§ 404.19 Appeal of denials of access.

(a) Appeals to the Assistant General Counsel for Administration. Whenever Ex-Im Bank denies a request for access or for waiver or reduction of fees, the requester may appeal the denial to the Assistant General Counsel for Administration within 30 working days of the date of Ex-Im Bank's issuance of notice of such action. Appeals must be made in writing and must be signed by the appellant. Appeals should be addressed to the Assistant General Counsel for Administration at the address in § 404.14(e). Both the envelope and the appeal letter should be clearly marked in capital letters: “PRIVACY ACT APPEAL.” Failure to properly mark or address the appeal may slow its processing. An appeal shall not be deemed to have been received by Ex-Im Bank until the Assistant General Counsel for Administration receives the appeal letter. The letter should include: (1) A copy of the denied request or a description of the records requested; (2) The name and title of the Ex-Im Bank employee who denied the request; (3) The date on which the request was denied; and (4) The Ex-Im Bank identification number assigned to the request. (b) Final determination. The disposition of an access appeal shall be made in writing within twenty working days after the date of receipt of the appeal. The Assistant General Counsel for Administration may extend the time for response an additional ten working days for good cause, provided that the requester is notified in writing. A decision affirming the denial of a request for access shall include a brief statement of the reasons for affirming the denial and shall advise the requester of the right to seek judicial review. If the initial determination is reversed, then the request shall be remanded to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Office to be processed in accordance with the decision on appeal.