---
type: "LegalText"
title: "12 U.S.C. § 4246"
description: "Awards of costs and fees to prevailing plaintiff"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 12
title_name: "BANKS AND BANKING"
chapter_number: "43"
chapter_name: "ACTIONS AGAINST PERSONS COMMITTING BANK FRAUD CRIMES"
section: "4246"
citation: "12 U.S.C. § 4246"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc12@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t12/s4246"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-12/usc12.xml"
source_hash: "b63b06373b030b2a377e9a4b1a8f22a0c0535b3cd3e4f960ea08daf46285fdf0"
raw_snapshot_hash: "e6b98700ef4156ac33fde5d105824845d727afa91a53f3762be2cf4d1a3b01fa"
text_hash: "304157181754a66f6811d97187184ef5472af258ac931a2086d672e0098611b1"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 12 U.S.C. § 4246 - Awards of costs and fees to prevailing plaintiff

## Text

When the United States, through private counsel retained under this subchapter, prevails in any civil action, the court, in its discretion, may allow the United States reasonable attorney’s fees and other expenses of litigation as part of the costs.

(Pub. L. 101–647, title XXV, § 2593, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4906.)