NEW YORK (AFP) - The Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday (Aug 3) that it had fined Goldman Sachs US$36.3 million (S$48.7 million) for improperly obtaining and distributing confidential regulatory information.

The Fed faulted Goldman Sachs' oversight of former senior banker Joseph Jiampietro, who improperly used confidential documents obtained from the US central bank to advise small and medium-sized banks in 2014 on Federal Reserve oversight.

Goldman Sachs in October 2015 already paid a US$50 million fine to New York state regulators in the case, which shines a light on the dangers of revolving-door staffing among regulators and powerful banks.

Jiampietro, a former regulator with the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, asked a newly hired Goldman employee, Rohit Bansal, to obtain confidential documents from the Fed. The documents were subsequently used to advise bank clients.

Bansal had worked for the Federal Reserve for about eight years prior to beginning at Goldman in July 2014. Bansal received the non-public documents from a former colleague, the Fed said in its order.

In October 2014, Goldman Sachs fired both Jiampietro and Bansal after another Goldman Sachs banker notified the compliance department.

The Fed order requires Goldman to enhance its policies and training to ensure compliance with rules on confidential supervisory information.

The Fed also initiated enforcement proceedings against Jiampietro, seeking a fine and to permanently bar him from the banking industry.