44364 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 153 / Thursday, August 12, 2021 / Notices 

1See Section 10(b) and 10(d) of the Federal 

Deposit Insurance Act. (12 U.S.C. 1820). See also 83 

FR 67033 (December 28, 2018). 

para. 126. To help determine whether 

Lifeline applicants and subscribers are 

eligible for Lifeline benefits, the Order 

contemplates that the USAC-operated 

LED will communicate with information 

systems and databases operated by other 

Federal and State agencies. Id. at 4011– 

2, paras. 135–7. The Consolidated 

Appropriations Act of 2021 directs the 

FCC to leverage the National Verifier to 

verify applicants’ eligibility for EBBP. 

The purpose of this modified 

matching agreement is to verify the 

eligibility of applicants and subscribers 

to Lifeline (existing purpose), as well as 

to the new EBBP and to other Federal 

programs that use qualification for 

Lifeline as an eligibility criterion. This 

new agreement would replace existing 

agreements with Iowa that permit 

matching for Lifeline and EBBP by 

checking an applicant’s/subscriber’s 

participation in SNAP. Under FCC 

rules, consumers receiving these 

benefits qualify for Lifeline discounts 

and also for EBBP benefits. 

Categories of Individuals 

The categories of individuals whose 

information is involved in the matching 

program include, but are not limited to, 

those individuals who have applied for 

Lifeline and/or EBBP benefits; are 

currently receiving Lifeline and/or 

EBBP benefits; are individuals who 

enable another individual in their 

household to qualify for Lifeline and/or 

EBBP benefits; are minors whose status 

qualifies a parent or guardian for 

Lifeline and/or EBBP benefits; or are 

individuals who have received Lifeline 

and/or EBBP benefits. 

Categories of Records 

The categories of records involved in 

the matching program include, but are 

not limited to, the last four digits of the 

applicant’s Social Security Number, 

date of birth, and last name. The 

National Verifier will transfer these data 

elements to the Iowa Department which 

will respond either ‘‘yes’’ or ‘‘no’’ that 

the individual is enrolled in a qualifying 

assistance program: Iowa Department of 

Human Services SNAP. 

System(s) of Records 

The records shared as part of this 

matching program reside in the Lifeline 

system of records, FCC/WCB–1, 

Lifeline, which was published in the 

Federal Register at 86 FR 11526 (Feb. 

25, 2021). 

The records shared as part of this 

matching program reside in the EBBP 

system of records, FCC/WCB–3, 

Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, 

which was published in the Federal 

Register at 86 FR 11523 (Feb. 25, 2021). 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Cecilia Sigmund, 

Associate Secretary, Office of the Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2021–17343 Filed 8–11–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE 

CORPORATION 

RIN 3064–ZA27 

Request for Information on the Federal 

Deposit Insurance Corporation’s 

Supervisory Approach to 

Examinations During the Pandemic 

AGENCY: Federal Deposit Insurance 

Corporation (FDIC). 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

information (RFI). 

SUMMARY: The FDIC is seeking 

information and comments from 

financial institutions for which the FDIC 

is the primary Federal regulator 

regarding the FDIC’s supervisory 

approach to examinations during the 

pandemic, including on-site and off-site 

activities, use of technology, and 

communication methods. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

October 12, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by RIN 3064–ZA27, by any of 

the following methods: 

• Agency website: https://

www.fdic.gov/resources/regulations/ 

federal-register-publications/. Follow 

the instructions for submitting 

comments on the Agency website. 

• Email: comments@fdic.gov. Include 

RIN 3064–ZA27 in the subject line of 

the message. 

• Mail: James P. Sheesley, Assistant 

Executive Secretary, Attention: 

Comments RIN 3064–ZA27, Federal 

Deposit Insurance Corporation, 550 17th 

Street NW, Washington, DC 20429. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Comments 

may be hand-delivered to the guard 

station at the rear of the 550 17th Street 

NW building (located on F Street) on 

business days between 7:00 a.m. and 

5:00 p.m., EST. 

• Public Inspection: All comments 

received will be posted without change 

to https://www.fdic.gov/resources/ 

regulations/federal-registerpublications/, including any personal 

information provided, for public 

inspection. Paper copies of public 

comments may be ordered from the 

FDIC Public Information Center, 3501 

North Fairfax Drive, Room E–1002, 

Arlington, VA 22226, or by telephone at 

877–275–3342 or 703–562–2200. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: RaeAnn Miller, Senior Deputy Director, 

Division of Risk Management 

Supervision, rmiller@fdic.gov, 202–898– 

3898; Michelle L. Cahill, Acting Senior 

Deputy Director, Division of Depositor 

and Consumer Protection; Bill 

Piervincenzi, Supervisory Counsel, 

Supervision, Legislation and 

Enforcement Branch, Legal Division, 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 

550 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 

20429. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background Information 

The FDIC has been performing on-site 

examinations of FDIC-supervised 

institutions since 1934, during which 

examiners review institutions’ records 

and meet with institution management 

and Boards of Directors to discuss 

findings. Safety and soundness 

examinations are conducted in 

accordance with Section 10(d) of the 

Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDI Act). 

Section 10(d) requires the appropriate 

federal banking agency for an insured 

depository institution to conduct a fullscope, on-site examination at least once 

every 12 months, but permits a longer 

cycle—at least once every 18 months— 

for insured depository institutions that 

meet certain criteria.1

The FDIC also performs consumer 

compliance and Community 

Reinvestment Act (CRA) examinations 

to promote adherence to federal 

consumer protection and fair lending 

laws and regulations and the CRA. FDIC 

policy requires full-scope consumer 

compliance examinations to be 

conducted every 12 to 36 months 

depending on certain criteria such as an 

insured depository institution’s total 

assets and prior consumer compliance 

and CRA examination ratings. The 

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act established 

intervals between CRA examinations for 

insured depository institutions with 

assets at certain levels and based on 

specific criteria. 

