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###### Department of Labor

###### Office of the Secretary

                    The Department of Labor (DOL) hereby announces the submission of the following public information collection requests (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35). A copy of each ICR, with applicable supporting documentation; including among other things a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total burden may be obtained from the RegInfo.gov Web site at                     *http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain*                     or by contacting Darrin King on 202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number)/e-mail:                     *DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.*

                    Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the Department of Labor-Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Telephone: 202-395-7316/Fax: 202-395-5806 (these are not toll-free numbers), E-mail:                     *OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov*                     within 30 days from the date of this publication in the                     **Federal Register.**                     In order to ensure the appropriate consideration, comments should reference the OMB Control Number (see below).                

*The OMB is particularly interested in comments which:*
    - Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;
    - Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
    - Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and
    - Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology,  e.g.,                      permitting electronic submission of responses.                

*Agency:*                     Employee Benefits Security Administration.                

*Type of Review:*                     Extension without change of a currently approved collection.                

*Title of Collection:*                     Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption for Cross-Trades of Securities by Index and Model-Driven Funds (PTE 2002-12).                

*OMB Control Number:*                     1210-0115.                

*Affected Public:*                     Businesses or other for-profits.                

*Estimated Number of Respondents:*                     60.                

*Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours:*                     855.                

*Total Estimated Annual Costs Burden (excludes hourly wage costs):*                     $509.                

*Description:*                     PTE 2002-12 exempts certain transactions that would be prohibited under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (the Act or ERISA) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act (FERSA), and provides relief from certain sanctions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). The exemption permits cross-trades of securities among Index and Model-Driven Funds (Funds) managed by managers (Managers), and among such Funds and certain large accounts (Large Accounts) that engage such Managers to carry out a specific portfolio restructuring program or to otherwise act as a “trading adviser” for such a program. By removing existing barriers to these types of transactions, the exemption increases the incidences of cross-trading, thereby lowering the transaction costs to plans in a number of ways from what they would be otherwise. For additional information, see related notice published at 74 FR 17985 on April 20, 2009.                

*Agency:*                     Employee Benefits Security Administration.                

*Type of Review:*                     Extension without change of a currently approved collection.                

*Title of Collection:*                     Bank Collective Investment Funds; Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 91-38.                

*OMB Control Number:*                     1210-0082.                

*Affected Public:*                     Businesses or other for-profits.                

*Estimated Number of Respondents:*                     3,600.                

*Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours:*                     600.                

*Total Estimated Annual Costs Burden (excludes hourly wage costs):*                     $0.                

*Description:*                     PTE 91-38 provides an exemption from the prohibited transaction provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) for certain transactions between a bank collective investment fund and persons who are parties in interest with respect to an employee benefit plan. Without the exemption, sections 406 and 407(a) of ERISA and section 4975(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code may prohibit transactions between the collective investment fund (CIF) and a party in interest to one or more of the employee benefit plans participating in the collective investment fund. Under PTE 91-38, a collective investment fund generally may engage in transactions with parties in interest to a plan that invests in the fund as long as the plan's total investment in the fund does not exceed a specified percentage of the total assets of the fund. The PTE also contains more limited or differently defined relief for funds holding more than the specified percentage, for multiemployer plans, and for transactions involving employer securities and employer real property. In order to ensure that the rights of participants and beneficiaries are protected, and that bank collective investment funds can demonstrate compliance with the terms of the exemption, the Department requires a bank to maintain records regarding the exempted transactions and make them available for inspection to specified interested persons (including the Department and the Internal Revenue Service) on request for a period of six years. For additional information, see related notice published at 74 FR 17988 on April 20, 2009.                

*Agency:*                     Employee Benefits Security Administration.                

*Type of Review:*                     Extension without change of a currently approved collection.                          ( print page 38045)    

*Title of Collection:*                     PTE 90-1; Insurance Company Pooled Separate Accounts.                

*OMB Control Number:*                     1210-0083.                

*Affected Public:*                     Businesses or other for-profits.                

*Estimated Number of Respondents:*                     60.                

*Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours:*                     100.                

*Total Estimated Annual Costs Burden (excludes hourly wage costs):*                     $0.                

*Description:*                     PTE 90-1 provides an exemption from certain provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) relating to transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts in which employee benefit plans participate. Without the exemption, sections 406 and 407(a) of ERISA and section 4975(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code might prohibit a party in interest to a plan from furnishing goods or services to an insurance company pooled separate account in which the plan has an interest, or prohibit engaging in other transactions. Under the exemption, persons who are parties in interest to a plan that invests in a pooled separate account, such as a service provider, may engage in otherwise prohibited transactions with the separate account if the plan's participation in the separate account does not exceed specified limits and other conditions are met. These other conditions include a requirement that the party in interest not be the insurance company, or an affiliate thereof, that holds the plan assets in its pooled separate account or other separate account. The terms of the transaction to which the exemption is applied must be at least as favorable to the pooled separate account as those that would be obtained in a separate arms-length transaction with an unrelated party, and the insurance company must maintain records of any transaction to which the exemption applies for a period of six years. This ICR covers this recordkeeping requirement. For additional information, see related notice published at 74 FR 17989 on April 20, 2009.                

