(a) The information obtained by the commissioner, or any bank examiner in making an examination into the affairs of the bank, shall be for the purpose of ascertaining the true condition of the affairs of the bank, shall be privileged and confidential, shall not be subject to subpoena, and shall not be disclosed by the party making the examination to any person, except that the examiner shall report the condition of the affairs of the bank to the commissioner, and except that the commissioner is authorized to make the following disclosures from reports of examination:

(1) Within the department in the course of official duties;

(2) To the federal deposit insurance corporation as provided in § 45-2-804 and to the federal reserve board, or its duly authorized representative, as provided in § 45-2-505;

(3) To the federal reserve board, or its duly authorized representative, in the case of an application to form a bank holding company if the principal affiliate bank to be acquired is a state bank or to the federal reserve board in any other circumstance when the commissioner believes that disclosure is in the interest of sound banking regulation;

(4) To the United States comptroller of the currency, or the comptroller's duly authorized representative, in the case of an application of a state bank for conversion to a national charter or to the comptroller in any other circumstance when the commissioner believes that disclosure is in the interest of sound banking regulation;

(5) To the United States department of justice, federal bureau of investigation, state district attorneys general, Tennessee bureau of investigation or the attorney general and reporter in the case of any suspected criminal violations discovered during the course of an examination;

(6) In any administrative proceeding or court action filed by the commissioner or the department to which the commissioner is an actual party;

(7) To the directors of a state bank as provided in § 45-2-1602;

(8) The comptroller of the treasury or the comptroller's designee for the purpose of an audit of the department of financial institutions;

(9) The state treasurer and commissioner of finance and administration pursuant to § 9-4-402;

(10) To other state financial institutions regulatory agencies;

(11) To the federal consumer financial protection bureau, federal trade commission, United States department of labor and the securities and exchange commission, or their duly authorized representative, when the commissioner believes that disclosure is in the best interest of sound banking regulation;

(12) The department of commerce and insurance; and

(13) The United States department of justice, federal bureau of investigation, state district attorneys general, Tennessee bureau of investigation, state attorney general and reporter, internal revenue service, Tennessee office of homeland security, United States department of the treasury and the financial crimes enforcement network for purposes of information sharing to promote enforcement of and compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, codified at 12 U.S.C. § 1829b, 12 U.S.C. §§ 1951-1959, and 31 U.S.C. §§ 5311-5332.

(b) Disclosures made under subsection (a) shall be made under safeguards designed to prevent further dissemination of confidential information. If any agency or department that has received confidential information under subsection (a) receives a valid subpoena to produce documents of the department of financial institutions or desires to use the documents in litigation, including, but not limited to, discovery proceedings, in which it is involved, the agency or department shall notify the department of financial institutions for permission to produce the documents. The commissioner may, in the commissioner's discretion, authorize the requesting agency or department to use the documents under a protective order approved by the commissioner and designed to prevent the unnecessary further dissemination of the documents.

(c) A bank may reproduce all or any part of a report of examination and send or deliver the reproduction to a bank holding company of which it is a subsidiary, and may also send or deliver the reproduced information to the bank's consultants, external auditors and legal counsel. The disclosure shall not affect the confidential nature of the disclosed information.

(d) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) “Bank holding company” has the same meaning as in § 45-2-1402; and

(2) “Subsidiary,” with respect to a specified bank holding company, means:

(A) Any company, twenty-five percent (25%) or more of whose voting shares, excluding shares owned by the United States or by any company wholly owned by the United States, is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by the bank holding company, or is held by it with power to vote;

(B) Any company in which the election of a majority of whose directors is controlled in any manner by the bank holding company; or

(C) Any company with respect to the management or policies of which the bank holding company has the power, directly or indirectly, to exercise a controlling influence, as determined by the commissioner, after notice and opportunity for hearing.

(e) Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, the commissioner may, in the commissioner's discretion and in the interest of justice, and when under a validly issued subpoena, waive the privilege created herein and produce bank examination reports and other related documents under the provisions of a protective order entered by a court or administrative tribunal of competent jurisdiction where the order is designed to protect the confidential nature of the information so disclosed from public dissemination.

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of the law to the contrary, confidential information regarding insurance, securities and investment functions of financial institutions, and known or suspected violations of the insurance, banking or securities laws, may be shared among the departments of financial institutions and commerce and insurance, the district attorneys general for the respective counties, the Tennessee bureau of investigation and the attorney general and reporter. Information disclosed by the commissioner under this section shall not become matters of public record by virtue of the disclosure absent a waiver by the commissioner, or a protective order as provided for in this section.