FDIC must maintain the confidence of the public and as a result, all applicants or contractors must meet the agency’s high standards of integrity and fitness. The FDIC follows a rigorous vetting process. Therefore, applicants and contractor personnel must meet certain conditions for federal employment or contract services with the FDIC.
As part of the FDIC’s hiring process, applicants and contractor personnel are required to submit personal identifiable information (PII). Please note that all systems within the FDIC’s Personnel Security process are designed to securely store and transmit your data.
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Employment Restrictions
The 12 C.F.R parts 336 and 366 clarify the FDIC’s minimum standards of fitness for employment, and the minimum standards of integrity or fitness for contract work. The policy prohibits the FDIC from employing any person who has:- Been convicted of any felony;
- Been removed from, or prohibited from participating in the affairs of, any insured depository institution because of final enforcement action by any appropriate federal banking agency;
- Demonstrated a pattern or practice of misappropriation of funds regarding obligations to insured depository institutions; or
- Caused a substantial loss, in an amount in excess of $50,000, to federal deposit insurance funds.
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Ethics Requirements
Federal conflict of interest law generally prohibits employees from working on (1) assignments involving companies in which they, their spouse, or minor children hold stock or certain mutual or exchange-traded funds, or (2) assignments involving cryptocurrencies or other digital assets they, their spouse, or minor children hold. If disqualification from an assignment materially impairs an employee’s ability to perform their duties, the FDIC may direct the sale of the conflicting assets. In order to identify and resolve such conflicts, applicants may be required to disclose certain financial interests prior to employment. Existing employees are also subject to disclosure of financial interests on a regular basis.
Employees are further subject to Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch regulations which include restrictions on (1) working on assignments involving someone with whom the employee has an outside business or personal relationship, (2) using nonpublic information, and (3) using public office for private gain. Employees, their spouses, and minor children are also subject to additional, FDIC–specific ethics rules, including limitations on obtaining extensions of credit and loans from FDIC–insured institutions and acquiring stocks, bonds, or other securities of FDIC–insured institutions, bank holding companies, and financial holding companies. -
Suitability or Fitness Requirements
Any individual seeking employment at the FDIC must meet the FDIC’s minimum standards of integrity, and fitness requirements. Applicants must also meet the suitability requirements for federal employment, while contractors are required to meet the fitness requirements for federal contract services. -
Preliminary Vetting Process
Applicants and Contractor Personnel will be asked to access the Enterprise Workforce Solution (eWORKS) to complete the necessary paperwork to start the personnel vetting process. To allow entry on duty, the Personnel Security Unit will make a preliminary determination of trust after the receipt and favorable review of the completed paperwork, the review of the fingerprint check results, and other necessary checks.
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Background Investigation Requirement
Anyone seeking employment at FDIC will undergo a background investigation. The background investigation (BI) will be processed by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), and the scope of the investigation will vary depending on the nature of the position or labor category the applicant or contractor personnel will occupy at FDIC, and the access requirements for the position or labor category. When a background investigation is needed, the Personnel Security Unit will provide the link to the eAPP program that contains the investigative forms to provide the necessary information to process the background investigation. Applicants and Contractor Personnel can only sign into e-App when directed to do so by the FDIC’s Personnel Security Unit. For more information on the DCSA background investigation process, you may visit https://www.dcsa.mil/mc/pv/mbi/gicp/.
- Upon completion of the background investigation by DCSA, it is returned to the FDIC for adjudication.
The Personnel Security Unit will review and evaluate the BI and render a trust determination for
suitability, fitness or national security.