N.C. Gen. Stat. § 54B-78: Prohibited practices.

Any person or association who shall engage in any of the following acts or practices shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor:

(1) Defamation: Making, publishing, disseminating, or circulating, directly or indirectly, or aiding, abetting, or encouraging the making, publishing, disseminating, or circulating of any oral, written, or printed statement which is false regarding the financial condition of any association.

(2) False information and advertising: Making, publishing, disseminating, or circulating or causing, directly or indirectly, to be made published, disseminated, circulated, or otherwise placed before the public in any publication, media, notice, pamphlet, letter, poster, or any other way, an advertisement, announcement, or statement containing any assertion, representation, or statement with respect to the savings and loan business or with respect to any person in the conduct of the savings and loan business which is untrue, deceptive, or misleading. (1985, c. 659, s. 13; 1993, c. 539, s. 434; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)