<p>WASHINGTON-NCUA, along with the four other banking regulators, issued guidance December 12 to help financial institutions comply with consumer privacy regulations. The agencies' regulations implementing the privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) became effective July 1, 2001. The guidance follows just one week after the GLBA agencies held a workshop on creating better privacy notices. The guidance issued is comprised of a series of frequently asked questions, covering various aspects of the privacy rules, including: Which entities are covered by the privacy rules; When financial institutions must deliver privacy and opt out notices; Limits that apply to the use and disclosure of customer information received from an unrelated financial institution; Limits that apply to the disclosure of customer account numbers; and How to comply with the exception for disclosures under a joint marketing arrangement with an unrelated financial institution. Staff members from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Securities and Exchange Commission were also consulted. The guidance will be posted on NCUA's Web site.</p>