Document Headings

                    Document headings vary by document type but may contain                    the following:                  
                -                       the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document                    
                -                       the number of the CFR title and the number of each part                      the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly                      related to                    
                -                       the agency docket number / agency internal file number                    
                -                       the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in                      the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory                      Actions                    

                    See the                                          Document Drafting Handbook                                        for more details.                  

###### Federal Reserve System

# AGENCY:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

# SUMMARY:

                        On June 15, 1984, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delegated to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) its approval authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), pursuant to 5 CFR                               ( print page 15109)                            1320.16, to approve of and assign OMB control numbers to collection of information requests and requirements conducted or sponsored by the Board under conditions set forth in 5 CFR 1320 Appendix A.1. Board-approved collections of information are incorporated into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of information. Copies of the Paperwork Reduction Act Submission, supporting statements and approved collection of information instruments are placed into OMB's public docket files. The Federal Reserve may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.                    

# DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before May 14, 2012.

# ADDRESSES:

                        You may submit comments, identified by                         *FR 2064 or Reg W*                         by any of the following methods:                    
      -  Agency Web Site: http://www.federalreserve.gov . Follow the instructions for submitting comments at                          http://www.federalreserve.gov/​generalinfo/​foia/​ProposedRegs.cfm .                    
      -  Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov . Follow the instructions for submitting comments.                    
      -  Email: regs.comments@federalreserve.gov . Include OMB number in the subject line of the message.                    
      -  Fax:                          202/452-3819 or 202/452-3102.                    
      -  Mail:                          Jennifer J. Johnson, Secretary, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20551.                    

                        All public comments are available from the Board's Web site at                         *www.federalreserve.gov/​generalinfo/​foia/​ProposedRegs.cfm*                         as submitted, unless modified for technical reasons. Accordingly, your comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact information. Public comments may also be viewed electronically or in paper form in Room MP-500 of the Board's Martin Building (20th and C Streets NW.) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.                    

Additionally, commenters may send a copy of their comments to the OMB Desk Officer—Shagufta Ahmed—Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to 202-395-6974.

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

                        A copy of the PRA OMB submission, including the proposed reporting form and instructions, supporting statement, and other documentation will be placed into OMB's public docket files, once approved. These documents will also be made available on the Federal Reserve Board's public Web site at:                         *http://www.federalreserve.gov/​boarddocs/​reportforms/​review.cfm*                         or may be requested from the agency clearance officer, whose name appears below.                    

Federal Reserve Board Clearance Officer—Cynthia Ayouch—Division of Research and Statistics, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551 (202-452-3829).

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) users may contact (202-263-4869), Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551.

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

## Request for Comment on Information Collection Proposals

The following information collections, which are being handled under this delegated authority, have received initial Board approval and are hereby published for comment. At the end of the comment period, the proposed information collections, along with an analysis of comments and recommendations received, will be submitted to the Board for final approval under OMB delegated authority. Comments are invited on the following:

a. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the Federal Reserve's functions; including whether the information has practical utility;

b. The accuracy of the Federal Reserve's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

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

d. Ways to minimize the burden of information 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.

## Proposal To Approve Under OMB Delegated Authority the Extension for Three Years, Without Revision, of the Following Reports

                    1.                     *Report title:*                     Recordkeeping Requirements Associated with Changes in Foreign Investments (Made Pursuant to Regulation K).                

*Agency form number:*                     FR 2064.                

*OMB control number:*                     7100-0109.                

*Frequency:*                     On-occasion.                

*Reporters:*                     State member banks, Edge and agreement corporations, and bank holding companies.                

*Annual reporting hours:*                     320 hours.                

*Estimated average hours per response:*                     2 hours.                

*Number of respondents:*                     40.                

*General description of report:*                     The recordkeeping requirements of this information collection are mandatory (Section 5(c) of the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1844(c)); Sections 7 and 13 of the International Banking Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 3105 and 3108(a)); Section 25 of the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) (12 U.S.C. 601-604a); Section 25A of the FRA (12 U.S.C. 611-631); and Regulation K (12 CFR 211.8(c)-211.10(a)). Since the Federal Reserve does not collect any records, no issue of confidentiality under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) arises. FOIA will only be implicated if the Board's examiners retain a copy of the records in their examination or supervision of the institution, and would be exempt from disclosure pursuant to FOIA (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4), (b)(6), and (b)(8)).                

