(a) Notification by FHFA. In the event that FHFA is requiring a record hold, FHFA shall notify the chief executive officer of the regulated entity or the Office of Finance. Regulated entities and the Office of Finance must have a written policy for handling notice of a record hold.

(b) Notification by a regulated entity or the Office of Finance. The record retention program of a regulated entity and the Office of Finance shall—

(1) Address how employees and, as appropriate, how agents or independent contractors consistent with their respective roles and responsibilities to the regulated entity or the Office of Finance, will receive prompt notification of a record hold;

(2) Designate an individual to communicate specific requirements and instructions, including, when necessary, the instruction to cease immediately any otherwise permissible destruction of records; and

(3) Provide that any employee and, as appropriate, any agent or independent contractor consistent with his or her respective role and responsibility to the regulated entity or Office of Finance, who has received notice of a potential investigation, enforcement proceeding, or litigation by FHFA involving the regulated entity or the Office of Finance or an employee, or otherwise has actual knowledge that an issue is subject to such an investigation, enforcement proceeding or litigation, shall notify immediately the legal department or the individual providing legal services as well as senior management of the regulated entity or the Office of Finance and shall retain any records that may be relevant in any way to such investigation, enforcement proceeding, or litigation.

(c) Method of record retention during a record hold. The record retention program of each regulated entity and the Office of Finance shall address the method by which the regulated entity or the Office of Finance will retain records during a record hold. Specifically, the program shall describe the method for the continued preservation of electronic records, including e-mail, and, as applicable, the conversion of records from paper to electronic form as well as any alternative storage method.

(d) Access to and retrieval of records during a record hold. The record retention program of each regulated entity or the Office of Finance shall ensure access to and retrieval of records by the regulated entity and the Office of Finance, and access, upon request, by FHFA, during a record hold. Such access shall be by reasonable means, consistent with the nature and availability of the records and existing information technology.