(a) The Director of FinCEN or his designee will not issue administrative rulings in response to oral requests. Oral opinions or advice by Treasury, Customs and Border Protection, the Internal Revenue Service, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or any other bank supervisory agency personnel, regarding the interpretation and application of this chapter, do not bind FinCEN and carry no precedential value.

(b) A person who has made a ruling request in conformity with § 1010.711 may request an opportunity for oral discussion of the issues presented in the request. The request should be made to the Director, FinCEN, and any decision to grant such a conference is wholly within the discretion of the Director. Personal conferences or telephone conferences may be scheduled only for the purpose of affording the requester an opportunity to discuss freely and openly the matters set forth in the administrative ruling request. Accordingly, the conferees will not be bound by any argument or position advocated or agreed to, expressly or impliedly, during the conference. Any new arguments or facts put forth by the requester at the meeting must be reduced to writing by the requester and submitted in conformity with § 1010.711 before they may be considered in connection with the request.