Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 7 / Thursday, January 10, 2013 / Notices 2279 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–5683–N–02] 

Notice of Proposed Information 

Collection for Public Comment: 

Neighborhood Stabilization Program 

Tracking Study 

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information 

Officer, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The proposed information 

collection requirement described below 

will be submitted to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review, as required by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act. The Department is 

soliciting public comments on the 

subject proposal. The information is 

being collected by telephone and on-site 

interviews to assess program design, 

implementation, inputs and outcomes at 

the local level. This is the second wave 

of interviews for the same study and has 

the same structure. 

DATES: Comment Due Date: February 11, 

2013. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments regarding 

this proposal. Comments should refer to 

the proposal by name and/or OMB 

Control Number (2577–XXXX) and 

should be sent to: HUD Desk Officer, 

Office of Management and Budget, New 

Executive Office Building, Washington, 

DC 20503; Email: 

OIRAlSubmission@omb.eop.gov fax: 

202–395–5806. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Colette Pollard, Reports Management 

Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing 

and Urban Development, 451 7th Street 

SW., Washington, DC 20410; email 

Colette.Pollard@hud.gov; telephone 

(202) 402–3400. This is not a toll-free 

number. Copies of available documents 

submitted to OMB may be obtained 

from Ms. Pollard. email. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development will submit the proposed 

extension of information collection to 

OMB for review, as required by the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended). This 

Notice is soliciting comments from 

members of the public and affected 

agencies concerning the proposed 

collection of information to: (1) 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; 

(2) evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information; (3) enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (4) 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on those who are to 

respond; including through the use of 

appropriate automated collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology, e.g., permitting electronic 

submission of responses. 

This Notice also lists the following 

information: 

Title of Proposal: Site Visit Protocols 

for Neighborhood Stabilization Program 

(NSP2) Evaluation; Second Round. 

OMB Control Number: 2577–XXXX. 

Description of the Need for the 

Information and Proposed Use: The U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development (HUD) is conducting an 

important national study of the 

Neighborhood Stabilization Program 

(NSP), with a particular focus on the 

round of funding from the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act 

(ARRA), known as ‘‘NSP2.’’ This 

information collection will constitute 

the second round of site visits and 

interviews of NSP2 grantees, as well as 

collection of grantees’ property-level 

data on NSP2 activities conducted. The 

information collected will be used to 

describe how program implementation 

occurred in practice, gather views of 

what program outcomes and impacts 

have occurred, and explore factors that 

contributed to program outcomes. 

Agency Form Numbers: 

Members of the Affected Public: A 

total of 29 NSP2 grantees (25 local and 

4 national) and 50 partner agencies will 

be part of the study. Staff of these 

grantees will be asked to participate in 

interviews with HUD’s contractor and to 

provide HUD’s contractor with access to 

their records for tracking program 

activity. Local interviews will take 

approximately 2 hours per person and 

will be administered to approximately 4 

staff per NSP2 grantee and 4 additional 

staff among partner agencies. Interviews 

with national grantees will be 

administered to approximately 2 staff 

per NSP2 grantee. 

Property-level data will be compiled 

either by grantee representatives or by a 

HUD contractor. Approximately onehalf of the 29 grantees (or 14 grantees) 

and 25 partner organizations will likely 

chose to report the required data 

themselves via the study’s preformatted 

spreadsheet. HUD estimates that each 

spreadsheet will take one person about 

1.5 working days (12 hours) to 

complete, on average. 

For the remaining 15 grantees and 25 

partner organizations, the data will be 

compiled by the research team with the 

support of local representatives. The 

majority of this effort will be conducted 

by the researcher. HUD estimates that it 

will take approximately two hours per 

grantee and partner organization to 

provide access to records during this 

time (e.g., pulling the appropriate files). 

Estimation of the total number of 

hours needed to prepare the information 

collection including number of 

respondents, frequency of response, and 

hours of response: The following chart 

details the respondent burden on a 

quarterly and annual basis: 

Number of 

entities 

Responses 

per entity 

Hours per 

response Total hours 

Interviews: Local NSP grantees ...................................................................... 25 4 2 200 

Interviews: Local Partner agencies .................................................................. 50 4 2 400 

Interviews: National NSP2 grantees ................................................................ 4 2 2 16 

Providing Access to Records ........................................................................... 40 1 2 80 

Compiling Records .......................................................................................... 39 1 12 468 


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2280 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 7 / Thursday, January 10, 2013 / Notices 

1The FHA minimum property standards for 

existing dwellings are found in HUD Handbook 

4905.1 REV 1, available at http://portal.hud.gov/ 

hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/ 

administration/hudclips/handbooks/hsgh/4905.1. 

Status of the proposed information 

collection: Pending OMB approval. 

Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, 

as amended. 

Dated: January 2, 2013. 

