53C-2-3. The Office of the Commissioner of Banks.

(a) The Commissioner shall be assisted in the performance of the duties of office by (i) one or more deputy commissioners and (ii) examiners, investigators, counsel, and other employees under the supervision of the Commissioner, all of whom, together with the Commissioner, shall comprise the "Office of the Commissioner of Banks." In addition, the work of the OCOB may be conducted by employees of other agencies of government and by agents and independent contractors of the OCOB. The Commissioner may appoint or remove at his or her discretion any deputy commissioner.

(b) The Commissioner shall appoint, with the approval of the Governor, and may remove at the Commissioner's discretion, a chief deputy commissioner. The chief deputy commissioner may perform such duties and exercise such powers of the Commissioner as the Commissioner may direct. In the event of the absence, death, resignation, disability, or disqualification of the Commissioner, or in case the office of Commissioner otherwise becomes vacant, the chief deputy commissioner shall perform the duties and exercise all the powers vested in the Commissioner until the Governor appoints an acting Commissioner.

(c) Except as otherwise provided in this Chapter, the OCOB and its employees are exempt from the classification and compensation rules established by the State Human Resources Commission pursuant to G.S. 126-4(1) through (4); G.S. 126-4(5) only as it applies to hours and days of work, vacation, and sick leave; G.S. 126-4(6) only as it applies to promotion and transfer; G.S. 126-4(10) only as it applies to the prohibition of the establishment of incentive pay programs; and Article 2 of Chapter 126 of the General Statutes, except for G.S. 126-7.1. The salary of the Commissioner shall be fixed by the General Assembly.

(d) The Attorney General shall assign an attorney from the Department of Justice to work full time with the Commission. The attorney shall be subject to all provisions of Chapter 126 of the General Statutes relating to the State Human Resources system. The Commission shall fully reimburse the Department of Justice for the compensation, secretarial support, equipment, supplies, records, and other property to support the attorney.