After reviewing our bank's websites, I'm a little confused regarding the disclaimer notifying users that they are leaving the site. It was my belief that if the link took the user to another site that was not the bank's site the disclaimer should be present. Is there a difference if the selection of the link opens a new window or continues to the site? Any assistance is greatly appreciated as I'm forseeing pushback from management based on my findings! Thank you!!

http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2003/pr3403a.html

Implementing Weblinking Relationships section...

Thank you! I'd provided this press release as part of my reserach. So, just to verify....the way the website opens does not constitute whether or not the disclaimer is needed. To me this seems simple but sometimes convincing others they need to make changes is the hardest part!

To what kind of external sites are you linking?

IRS, Yahoo Finance, American Portfolios, Equifax, Transunion, etc. Most of them relate to mortgages and investments.

Since the guidance applies to "links to third parties that offer products, services, or information directly to financial institution customers," then links to the sites you listed should be covered. The guidance focuses on your reputational risk, not the mechanism used to reach the external sites.

Thank you!

I would like some clarity on this...do all sites that arent within the bankname.com domain have to have a speed bump?

Hit the link Mr. A_G-DDD provided and review the Guidance. Generally, you'll find the answer to be "yes", but there's some flexibility. Also, notice that the Guidance is 9 years old. The WWW was a different "place" then, and the agencies' views have most likely evolved without additional guidance.