A portion or portions of a Board meeting may be closed to the public and any information pertaining to such meeting otherwise required by § 1600.3 to be disclosed to the public may be withheld, where the Board determines that public disclosure of information to be discussed at such meetings is likely to:

Disclose matters that are:

Specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive Order to be kept secret in the interests of national defense or foreign policy; and

In fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive Order.

Relate solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of the Bank;

Disclose matters specifically exempted from disclosure by statute (other than the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552), provided that such statute:

Requires that the matters be withheld from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue; or

Establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld.

Disclose trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential;

Involve accusing any person of a crime, or formally censuring any person;

Disclose information of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

Disclose investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes, or information which if written would be contained in such records, but only to the extent that the production of such records or information would:

Interfere with enforcement proceedings;

Deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or to an impartial adjudication;

Constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

Disclose the identity of a confidential source, and, in the case of a record compiled by a criminal enforcement authority in the course of a criminal investigation, or by an agency conducting a lawful national security intelligence investigation, confidential information furnished only by the confidential source;

Disclose investigative techniques and procedures; or

Endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel.

Disclose information contained in or related to examination, operating, or condition reports prepared by, on behalf of, or for the use of the Bank or any other agency responsible for the regulation or supervision of financial institutions;

Disclose information the premature disclosure of which would be likely to significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed action of the Board or of another agency, except that this shall not apply in any instance where the content or nature of the proposed action has already been disclosed to the public or where the Board is required by law to make such disclosure on its own initiative prior to taking final action on such proposal; or

Specifically concern the Board's participation in a civil action or proceeding, an action in a foreign court or international tribunal, or an arbitration, or the initiation, conduct, or disposition by the Board of a particular case of formal agency adjudication pursuant to the procedures in 5 U.S.C. 554 or otherwise involving a determination on the record after opportunity for a hearing.

Any Board meeting or portion thereof, which may be closed, or any information which may be withheld under paragraph (a) of this section, will not be closed or withheld, respectively, in any case where the Board finds the public interest requires otherwise.