What Examiners Want to See in Your Intranet Key features examiners expect during FDIC, NCUA, or state-level audits

Regulators are looking more closely at how financial institutions manage internal content. If your intranet doesn't help during an exam - it's not doing its job.

Modern intranets aren't just storage hubs - they're proof of compliance. If you can't show who accessed what, when a policy was acknowledged, or how a process was followed, you could end up with examiner findings that were entirely avoidable.

✓ What Your Intranet *Must* Show During an Exam

Here's what your bank or credit union should be able to demonstrate clearly and quickly:

  • Policy Version Control: You can prove when a document was changed, by whom, and what the prior version said.
  • Access Permissions: Staff only see content appropriate for their role, department, and location.
  • Audit Trails: You can show who accessed, edited, or acknowledged a policy or document.
  • Read Acknowledgment: You can confirm which employees have read and accepted required policies.
  • Secure Central Repository: Policies, procedures, and SOPs are not scattered in emails or shared drives.

What That Could Look Like

Here's how a financial institution might use an intranet to satisfy examiner expectations:

  • A BSA training policy is posted and acknowledged by 100% of staff within three days
  • The disaster recovery plan is version-controlled, with quarterly review logs available on demand
  • IT procedures are restricted to the appropriate team, with full access tracking in place

These are the kinds of details that can save time - and reduce examiner follow-up.

Common Gaps That Raise Red Flags

Even well-run institutions can get flagged for issues that could've been avoided. Some of the most common problems we see:

  • Policies emailed without acknowledgment tracking
  • Shared drive sprawl with unclear permissions
  • No historical versioning of forms or SOPs
  • Missing approval logs for IT, HR, or compliance requests

Built-In Compliance, Without the Spreadsheets

There's no need to cobble together manual logs or version spreadsheets. SimplifyIT includes these features by default - ready to use out of the box:

  • Version Control with full change history
  • Role-Based Access that limits over-permissioning
  • Policy Acknowledgment tracking and reporting
  • System-wide Audit Logs with timestamps and user actions
  • Form Routing with approval chains and status visibility

Common Questions

Do examiners actually check intranet usage?
Yes. Examiners may review how policies are distributed, how access is controlled, and whether acknowledgment or audit logs are maintained.
Is SharePoint enough for exams?
It depends on how it's configured. Most banks and credit unions find SharePoint lacks version control, visibility, and acknowledgment tracking without heavy customization.
What's the fastest way to make an intranet exam-ready?
Centralize policies, turn on version control, restrict access by role, and enable acknowledgment tracking. SimplifyIT makes that easy out of the box.

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