386 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 2 / Friday, January 3, 2014 / Notices 

• Conducting ‘‘variable retention’’ 

regeneration harvest and post-harvest 

burning activities on up to 2300 acres 

distributed across the focus areas to 

create early sucessional plant 

communities and improve wildlife 

habitat while re-establishing long-lived 

early seral tree species. Variable 

retention harvest would include areas of 

full retention (clumps), irregular edges, 

and retention of snags and legacy trees 

to provide structure and a future source 

of woody debris. Openings would likely 

exceed 40 acres. Creation of openings 

over 40 acres requires 60 day public 

review and Regional Forest approval. 

This letter provides public notice that 

an environmental impact statement will 

be prepared and Regional Forester 

approval requested. 

• Applying improvement harvest 

(thin from below) on approximately 875 

acres to remove encroachment and 

ladder fuels from ponderosa pine 

dominated stands. 

• Construct up to 18 miles of 

temporary roads to carry out the 

proposed action. Roads would be 

designed and located to minimize 

environmental effects and 

decommissioned after use. 

• Harvest would be conducted by 

ground based (tractor/skyline) and aerial 

(helicopter) logging systems. Logs 

would likely be landed in the Wild and 

Scenic River corridor at designated 

helicopter landings. 

• Creating a shaded fuel break and 

defensible space for approximately 300 

feet on NFS lands adjacent to private 

properties within the project area. This 

may include commercial and noncommercial thinning, pruning of ladder 

fuels and hand piling of slash. 

Watershed Improvement 

• 2–3 miles of system roads no longer 

considered necessary for transportation 

needs would be decommissioned. 

• Maintaining and improving of 7–10 

miles of roads used to support the 

proposed actions. Maintenance or 

improvement may include culvert 

installation or replacement, ditch 

cleaning, and riprap placement for 

drainage improvement. It may also 

include gravel placement, road grading 

and dust abatement. 

Possible Alternatives the Forest 

Service will consider include a noaction alternative, which will serve as a 

baseline for comparison of alternatives. 

The proposed action will be considered 

along with additional alternatives that 

will be developed to meet the purpose 

and need for action, and to address 

significant issues identified during 

scoping. 

Responsible Official and Lead Agency 

The USDA Forest Service is the lead 

agency for this proposal. The Nez PerceClearwater Forest Supervisor is the 

responsible official. 

The Decision To Be Made is whether 

to adopt the proposed action, in whole 

or inpart, or another alternative; and 

what mitigation measures and 

management requirements will be 

implemented. 

The Scoping Process for the EIS is 

being initiated with this notice. The 

scoping process will identify issues to 

be analyzed in detail and will lead to 

the developemnt of alternatives to the 

proposal. The Forest Service is seeking 

information and comments from other 

Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribal 

Governments; and organizations and 

individuals who may be interested in or 

affected by the proposed action. 

Comments received in response to this 

notice, including the names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be a part of the project record and 

available for public review. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review: A draft 

environmental impact statement will be 

prepared for comment. The second 

major opportunity for public input will 

be when the draft EIS is published. The 

comment period for the draft EIS will be 

45 days from the date the 

Environmental Protection Agency 

publishes the notice of availability in 

the Federal Register. The Draft EIS is 

anticipated to be available for public 

review in May 2013. 

Dated: December 20, 2013. 

Rick Brazell, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2013–31457 Filed 1–2–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING 

COMMISSION 

Sunshine Act Meeting 

TIME AND DATE: 10:00 a.m., Friday, 

January 10, 2014. 

PLACE: 1155 21st St. NW., Washington, 

DC, 9th Floor Commission Conference 

Room. 

STATUS: Closed. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: 

Surveillance, Enforcement Matters, and 

Examinations. In the event that the 

times, dates, or locations of this or any 

future meetings change, an 

announcement of the change, along with 

the new time and place of the meeting 

will be posted on the Commission’s 

Web site at http://www.cftc.gov. 

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

Melissa D. Jurgens, 202–418–5516. 

Melissa D. Jurgens, 

Secretary of the Commission. 

[FR Doc. 2013–31549 Filed 12–31–13; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6351–01–P 

BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL 

PROTECTION 

[Docket No.: CFPB–2013–0036] 

Request for Information Regarding the 

Mortgage Closing Process 

AGENCY: Bureau of Consumer Financial 

Protection. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

information. 

SUMMARY: This notice requests 

information from the public about 

mortgage closing. Specifically, the 

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 

(CFPB) seeks information on key 

consumer ‘‘pain points’’ associated with 

mortgage closing and how those pain 

points might be addressed by market 

innovations and technology. 

The CFPB seeks to encourage the 

development of a more streamlined, 

efficient, and educational closing 

process as the mortgage industry 

increases its usage of technology, 

electronic signatures, and paperless 

processes. The next phase of CFPB’s 

Know Before You Owe initiative aims to 

identify ways to improve the mortgage 

closing process for consumers. This 

project will encourage interventions that 

increase consumer knowledge, 

understanding, and confidence at 

closing. 

This notice seeks information from 

market participants, consumers, and 

other stakeholders who work closely 

with consumers. The information will 

inform the CFPB’s understanding of 

what consumers find most problematic 

about the current closing process and 

inform the CFPB’s vision for an 

improved closing experience. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

February 7, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit responsive 

information and other comments, 

identified by Docket No. CFPB–2013– 

0036, by any of the following methods: 

• Electronic: http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: 

Monica Jackson, Office of the Executive 

Secretary, Consumer Financial 

Protection Bureau, 1700 G Street NW., 

Washington, DC 20552. 