*Agency:*                     Employee Benefits Security Administration.                

*Type of Review:*                     Extension without change of a currently approved collection.                

*Title of Collection:*                     Foreign Currency Transactions; Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 94-20.                

*OMB Control Number:*                     1210-0085.                

*Affected Public:*                     Businesses or other for-profits.                

*Estimated Number of Respondents:*                     279.                

*Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours:*                     230.                

*Total Estimated Annual Costs Burden (excludes hourly wage costs):*                     $0.                

*Description:*                     PTE 94-20 permits the purchase and sale of foreign currencies between an employee benefit plan and a bank, broker-dealer, or an affiliate thereof, that is a trustee, custodian, fiduciary, or other party in interest with respect to the plan. The exemption is available provided that the transaction is directed (within the meaning of section IV(e) of the exemption) by a plan fiduciary that is independent of the bank, broker-dealer, or affiliate and all other conditions of the exemption are satisfied. Without this exemption, certain aspects of these transactions might be prohibited by section 406(a) of ERISA. To protect the interests of participants and beneficiaries of the employee benefit plan, the exemption requires that the party wishing to take advantage of the exemption (1) Develop written policies and procedures applicable to trading in foreign currencies on behalf of an employee benefit plan; (2) provide a written confirmation with respect to each transaction in foreign currency to the independent plan fiduciary, disclosing specified information; and (3) maintain records pertaining to the transaction for a period of six years. The ICR relates to the foregoing disclosure and recordkeeping requirements. For additional information, see related notice published at 74 FR 17990 on April 20, 2009.                

*Agency:*                     Employee Benefits Security Administration.                

*Type of Review:*                     Extension without change of a currently approved collection.                

*Title of Collection:*                     Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 97-41; Collective Investment Funds Conversion Transactions.                

*OMB Control Number:*                     1210-0104.                

*Affected Public:*                     Businesses or other for-profits.                

*Estimated Number of Respondents:*                     50.                

*Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours:*                     1,756.                

*Total Estimated Annual Costs Burden (excludes hourly wage costs):*                     $310,000.                

*Description:*                     PTE 97-41 provides an exemption from the prohibited transaction provisions of the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and from certain taxes imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The exemption permits employee benefit plans to purchase shares of one or more open-end investment companies (funds) registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 by transferring in-kind, to the investment company, assets of the plan that are part of a collective investment fund (CIF) maintained by a bank or plan advisor that is both a fiduciary of the plan and an investment advisor to the investment company offering the fund.                

The exemption requires that an independent fiduciary receive advance written notice of any covered transaction, as well as specific written information concerning the mutual funds to be purchased. The independent fiduciary must also provide written advance approval of conversion transactions and receive written confirmation of each transaction, as well as additional on-going disclosures as defined in PTE 97-41. These disclosures are the basis for the ICR. For additional information, see related notice published at 74 FR 17986 on April 20, 2009.

*Agency:*                     Employee Benefits Security Administration.                

*Type of Review:*                     Extension without change of a currently approved collection.                

*Title of Collection:*                     Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2004-07, Transactions with Trust REIT Shares.                

*OMB Control Number:*                     1210-0124.                

*Affected Public:*                     Businesses or other for-profits.                

*Estimated Number of Respondents:*                     38.                

*Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours:*                     3,990.                

*Total Estimated Annual Costs Burden (excludes hourly wage costs):*                     $201,894.                

*Description:*                     PTE 2004-07 exempts from certain prohibited transaction restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and from certain taxes imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code), the acquisition, holding, sale, and contribution in kind of publicly traded shares of beneficial interest in a real estate investment trust that is structured under State law as a business trust (Trust REIT), on behalf of and to individual account plans sponsored by the REIT or its affiliates, provided that certain conditions are met.                

                    The exemption allows individual account plans (Plans) established by Trust REITs to offer a beneficial interest in the Trust REIT in the form of Qualifying REIT Shares, as defined in the exemption, to participants in Plans sponsored by the REIT or its employer affiliates, to require that employer contributions be used to purchase such shares, and to permit “contributions in kind” of such shares to these Plans by employers.                          ( print page 38046)    

The exemption conditions relief on compliance with a number of information collection requirements. These information collections are to be provided or made available to plan participants and fiduciaries in order to inform them about investments in Qualifying REIT Shares and the conditions of the exemption permitting share transactions. Records sufficient to allow them to determine whether the exemption conditions are met must also be maintained, and made available to them upon request, for a period of six years. These records must also be made available on request to employers and employee organizations with employees and members covered by a Plan of the Trust REIT or one of its employer affiliates, and to authorized employees and representatives of the Department and the Internal Revenue Service. For additional information, see related notice published at 74 FR 17987 on April 20, 2009.

Darrin A. King,

Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. E9-18068 Filed 7-29-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-29-P