Colette Pollard, 

Department Reports Management Officer, 

Office of the Chief Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2013–00296 Filed 1–9–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–5410–N–03] 

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) 

First Look Sales Method Under the 

Neighborhood Stabilization Program 

(NSP): Increased Discount on Sales 

Price for Certain Properties and 

Clarification of Effective Dates 

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Housing—Federal Housing 

Commissioner, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: On July 15, 2010, HUD 

published a Federal Register notice 

establishing the process by which 

eligible purchasers under the 

Neighborhood Stabilization Program 

(NSP) are provided a preference to 

acquire real-estate owned (REO) 

properties of FHA under the temporary 

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) 

First Look Sales Method. Under the 

First Look Sales Method, eligible NSP 

purchasers have the opportunity to 

purchase REO properties at a discount 

of 10 percent below their appraised 

value, less the cost of any applicable 

listing and sales commission. This 

notice announces an increase in the 

discount to 15 percent for properties 

that do not meet the applicable 

minimum property standards to be 

eligible for FHA mortgage insurance. 

Additionally, HUD has taken the 

opportunity afforded by this notice to 

clarify that the First Look Sales Method 

will be in effect until the conclusion of 

the NSP. 

DATES: The FHA First Look Sales 

Method shall be in effect until the 

conclusion of the NSP. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ivery Himes, Director, Office of Single 

Family Asset Management, Office of 

Housing, Department of Housing and 

Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., 

Room 9172, Washington, DC 20410; 

telephone number 202–708–1672 (this 

is not a toll-free number). Persons with 

hearing or speech impairments may 

access this number via TTY by calling 

the toll-free Federal Information Relay 

Service at 800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

On July 15, 2010, at 75 FR 41225, 

HUD published a Federal Register 

notice establishing the process by which 

certain governmental entities, nonprofit 

organizations, and subrecipients 

participating in the NSP (eligible NSP 

purchasers) are provided a preference to 

acquire REO properties under the 

temporary FHA First Look Sales 

Method. This temporary REO sales 

method furthers the goals of both NSP, 

to aid in the redevelopment of 

abandoned and foreclosed homes, and 

of HUD’s REO sales program, to expand 

homeownership opportunities and 

strengthen communities. Through the 

FHA First Look Sales Method, HUD 

provides eligible NSP purchasers with a 

preference (a ‘‘first look’’) to acquire 

FHA REO properties that are available 

for purchase within NSP areas. Eligible 

NSP purchasers may acquire such REO 

properties with the assistance of NSP 

funds for any eligible uses under the 

NSP, including rental or 

homeownership. Interested persons 

should refer to the July 15, 2010, notice 

for additional details regarding the FHA 

First Look Sales Method. 

II. This Notice—Increased Discount on 

Sales Price for Certain REO Properties 

Purchased Under the FHA First Look 

Sales Method 

REO properties purchased through the 

FHA First Look Sales Method are sold 

at a discount of 10 percent below the 

appraised value, less any applicable 

costs, including commissions. The 

minimum discounted purchase price of 

a property is one percent off of the 

appraised property value; in no case 

may the discounted purchase price 

exceed 99 percent of the appraised 

property value. (See, Section II.F. of the 

July 15, 2010, notice, at 75 FR 41227). 

The ten percent discount has proved 

insufficient for REO properties that do 

not meet the minimum property 

standards to be eligible for FHA 

mortgage insurance because the 

property is in need of extensive repairs.1

The necessary rehabilitation or flood 

insurance expenses, coupled with the 

lack of FHA financing, have the 

potential to make the costs of acquiring 

these properties prohibitive to otherwise 

eligible home purchasers. This lack of 

affordability impedes the goal of the 

FHA First Look Sales Method to aid in 

the revitalization of communities 

through expanded homeownership. To 

address this concern, HUD announces 

an increase in the discount to 15 percent 

for properties that do not meet the 

applicable FHA minimum property 

standards. As is currently true, the 15 

percent discount shall be subject to any 

applicable costs, including 

commissions, but in no case will the 

total discounted amount be less than 

one percent off of the appraised 

property value. The discount for REO 

properties eligible for FHA mortgage 

insurance remains at 10 percent of the 

appraised value of the home. 

In addition to the increase in the sales 

price discount, this notice clarifies that 

the First Look Sales Method will be in 

effect until the conclusion of the NSP. 

HUD’s July 15, 2010, notice announced 

that the First Look Sales Method would 

be in effect until May 31, 2013. This 

date was based on the expected 

conclusion of the NSP, and was not 

intended to provide for conclusion of 

the First Look Sales Method prior to the 

close of the NSP. 

III. Findings and Certifications 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

The information collection 

requirements for the FHA First Look 

Sales Method have been approved by 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–3520) and 

assigned OMB Control Number 2502– 

0589. In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, HUD may not conduct or 

sponsor, and a person is not required to 

respond to, a collection of information 

unless the collection displays a 

currently valid OMB Control Number. 

Environmental Impact 

A Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI) with respect to the 

environment for the FHA First Look 

Sales Method was made at the time of 

the July 15, 2010, Federal Register 

notice in accordance with HUD 

regulations at 24 CFR part 50, which 

implement section 102(2)(C) of the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)). The FONSI 

is available for public inspection 

between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays in 

the Regulation Division, Office of 

General Counsel, Department of 

Housing and Urban Development, 451 

Seventh Street SW., Room 10276, 

Washington, DC 20410–0500. Due to 

security measures at the HUD 

Headquarters building, and advance 

appointment to review the FONSI must 

be scheduled by calling the Regulations 


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