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###### Federal Reserve System

# AGENCY:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

# ACTION:

Notice, request for comment.

# SUMMARY:

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) invites comment on a proposal to extend for three years, with revision, the Federal Reserve Payments Study (FR 3066a and FR 3066b; OMB No. 7100-0351).

# DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before June 6, 2022.

# ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by FR 3066, by any of the following methods:
      -  Agency Website: https://www.federalreserve.gov/​.                          Follow the instructions for submitting comments at                          https://www.federalreserve.gov/​apps/​foia/​proposedregs.aspx. 
      -  Email: regs.comments@federalreserve.gov.                          Include the OMB number or FR number in the subject line of the message.                    
      -  Fax:                          (202) 452-3819 or (202) 452-3102.                    
      -  Mail:                          Ann E. Misback, 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 website at                         *https://www.federalreserve.gov/​apps/​foia/​proposedregs.aspx*                         as submitted, unless modified for technical reasons or to remove personally identifiable information at the commenter's request. Accordingly, comments will not be edited to remove any confidential business information, identifying information, or contact information. Public comments may also be viewed electronically or in paper in Room M-4365A, 2001 C St. NW, Washington, DC 20551, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. For security reasons, the Board requires that visitors make an appointment to inspect comments. You may do so by calling (202) 452-3684. Upon arrival, visitors will be required to present valid government-issued photo identification and to submit to security screening in order to inspect and photocopy comments.                    

                        Additionally, commenters may send a copy of their comments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Desk Officer for the Federal Reserve Board, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW,                               ( print page 19925)                            Washington, DC 20503, or by fax to (202) 395-6974.                    

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Federal Reserve Board Clearance Officer—Nuha Elmaghrabi—Office of the Chief Data Officer, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551, (202) 452-3829.

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On June 15, 1984, OMB delegated to the Board authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) to approve and assign OMB control numbers to collections of information conducted or sponsored by the Board. In exercising this delegated authority, the Board is directed to take every reasonable step to solicit comment. In determining whether to approve a collection of information, the Board will consider all comments received from the public and other agencies.

                    During the comment period for this proposal, a copy of the proposed PRA OMB submission, including the draft reporting form and instructions, supporting statement, and other documentation, will be made available on the Board's public website at                     *https://www.federalreserve.gov/​apps/​reportforms/​review.aspx*                     or may be requested from the agency clearance officer, whose name appears above. Final versions of these documents will be made available at                     *https://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain,*                     if approved.                

## Request for Comment on Information Collection Proposal

The Board invites public comment on the following information collection, which is being reviewed under authority delegated by the OMB under the PRA. Comments are invited on the following:

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

b. The accuracy of the Board'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 startup costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

At the end of the comment period, the comments and recommendations received will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the Board should modify the proposal.

## Proposal Under OMB Delegated Authority To Extend for Three Years, With Revision, the Following Information Collection

*Report title:*                     Federal Reserve Payments Study.                

*Agency form numbers:*                     FR 3066a and FR 3066b.                

*OMB control number:**7100-0351.*

*Frequency:**Annually.*

*Respondents:*                     Depository institutions, general-purpose credit card networks, private-label credit card merchant issuers, private-label credit card processors, general-purpose debit card networks, general-purpose prepaid card networks, automated teller machine card networks, general-purpose prepaid card processors, electronic benefits transfer card processors, private-label prepaid card issuers and processors, P2P and money transfer processors, online bill payment processors, walk-in bill payment processors, private-label ACH debit card processors, toll collection processors, online payment authentication methods processors, mobile wallet processors; and transit system operators.                

*Estimated number of respondents:*                     FR 3066a, 513; FR 3066b, 133.                

*Estimated average hours per response:*                     FR 3066a, 22; FR 3066b, 8.                

*Estimated annual burden hours:*                     FR 3066a, 11,286; FR 3066b, 1,064.                

*General description of report:*                     The Federal Reserve Payments Study (FRPS) collects information from organizations with a significant role in processing payments, including depository and financial institutions, general-purpose payment networks, third-party payment processors, issuers of private-label payment instruments, and providers of various alternative payment methods and systems and help to support the Federal Reserve System's (Federal Reserve's) role in the payments system. The FR 3066a and FR 3066b consist of a full set of surveys every three years and smaller versions of the surveys (fewer surveys, questions, or respondents) in each year between. The FRPS publishes aggregate estimates of noncash payment volumes, cash deposits and withdrawals, and related information derived from the surveys.                

*Proposed revisions:*                     The Board proposes to revise the FRPS by structuring it as a partially ad hoc collection to improve its ability to collect relevant information in response to changing conditions in payments markets by streamlining the ability to add, remove, or modify survey items and respondents based on the Federal Reserve's information needs. Under the proposed revisions, the FRPS would contain the same core substantive questions asked on prior FRPS surveys, which would generally remain consistent from year to year. However, questions could be added, modified, or removed from year to year based on the Federal Reserve's information needs.                

*Legal authorization and confidentiality:*                     The Board uses the information obtained through the FR 3066a and FR 3066b to discharge its statutory responsibilities, including those under the following statutes: Section 609 of the Expedited Funds Availability Act; [1]                                          Sections 904 and 920 of the Electronic Fund Transfers Act; [2]                                          Section 15 of the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act; [3]                                          and Sections 2A, 11, 11A, 13, and 16 of the Federal Reserve Act.[4] 

                    The FR 3066a and FR 3066b are voluntary. The information contained in responses to the core questions of the FR 3066a and FR 3066b is nonpublic commercial or financial information, which is both customarily and actually treated as private by the respondent. The Board therefore may keep such information confidential pursuant to exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).[5]                                          Supplemental questions asked on each survey may vary, and the Board's ability to keep confidential responses to such questions must therefore be determined on a case-by-case basis. Responses to supplemental questions may contain nonpublic commercial information that may be kept confidential by the Board pursuant to exemption 4 of the FOIA. Some such responses may also contain information contained in or related to                           ( print page 19926)                        an examination of a financial institution, which may be kept confidential under exemption 8 of the FOIA.[6] 

*Consultation outside the agency:*                     As part of the routine execution of the surveys, the Federal Reserve's contractors that recruit responses and collect survey data engage with potential participants to review, explain, and obtain feedback about the surveys. These conversations help to develop or revise proposed questions to make them as relevant to and substantively consistent with industry practices as possible.                

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, April 1, 2022.

Margaret Shanks,

Deputy Secretary of the Board.

# Footnotes

1.                             12 U.S.C. 4008(c) (authorizing the Board to prescribe such regulations as it may determine appropriate to carry out its responsibility to regulate the payment system).                    
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2.                             15 U.S.C. 1693b, 1693o-2 (authorizing the Board to prescribe regulations relating to interchange fees for electronic debit transactions and require any debit card issuer or payment card network to provide the Board with such information as may be necessary to carry out its responsibility to regulate interchange fees for electronic debit transactions).                    
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3.                             12 U.S.C. 5014 (authorizing the Board to prescribe such regulations as it determines necessary to implement, prevent circumvention or evasion of, or facilitate compliance with the Expedited Funds Availability Act, as amended).                    
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4.                             12 U.S.C. 225a, 248, 248a, 342, 360, and 248-1 (                        *inter alia,*                         requiring the Board to maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the economy's long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates).                    
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5.                             5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4).                    
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6.                             5 U.S.C. 552(b)(8).                    
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[FR Doc. 2022-07220 Filed 4-5-22; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6210-01-P