(1) By resolution authorized the transfer or maintenance; and

(2) Sent a certified copy of the resolution to the OCC.

(e) Use of data processing services for maintenance of records. A Federal savings association which determines to maintain any of its records by means of data processing services shall so notify the OCC in writing, at least 90 days prior to the date on which such maintenance of records will begin. Such notification shall include identification of the records to be maintained by data processing services and a statement as to the location at which such records will be maintained. Any contract, agreement, or arrangement made by a savings association pursuant to which data processing services are to be performed for such savings association shall be in writing and shall expressly provide that the records to be maintained by such services shall at all times be available for examination and audit.