ISSUANCE OF INTERPRETIVE STATEMENTS AND OPINIONS.

(a) To encourage the effective coordination and implementation of home state laws and host state laws with respect to interstate branching, the commissioner, directly or through a deputy commissioner or department attorney, may:

(1) issue interpretive statements containing matters of general policy to guide the public and banks and bank holding companies subject to this subtitle;

(2) amend or repeal a published interpretive statement by issuing an amended statement or notice of repeal of a statement and publishing the statement or notice;

(3) issue, in response to specific requests from the public or the banking industry, opinions interpreting this subtitle or determining the applicability of laws of this state to the operation of interstate branches or other offices in this state by out-of-state banks or in other states by Texas banks; and

(4) amend or repeal an opinion by issuing an amended opinion or notice of repeal of an opinion, except that the requesting party may rely on the original opinion if:

(A) all material facts were originally disclosed to the commissioner;

(B) the safety and soundness of the affected bank or bank holding company will not be affected by further reliance on the original opinion; and

(C) the text and interpretation of relevant, governing provisions of applicable home state, host state, and federal law have not been changed by legislative or judicial action.

(b) An interpretive statement or opinion may be disseminated by newsletter, via electronic medium such as the internet, in a volume of statutes or related materials published by the commissioner or others, or by other means reasonably calculated to notify persons affected by the interpretive statement or opinion. An opinion may be disseminated to the public if the commissioner determines that the opinion is useful for the general guidance and convenience of the public or banks or bank holding companies. A published opinion must be redacted to preserve the confidentiality of the requesting party unless the requesting party consents to be identified in the published opinion. Notice of an amended or withdrawn statement or opinion must be disseminated in a substantially similar manner as the affected statement or opinion was originally disseminated.

(c) An interpretive statement or opinion issued under this subtitle does not have the force of law and is not a rule for the purposes of Chapter 2001, Government Code, unless adopted by the finance commission as provided by Chapter 2001, Government Code. An interpretive statement or opinion is an administrative construction of this subtitle entitled to great weight if the construction is reasonable and does not conflict with this subtitle.