(a) This section applies only to an investigation of an unauthorized activity as provided by § 35.202 and does not affect the conduct of a contested case under Chapter 2001, Government Code.
(b) The banking commissioner may issue a subpoena to compel the attendance and testimony of a witness or the production of a book, account, record, paper, or correspondence relating to a matter that the banking commissioner has authority to consider or investigate at the department’s offices in Austin or at another place the banking commissioner designates.

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Terms Used In Texas Finance Code 35.203

  • Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
  • Signed: includes any symbol executed or adopted by a person with present intention to authenticate a writing. See Texas Government Code 311.005
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
  • United States: includes a department, bureau, or other agency of the United States of America. See Texas Government Code 311.005

(c) The subpoena must be signed and issued by the banking commissioner or a deputy banking commissioner.
(d) A person who is required by subpoena to attend a proceeding before the banking commissioner is entitled to receive:
(1) reimbursement for mileage, in the amount provided for travel by a state employee, for traveling to or returning from a proceeding that is more than 25 miles from the witness’s residence; and
(2) a fee for each day or part of a day the witness is necessarily present as a witness in an amount equal to the per diem travel allowance of a state employee.
(e) The banking commissioner may serve the subpoena or have it served by an authorized agent of the banking commissioner, a sheriff, or a constable. The sheriff’s or constable’s fee for serving the subpoena is the same as the fee paid the sheriff or constable for similar services.
(f) A person possessing materials located outside this state that are requested by the banking commissioner may make the materials available to the banking commissioner or a representative of the banking commissioner for examination at the place where the materials are located. The banking commissioner may:
(1) designate a representative, including an official of the state in which the materials are located, to examine the materials; and
(2) respond to a similar request from an official of another state, the United States, or a foreign country.
(g) A subpoena issued under this section to a financial institution is not subject to § 59.006.
(h) Except to the extent disclosure is necessary to locate and produce responsive records or obtain legal representation and subject to Subsection (i), a subpoena issued under this section may provide that the person to whom the subpoena is directed or any person who comes into receipt of the subpoena may not:
(1) disclose that the subpoena has been issued;
(2) disclose or describe any records requested in the subpoena;
(3) disclose whether records have been furnished in response to the subpoena; or
(4) if the subpoena requires a person to be examined under oath, disclose or describe the examination, including the questions asked, the testimony given, or the transcript produced.
(i) A subpoena issued under this section may prohibit the disclosure of information described by Subsection (h) only if the banking commissioner finds, and the subpoena states, that:
(1) the subpoena, the examination, or the records relate to an ongoing investigation; and
(2) the disclosure could significantly impede or jeopardize the investigation.