*Abstract:*                     Internationally active U.S. banking organizations are required to maintain adequate internal records to allow examiners to review for compliance with the investment provisions of Regulation K. For each investment made under Subpart A of Regulation K, records should be maintained regarding the type of investment, for example, equity (voting shares, nonvoting shares, partnerships, interests conferring ownership rights, participating loans), binding commitments, capital contributions, and subordinated debt; the amount of the investment; the percentage ownership; activities conducted by the company and the legal authority for such activities; and whether the investment was made under general consent, prior notice, or specific consent authority. With respect to investments made under general consent authority, information also must be maintained that demonstrates compliance with the various limits set out in Section 211.9 of Regulation K.                

                    2.                     *Report title:*                     Notice Requirements in Connection with Regulation W (12 CFR Part 223 Transactions Between Member Banks and Their Affiliates).                

*Agency form number:*                     Reg W.                

*OMB control number:*                     7100-0304.                

*Frequency:*                     Event-generated.                

*Reporters:*                     Insured depository institutions and uninsured member banks.                          ( print page 15110)    

*Estimated Annual reporting hours:*                     100 hours.                

*Estimated average hours per response:*                     Loan participation renewal notice, 2 hours; Acquisition notice, 6 hours; Internal corporate reorganization transactions notice, 6 hours; and Section 23A additional exemption notice, 10 hours.                

*Number of respondents:*                     Loan participation renewal notice, 1; Acquisition notice, 1; Internal corporate reorganization transactions notice, 12; and Section 23A additional exemption notice, 2.                

*General description of report:*                     This information collection is required to evidence compliance with sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 371c and 371c-1). Confidential and proprietary information collected for the purposes of the Loan Participation Renewal notice (12 CFR 223.15(b)(4)) may be protected under the authority of section (b)(4) of FOIA [5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)]. That section of FOIA exempts commercial or financial information deemed competitively sensitive from disclosure. Respondents who desire that the information on this notice be kept confidential in accordance with section (b)(4) can request confidential treatment under the Board's rules at 12 CFR 261.15. In addition, information that is obtained as part of an examination of a financial institution is exempt from disclosure under exemption (b)(8) of FOIA. 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(8).                

*Abstract:*                     On December 12, 2002, the Federal Reserve published a                     **Federal Register**                     notice [1]                                          adopting Regulation W (Reg W) to implement sections 23A and 23B. Reg W was effective April 1, 2003. The Board issued Reg W for several reasons. First, the regulatory framework established by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act [2]                                          emphasized the importance of sections 23A and 23B as a means to protect depository institutions from losses in transactions with affiliates. Second, adoption of a comprehensive rule simplified the interpretation and application of sections 23A and 23B, ensured that the statute is consistently interpreted and applied, and minimized burden on banking organizations to the extent consistent with the statute's goals. Third, issuing a comprehensive rule allowed the public an opportunity to comment on Federal Reserve interpretations of sections 23A and 23B.                

The information collection requirements associated with Regulation W comprise four notices: (1) The Loan Participation Renewal notice (12 CFR 223.15(b)(4)), which is a condition to an exemption for renewals of loan participations involving problem loans; (2) the Acquisition notice (12 CFR 223.31(d)(4)), which is a condition to an exemption for a depository institution's acquisition of an affiliate that becomes an operating subsidiary of the institution after the acquisition; (3) the Internal Corporate Reorganization Transactions notice (12 CFR 223.41(d)(2)),which is a condition to an exemption for internal corporate reorganization transactions; and (4) the Section 23A Additional Exemption notice (12 CFR 223.43(b)),which provides procedures for requesting additional exemptions from the requirements of section 23A. These notifications are event-generated and must be provided to the appropriate federal banking agency and, if applicable, the Federal Reserve Board within the time periods established by the law and regulation.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, March 8, 2012.

Jennifer J. Johnson,

Secretary of the Board.

# Footnotes

1.                             (67 FR 76603).                    
        Back to Citation      

2.                             Public Law 106-102, 113 Stat. 1338 (1999).                    
        Back to Citation      

[FR Doc. 2012-6074 Filed 3-13-12; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6210-01-P