(a) Authority. This part sets forth the Rules of Practice and Procedure for hearings on the record in administrative enforcement proceedings in accordance with the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, title XIII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, Public Law 102-550, sections 1301 et seq., codified at 12 U.S.C. 4501 et seq., as amended (the “Safety and Soundness Act”), as stated in § 1209.4 of this part. 1

(b) Enforcement Proceedings. Subpart B of this part (Enforcement Proceedings Under sections 1371 through 1379D of the Safety and Soundness Act) sets forth the statutory authority for enforcement proceedings under sections 1371 through 1379D of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4631 through 4641) (Enforcement Proceedings).

(c) Rules of Practice and Procedure. Subpart C of this part (Rules of Practice and Procedure) prescribes the general rules of practice and procedure applicable to adjudicatory proceedings that the Director is required by statute to conduct on the record after opportunity for a hearing under the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 554,556,and,under,as.S.C. 4631 through 4641);

(2) Removal, prohibition, and civil money penalty proceedings for violations of post-employment restrictions imposed by applicable law;

(3) Proceedings under section 102 of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4012a) to assess civil money penalties; and

(4) Enforcement proceedings under sections 1341 through 1348 of the Safety and Soundness Act, as amended (12 U.S.C. 4581 through 4588), and section 10C of the Federal Home Loan Bank Act, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1430c), except where the Rules of Practice and Procedure in Subpart C are inconsistent with such statutory provisions, in which case the statutory provisions shall apply.

(d) Representation and conduct. Subpart D of this part (Parties and Representational Practice before the Federal Housing Finance Agency; Standards of Conduct) sets out the rules of representation and conduct that shall govern any appearance by any person, party, or representative of any person or party, before a presiding officer, the Director of FHFA, or a designated representative of the Director or FHFA staff, in any proceeding or matter pending before the Director.

(e) Civil money penalty inflation adjustments. Subpart E of this part (Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments) sets out the requirements for the periodic adjustment of maximum civil money penalty amounts under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended (Inflation Adjustment Act) on a recurring four-year cycle. 2

(f) Informal proceedings. Subpart F of this part (Suspension or Removal of an Entity-Affiliated Party Charged with Felony) sets out the scope and procedures for the suspension or removal of an entity-affiliated party charged with a felony under section 1377(h) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4636a(h)), which provides for an informal hearing before the Director.

For purposes of this part:

(a) Any term in the singular includes the plural and the plural includes the singular, if such use would be appropriate;

(b) Any use of a masculine, feminine, or neuter gender encompasses all three, if such use would be appropriate; and

(c) Unless the context requires otherwise, a party's representative of record, if any, on behalf of that party, may take any action required to be taken by the party.

For purposes of this part, unless explicitly stated to the contrary:

Adjudicatory proceeding means a proceeding conducted pursuant to these rules, on the record, and leading to the formulation of a final order other than a regulation.

Agency has the meaning defined in section 1303(2) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(2)).

Associated with the regulated entity means, for purposes of section 1379 of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4637), any direct or indirect involvement or participation in the conduct of operations or business affairs of a regulated entity, including engaging in activities related to the operations or management of, providing advice or services to, consulting or contracting with, serving as agent for, or in any other way affecting the operations or business affairs of a regulated entity—with or without regard to—any direct or indirect payment, promise to make payment, or receipt of any compensation or thing of value, such as money, notes, stock, stock options, or other securities, or other benefit or remuneration of any kind, by or on behalf of the regulated entity, except any payment made pursuant to a retirement plan or deferred compensation plan, which is determined by the Director to be permissible under section 1318(e) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4518(e)), or by reason of the death or disability of the party, in the form and manner commonly paid or provided to retirees of the regulated entity, unless such payment, compensation, or such benefit is promised or provided to or for the benefit of said party for the provision of services or other benefit to the regulated entity.

Authorizing statutes has the meaning defined in section 1303(3) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(3)).

Bank Act means the Federal Home Loan Bank Act, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.).

Board or Board of Directors means the board of directors of any Enterprise or Federal Home Loan Bank (Bank), as provided for in the respective authorizing statutes.

Decisional employee means any member of the Director's or the presiding officer's staff who has not engaged in an investigative or prosecutorial role in a proceeding and who may assist the Director or the presiding officer, respectively, in preparing orders, recommended decisions, decisions, and other documents under subpart C of this part.

Director has the meaning defined in section 1303(9) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(9)); except, as the context requires in this part, “director” may refer to a member of the Board of Directors or any Board committee of an Enterprise, a Federal Home Loan Bank, or the Office of Finance.

Enterprise has the meaning defined in section 1303(10) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(10)).

Entity-affiliated party has the meaning defined in section 1303(11) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(11)), and may include an executive officer, any director, or management of the Office of Finance, as applicable under relevant provisions of the Safety and Soundness Act or FHFA regulations.

Executive officer has the meaning defined in section 1303(12) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(12)), and may include an executive officer of the Office of Finance, as applicable under relevant provisions of the Safety and Soundness Act or FHFA regulations.

FHFA means the Federal Housing Finance Agency as defined in section 1303(2) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(2)).

Notice of charges means the charging document served by FHFA to commence an enforcement proceeding under this part for the issuance of a cease and desist order; removal, suspension, or prohibition order; or an order to assess a civil money penalty, under 12 U.S.C. 4631 through 4641 and § 1209.23. A “notice of charges,” as used or referred to as such in this part, is not an “effective notice” under section 1375(a) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4635(a)).

Office of Finance has the meaning defined in section 1303(19) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(19)).

Party means any person named as a respondent in any notice of charges, or FHFA, as the context requires in this part.

Person means an individual, sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, unincorporated association, trust, joint venture, pool, syndicate, organization, regulated entity, entity-affiliated party, or other entity.

Presiding officer means an administrative law judge or any other person appointed by or at the request of the Director under applicable law to conduct an adjudicatory proceeding under this part.

Regulated entity has the meaning defined in section 1303(20) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(20)).

Representative of record means an individual who is authorized to represent a person or is representing himself and who has filed a notice of appearance and otherwise has complied with the requirements under § 1209.72. FHFA's representative of record may be referred to as FHFA counsel of record, agency counsel or enforcement counsel.

Respondent means any party that is the subject of a notice of charges under this part.

Safety and Soundness Act means title XIII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, Public Law 102-550, known as the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, as amended (12 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.)

Violation has the meaning defined in section 1303(25) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(25)).