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###### Department of the Treasury

###### Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

# AGENCY:

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Treasury.

# ACTION:

Notice and request for comment.

# SUMMARY:

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a continuing information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

The OCC is soliciting comment concerning the renewal of its information collection titled, “Appraisal Management Companies.” The OCC also is giving notice that it has sent the collection to OMB for review.

# DATES:

You should submit written comments by September 4, 2018.

# ADDRESSES:

Commenters are encouraged to submit comments by email, if possible. You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
      - Email: prainfo@occ.treas.gov.
      -  Mail:                          Legislative and Regulatory Activities Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Attention: 1557-0324, 400 7th Street SW, suite 3E-218, Washington, DC 20219.                    
      -  Hand Delivery/Courier:                          400 7th Street, SW, suite 3E-218, Washington, DC 20219.                    
      -  Fax:                          (571) 465-4326.                    

*Instructions:*                         You must include “OCC” as the agency name and “1557-0324” in your comment. In general, the OCC will publish them on                         *www.reginfo.gov*                         without change, including any business or personal information that you provide, such as name and address information, email addresses, or phone numbers. Comments received, including attachments and other supporting materials, are part of the public record and subject to public disclosure. Do not include any information in your comment or supporting materials that you consider confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure.                    

                        Additionally, please send a copy of your comments by mail to: OCC Desk Officer, 1557-0324, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street NW, #10235, Washington, DC 20503 or by email to                         *oira_submission@omb.eop.gov.*

                        You may review comments and other related materials that pertain to this information collection [1]                                                  following the close of the 30-Day comment period for                               ( print page 38205)                            this notice by any of the following methods:                    
      -  Viewing Comments Electronically:                          Go to                          www.reginfo.gov.                          Click on the “Information Collection Review” tab. Underneath the “Currently under Review” section heading, from the drop-down menu, select “Department of Treasury” and then click “submit”. This information collection can be located by searching by OMB control number “1557-0324” or “Appraisal Management Companies.” Upon finding the appropriate information collection, click on the related “ICR Reference Number.” On the next screen, select “View Supporting Statement and Other Documents” and then click on the link to any comment listed at the bottom of the screen.                    
      - For assistance in navigating www.reginfo.gov,                          please contact the Regulatory Information Service Center at (202) 482-7340.                    
      -  Viewing Comments Personally:                          You may personally inspect comments at the OCC, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC. For security reasons, the OCC requires that visitors make an appointment to inspect comments. You may do so by calling (202) 649-6700 or, for persons who are deaf or hearing impaired, TTY, (202) 649-5597. Upon arrival, visitors will be required to present valid government-issued photo identification and submit to security screening in order to inspect comments.                    

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Shaquita Merritt, OCC Clearance Officer, (202) 649-5490 or, for persons who are deaf or hearing impaired, TTY, (202) 649-5597, Legislative and Regulatory Activities Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, 400 7th Street, SW, suite 3E-218, Washington, DC 20219.

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the OMB for each collection of information that they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) to include agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. The OCC requests that OMB extend its approval of the following collection:

*Title:*                     Appraisal Management Companies.                

*OMB Control No.:*                     1557-0324.                

*Affected Public:*                     Business or other for-profit.                

*Type of Review:*                     Regular review.                

*Abstract:*                     The OCC, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau), and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) (Agencies) have rules implementing the minimum requirements in section 1473 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to be applied by States in the registration and supervision of appraisal management companies (AMCs). The Agencies have also implemented the requirement in section 1473 of the Dodd-Frank Act for States to report to the Appraisal Subcommittee of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) the information required by the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) to administer the new national registry of appraisal management companies (AMC National Registry or Registry).                 

## State Recordkeeping Requirements

States seeking to register AMCs must have an AMC registration and supervision program. Section 34.213(a) requires each participating State to establish and maintain within its appraiser certifying and licensing agency a registration and supervision program with the legal authority and mechanisms to: (i) Review and approve or deny an application for initial registration; (ii) periodically review and renew, or deny renewal of, an AMC's registration; (iii) examine an AMC's books and records and require the submission of reports, information, and documents; (iv) verify an AMC's panel members' certifications or licenses; (v) investigate and assess potential law, regulation, or order violations; (vi) discipline, suspend, terminate, or deny registration renewals of, AMCs that violate laws, regulations, or orders; and (vii) report violations of appraisal-related laws, regulations, or orders, and disciplinary and enforcement actions to the ASC.

Section 34.213(b) requires each participating State to impose requirements on AMCs not owned and controlled by an insured depository institution and regulated by a Federal financial institutions regulatory agency to: (i) Register with and be subject to supervision by a State appraiser certifying and licensing agency in each State in which the AMC operates; (ii) use only State-certified or State-licensed appraisers for Federally regulated transactions in conformity with any Federally regulated transaction regulations; (iii) establish and comply with processes and controls reasonably designed to ensure that the AMC, in engaging an appraiser, selects an appraiser who is independent of the transaction and who has the requisite education, expertise, and experience necessary to competently complete the appraisal assignment for the particular market and property type; (iv) direct the appraiser to perform the assignment in accordance with Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practices (USPAP); and (v) establish and comply with processes and controls reasonably designed to ensure that the AMC conducts its appraisal management services in accordance with section 129E(a)-(i) of the Truth in Lending Act.

## State Reporting Burden

Section 34.216 requires that each State electing to register AMCs for purposes of permitting AMCs to provide appraisal management services relating to covered transactions in the State must submit to the ASC the information required to be submitted under subpart H to part 34 and any additional information required by the ASC concerning AMCs.

## AMC Reporting Requirements

Section 34.215(c) requires that a Federally regulated AMC must report to the State or States in which it operates the information required to be submitted by the State pursuant to the ASC's policies, including: (i) Information regarding the determination of the AMC National Registry fee; and (ii) the information listed in § 34.214.

Section 34.214 provides that an AMC may not be registered by a State or included on the AMC National Registry if such company is owned, directly or indirectly, by any person who has had an appraiser license or certificate refused, denied, cancelled, surrendered in lieu of revocation, or revoked in any State. Each person that owns more than 10 percent of an AMC shall submit to a background investigation carried out by the State appraiser certifying and licensing agency. While § 34.214 does not authorize States to conduct background investigations of Federally regulated AMCs, it would allow a State to do so if the Federally regulated AMC chooses to register voluntarily with the State.

## AMC Recordkeeping Requirements

                    Section 34.212(b) provides that an appraiser in an AMC's network or panel is deemed to remain on the network or panel until: (i) The AMC sends a written notice to the appraiser removing the appraiser with an explanation; or (ii) receives a written notice from the appraiser asking to be removed or a notice of the death or incapacity of the appraiser. The AMC would retain these notices in its files.                          ( print page 38206)    

*Estimated Number of Respondents:*                     200 AMCs; 55 States and Territories.                

*Total Estimated Annual Burden:*                     421.                

The OCC issued a notice for 60 days of comment on March 23, 2018, 83 FR 12843. One comment was received from a trade association representing appraisal management companies (AMCs).

### Topic A: Whether the Collection of Information is Necessary for the Proper Performance of the Functions of the OCC, Including Whether the Information has Practical Utility

In response to topic A, the commenter stated that the collection of information is “necessary and does have practical utility” but “only to the extent that the information collected serves the proper purpose to promote appraiser independence while ensuring a healthy real estate valuation market.” While not stated expressly, the commenter implies that the “proper purpose” of the collection is limited to collections relating appraiser independence.

                    In response to this comment, the OCC notes that the purpose of the AMC rule and the collection is to implement all required elements of the statute, not only provisions that extend to appraiser independence.                     *See*12 U.S.C. 3353(a) (setting minimum requirements for registration regulation in participating states);                     *id.*                     section 3353(d) (setting registration limitations for AMCs); and                     *id.*                     section 3353(e) (requiring reporting of information by AMCs to the ASC). The OCC and the other agencies that were party to the AMC rule were required to adopt regulations to implement the statutory requirements and the collection is a necessary component for implementation of these requirements.                

