12 USC § 484 - Limitation on visitorial powers

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t12/s484"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "12 USC § 484 - Limitation on visitorial powers"
title_number: 12
title_name: "BANKS AND BANKING"
section_number: "484"
section_name: "Limitation on visitorial powers"
chapter_number: 3
chapter_name: "FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM"
subchapter_number: "XV"
subchapter_name: "BANK EXAMINATIONS"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(R.S. § 5240 (par.); Feb. 19, 1875, ch. 89, 18 Stat. 329; Dec. 23, 1913, ch. 6, § 21, 38 Stat. 272; Pub. L. 97–320, title IV, § 412, Oct. 15, 1982, 96 Stat. 1521; Pub. L. 97–457, § 23(a), Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2510.)"
---


# § 484. Limitation on visitorial powers

**(a)** No national bank shall be subject to any visitorial powers except as authorized by Federal law, vested in the courts of justice or such as shall be, or have been exercised or directed by Congress or by either House thereof or by any committee of Congress or of either House duly authorized.

**(b)** Notwithstanding subsection (a), lawfully authorized State auditors and examiners may, at reasonable times and upon reasonable notice to a bank, review its records solely to ensure compliance with applicable State unclaimed property or escheat laws upon reasonable cause to believe that the bank has failed to comply with such laws.

---

**Source Credit**: (R.S. § 5240 (par.); Feb. 19, 1875, ch. 89, 18 Stat. 329; Dec. 23, 1913, ch. 6, § 21, 38 Stat. 272; Pub. L. 97–320, title IV, § 412, Oct. 15, 1982, 96 Stat. 1521; Pub. L. 97–457, § 23(a), Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2510.)

## Editorial Notes

### Codification

R.S. § 5240 derived from , , which was part of the National Bank Act. See .

Section is comprised of sixth par. of R.S. § 5240, as amended. See Codification note set out under .

, set out in the credit of this section, was amended by  to correct an error in the directory language of . That amendment involved only directory language and not the content of the text being amended by  so no change in the text of this section resulted from the amendment by .

### Amendments

1982—Subsec. (a). , as amended by , designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), and amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment subsec. (a) read as follows: “No bank shall be subject to any visitorial powers other than such as are authorized by law, or vested in the courts of justice or such as shall be or shall have been exercised or directed by Congress, or by either House thereof or by any committee of Congress or of either House duly authorized”.

Subsec. (b). , as amended by , added subsec. (b).

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1983 Amendment

> “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending
> 
> , which amended this section] shall be deemed to have taken effect upon the enactment of
> 
> [
> 
> ].”

, , , provided that: