View original document

The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Division of Supervision

550 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20429

Year 2000 Contingency Planning Guidance
FIL-51-98
May 13, 1998
TO:

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

SUBJECT:

Interagency Guidance on Contingency Planning for Year 2000 Readiness

e

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) has issued the attached statement with
industry guidance on contingency planning in connection with Year 2000 readiness. The statement
supplements the FFIEC's statements "Year 2000 Project Management Awareness," issued May 5, 1997,
and "Guidance Concerning Institution Due Diligence in Connection with Service Provider and Software
Vendor Year 2000 Readiness," issued March 17, 1998.

ac
tiv

The interagency statement provides guidance on two types of contingency planning to mitigate the risks
associated with Year 2000:
-- Business Resumption Contingency Planning, which addresses the risks associated with the failure of
systems at critical dates, and
-- Remediation Contingency Planning, which addresses the failure of an institution to successfully
complete renovation, validation or implementation of its Year 2000 readiness plan.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) understands that ensuring the availability of an
alternative service provider or software vendor may require payment of a fee. Institutions need not enter
into such an arrangement if their current service provider or software vendor is Year 2000 ready or
making satisfactory remediation efforts. This is a business decision that the board of Directors and senior
management should consider in light of the remediation efforts of current service providers or software
vendors.
It is imperative that the board of Directors and senior management adopt a proactive role in developing
and supervising the contingency planning process. Sufficient resources should be available to complete
the process timely and effectively.

In

The FDIC will address the Year 2000 contingency planning process as part of a financial institution's Year
2000 readiness examination. An institution's failure to appropriately address Year 2000 readiness
problems may result in supervisory actions, including formal and informal enforcement actions, denials of
applications filed pursuant to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, civil money penalties, and reductions in
the institution's management component or composite ratings.
The attached interagency statement and related information on Year 2000 issues are available on the
Internet via the World Wide Web at /news/news/financial/ or http://www.ffiec.gov. For further information,
please contact your Division of Supervision Regional Office.
Nicholas J. Ketcha Jr.
Director
Attachment:
FFIEC Interagency Statement

Distribution: Insured Banks (Commercial and Savings) and Insured U.S. Branches of Foreign Banks

In

ac
tiv

e

NOTE: Paper copies of FDIC financial institution letters may be obtained through the FDIC's Public
Information Center, 801 17th Street, N.W., Room 100, Washington, D.C. 20434 (800-276-6003 or (703)
562-2200).