To the extent that the commenter disagrees with the scope and requirements of Title XI and the AMC rule, the OCC also notes that regulations may not be rescinded by the OCC through the PRA renewal process.

### Topic B: The Accuracy of the OCC's Estimate of the Information Collection Burden

In response to topic B, the commenter states that the burden estimates are too low. The commenter believes that the number of respondents is approximately twice what was estimated. The commenter also states that the actual number of AMCs will not be known until 2020 when the AMC National Registry is fully operational.

The commenter indicates that its members believe that the estimate of the annual burden to comply is also too low. The commenter recommends that the estimate be increased to twice the current estimate. The commenter notes that each state differs in complexity of their demands for the collection of information and not all are on the same renewal schedule. Some renew annually and some biennially, which have varying burdens for preparation and validation.

The burden estimates for this collection have historically been prepared on an industry-wide basis and then allotted to each agency. The FDIC prepared the industry-wide estimates for this renewal. We invite commenters to review the analysis, which is included in our supporting statement, and comment during the 30-day comment period.

### Topic C: Ways to Enhance the Quality, Utility, and Clarity of the Information to be Collected

In response to topic C, the commenter suggested that the ASC should issue additional guidance to states and AMCs concerning the AMC minimum requirements. The goal of such guidance would be to “provide consistency in the implementation of the regulations and information required.” The commenter also expressed concern that wide variation of AMC requirements from state to state may have material unintended consequences on lending activity in a particular jurisdiction.

In response to these comments, OCC notes that the commenter's suggestions do not relate to the collection. In addition, while Title XI and the AMC rule set minimum standards for the registration and supervision of AMCs by states, Title XI and the AMC rule expressly provide that a state may adopt requirements in addition to those contained in the AMC regulation. 12 U.S.C. 3353(b); 12 CFR 34.210(d). The OCC will, however, refer these suggestions to the ASC for consideration.

### Topic D: Ways to Minimize the Burden of the Collection on Respondents, Including Through the use of Automated Collection Techniques or Other Forms of Information Technology

In response to topic D, the commenter recommends that the ASC “find opportunities to develop reporting efficiencies in the licensing system, which could include partnering with the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS) or investing in a new process. Furthermore, the ASC should be more aggressive in supporting modernization of the outdated National Appraiser Registry (which AMCs must use to comply with the minimum requirements).”

In response to these comments, OCC notes that the commenter's suggestions do not relate to the collection. The OCC will, however, refer these suggestions to the ASC for consideration.

### Topic E: Estimates of Capital or Start-up Costs and Costs of Operation, Maintenance, and Purchase of Services to Provide Information

The commenter stated that the “estimated cost to implement the AMC minimum requirements and AMC Registry requirements in 50 states and the District of Columbia ranges from $250,000-$500,000 per AMC,” not including “the additional $100,000-$200,000 paid by AMCs to the ASC to be on the National AMC Registry.”

In response to the comment, the OCC notes that the commenter has not segregated the costs relating to the collection from costs of complying with the substantive requirements of Title XI and the AMC rule.

Comments continue to be invited on:

(a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the OCC, including whether the information has practical utility;

(b) The accuracy of the OCC's estimate of the information collection burden;

(c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

(d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and

(e) Estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

Dated: July 30, 2018.

Karen Solomon,

Acting Senior Deputy Comptroller and Chief Counsel.

# Footnotes

1.                                 On March 23, 2018, the OCC published a 60-Day notice for this information collection. The comments can be viewed on                             *www.reginfo.gov.*                             Please follow the instructions listed in this notice to view them.                        
        Back to Citation      

[FR Doc. 2018-16639 Filed 8-2-18; 8:45 am]

 BILLING CODE 4810-33-P