Instructions: The Bureau encourages 

the early submission of comments. All 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 2 / Friday, January 3, 2014 / Notices 387 

submissions must include the document 

title and docket number. Because paper 

mail in the Washington, DC area and at 

the Bureau is subject to delay, 

commenters are encouraged to submit 

comments electronically. Please note 

the number associated with any 

question to which you are responding at 

the top of each response (you are not 

required to answer all questions to 

receive consideration of your 

comments). In general, all comments 

received will be posted without change 

to http://www.regulations.gov. In 

addition, comments will be available for 

public inspection and copying at 1700 

G Street NW., Washington, DC 20552, 

on official business days between the 

hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern 

Time. You can make an appointment to 

inspect the documents by telephoning 

202–435–7275. 

All submissions, including 

attachments and other supporting 

materials, will become part of the public 

record and subject to public disclosure. 

Sensitive personal information, such as 

account numbers or Social Security 

numbers, should not be included. 

Submissions will not be edited to 

remove any identifying or contact 

information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general inquiries, submission process 

questions or any additional information, 

please contact Monica Jackson, Office of 

Executive Secretary, at 202–435–7275. 

Authority: 12 U.S.C. 5511(c). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Buying a 

home is often a consumer’s single 

largest financial purchase. According to 

the latest numbers from the National 

Association of Realtors, the median 

price of homes purchased in the United 

States is now $207,000. By comparison, 

the median household income is about 

$51,000, according to the Census 

Bureau. It is crucial that consumers 

consider the numbers carefully before 

making this potentially long-term 

commitment, and closing is often their 

last opportunity to do so. 

However, closing can be stressful and 

confusing for consumers. The CFPB 

plans to conduct several initiatives in 

order to test and study various ways in 

which the closing process might be 

improved. This information will help 

inform those initiatives. 

The Bureau encourages comments 

from the public, including: 

• Consumers; 

• Mortgage lenders and loan 

servicers; 

• Housing finance professionals; 

• Brokers and service providers in the 

residential real estate industry; 

• Real estate agents; 

• Housing attorneys; 

• Fair lending, civil rights, and 

consumer and community advocates; 

• Providers of financial and housing 

counseling; 

• Settlement closing agents; and 

• Other interested parties. 

The Bureau is interested in responses 

in the following general areas, as well as 

specific questions below. Please feel free 

to respond to any of the questions 

outlined below. 

Consumers and Closing 

1. What are common problems or 

issues consumers face at closing? What 

parts of the closing process do 

consumers find confusing or 

overwhelming? 

2. Are there specific parts of the 

closing process that borrowers find 

particularly helpful? 

3. What do consumers remember 

about closing as related to the overall 

mortgage/home-buying process? What 

do consumers remember about closing? 

4. How long does the closing process 

usually take? Do borrowers feel that the 

time at the closing table was an 

appropriate amount of time? Is it too 

long? Too short? Just right? 

5. How empowered do consumers 

seem to feel at closing? Did they come 

to closing with questions? Did they 

review the forms beforehand? Did they 

know that they can request their 

documents in advance? Did they 

negotiate? 

6. What, if anything, have you found 

helps consumers understand the terms 

of the loan? 

Errors and Changes at Closing 

7. What are some common errors you 

have seen at closing? How are these 

errors detected, if at all? Tell us about 

errors that were detected after closing. 

8. What changes, diverging from what 

was originally presented at closing, 

often surprise consumers at closing? 

How do consumers react to changes at 

closing? 

Other Parties at Closing 

9. How, if at all, do consumers 

typically seek advice during closing? In 

person? By phone? Online? 

10. Where and to whom do consumers 

turn for advice during closing? Whom 

do they typically trust? 

Closing Documents 

11. What documents do borrowers 

usually remember seeing? What 

documents they remember signing? 

12. What documents do consumers 

find particularly confusing? 

13. What resources do borrowers use 

to define unfamiliar terms of the loan? 

Improving Closing 

14. What, if anything, would you 

change about the closing process to 

make it a better experience for 

consumers? 

15. What questions should consumers 

ask at closing? What are the most 

important pieces of information/

documents for them to review? 

16. What is the single most important 

question a consumer should ask at 

closing? 

17. What is the single most important 

thing a consumer should do before 

coming to the closing table? 

Dated: December 13, 2013. 

Christopher D’Angelo, 

Chief of Staff, Bureau of Consumer Financial 

Protection. 

[FR Doc. 2013–31436 Filed 1–2–14; 8:45 a.m.] 

BILLING CODE 4810–AM–P 

CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY 

COMMISSION 

Sunshine Act Meeting 

TIME AND DATE: Wednesday, January 8, 

2014, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. 

PLACE: Hearing Room 420, Bethesda 

Towers, 4330 East West Highway, 

Bethesda, Maryland. 

STATUS: Commission Meeting—Open to 

the Public. 

MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: Decisional 

Matter: Bedside Sleepers (Section 

104)—Final Rule. 

A live Webcast of the Meeting can be 

viewed at www.cpsc.gov/live. 

For a recorded message containing the 

latest agenda information, call (301) 

504–7948. 

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

Todd A. Stevenson, Office of the 

Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product 

Safety Commission, 4330 East West 

Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 

504–7923. 

Dated: December 31, 2013. 

Todd A. Stevenson, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2013–31536 Filed 12–31–13; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 6355–01–P 

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND 

COMMUNITY SERVICE 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Corporation for National and 

Community Service. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Corporation for National 

and Community Service (CNCS), as part 

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