For a number of years prior to the 

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) 

pandemic, the FDIC has been leveraging 

advances in technology to allow 

examiners to conduct certain 

examination functions off-site that were 

previously performed on-site. The FDIC 

believes this leveraging of technology 

has improved the efficiencies in the 

examination process and helped reduce 

burden on the institution, enabling 

examiners to be more targeted and risk 

focused in the work performed on-site. 

On March 13, 2020, by Proclamation 

9994, the President of the United States 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 153 / Thursday, August 12, 2021 / Notices 44365 

2https://www.fdic.gov/regulations/safety/ 

manual/section21-1.pdf. 

declared a National Emergency 

concerning the COVID–19 pandemic. 

The next day, the FDIC Chairman issued 

a mandatory telework order for all 

employees, consistent with the FDIC’s 

Continuity of Operations Plan and its 

continued balancing of risks and 

mitigations under the FDIC Pandemic 

Influenza Plan. This telework order 

provided, among other things, that 

unless otherwise directed, all 

examination activity of FDIC-supervised 

institutions to be conducted off-site. 

By leveraging prior efforts and 

existing technology systems, examiners 

have continued the FDIC examination 

program despite pandemic conditions. 

In light of the experience of the last 

year, and as we look ahead, the FDIC 

wants to leverage what worked well in 

the off-site examination context to see 

what lessons we can learn about 

streamlining and improving the 

efficiency and efficacy of our 

examinations as we plan for future 

examinations. 

Off-Site/On-Site Procedures 

Prior to the pandemic, the FDIC 

established the following instructions 

for examiners regarding expectations for 

off-site and on-site examination 

activities. The FDIC is the in the process 

of reviewing those instructions and 

identifying opportunities to enhance 

them by incorporating lessons learned 

from the pandemic. 

Safety and Soundness 

Each safety and soundness 

examination has an on-site component, 

consistent with the requirements of 

Section 10(d) of the Federal Deposit 

Insurance Act. Per the FDIC’s Risk 

Management Supervision (RMS) Manual 

of Examination Policies, Section 21.1 

Examination Planning,2 during the 

examination planning stage, the FDIC 

Examiner-in-Charge (EIC) is expected to 

identify examination activities that are 

appropriate for off-site review and those 

that are better suited for on-site review 

after considering the institution’s 

business model, risk profile, and 

complexity. 

The determination of the extent of offsite or on-site for each examination 

activity depends, in part, on the type 

and extent of electronic information 

available and whether the activity 

requires interaction with institution 

personnel. 

Examiners are encouraged to conduct 

a number of activities off-site, such as: 

• Reviewing historical financial and 

supervisory data and performing initial 

analysis of capital, earnings, liquidity, 

and sensitivity to market risk; and 

• Reviewing the institution’s written 

policies and procedures. 

Regarding credit review, examiners 

may conduct the following types of 

actions off-site: 

• Reviewing loan policies; and 

• Reviewing performance report ratio 

data and management reports. 

Examiners are currently expected to 

conduct certain activities on-site: 

• Conducting in-depth discussions 

with management, including exit 

meetings; and 

• Observing and assessing institution 

operations and internal controls. 

Consumer Compliance and CRA 

FDIC compliance and CRA 

examinations primarily involve three 

stages: pre-examination planning; 

review and analysis, both off-site and 

on-site; and communicating findings to 

institution management. Preexamination planning is generally 

completed off-site in advance of the 

examination start date. 

The extent to which consumer 

compliance and CRA examinations are 

conducted off-site varies. Examiners 

generally consider conducting certain 

examination activities off-site to 

promote efficient and effective 

examinations, and to minimize 

disruptions to an institution’s normal 

business activities; other examination 

activities are more efficiently and 

effectively conducted on-site. For 

example, consumer compliance staff 

have found that, generally, it is more 

efficient to perform robust transaction 

testing on-site. In addition, consistent 

and open communication benefits from 

in-person meetings with institution 

management. 

FDIC Use of Technology 

The FDIC regularly evaluates and 

implements technology and process 

changes to improve regulatory 

effectiveness and efficiency. Some 

examples of technology improvements 

include: 

• File exchange: The FDIC has many 

systems that permit financial 

institutions to provide electronic 

documents to the FDIC on a secure 

basis. 

• Interactive software: The FDIC has 

been able to leverage technology to 

collaborate during examinations with 

other regulators as well as bankers. 

Request for Comments From Interested 

Parties 

The FDIC is issuing this RFI seeking 

feedback and comments from FDICsupervised financial institutions 

regarding the FDIC’s supervisory 

approach to examinations during the 

pandemic, including the impact of offsite activities on institution operations, 

the effectiveness of technology used to 

carry out off-site activities, and the 

effectiveness of communication 

methods used to support off-site 

activities. Specifically, the FDIC is 

seeking comment on what worked well 

in the off-site examination context to 

inform plans for future examinations, 

consistent with applicable law and the 

purpose of examinations. 

The FDIC encourages comments from 

financial institutions for which the FDIC 

is the primary regulator. The FDIC also 

welcomes comments from other 

interested members of the public, 

including, but not limited to, other 

financial institutions or companies, 

individual depositors and consumers, 

consumer groups, trade associations, 

and others. 

Suggested Topics for Commenters 

On-Site and Off-Site Activities 

1. In your experience, what FDIC 

examination activities have been best 

adapted to completion on an off-site 

basis? Please explain, including why 

these activities are performed best or are 

most effective using an off-site 

approach. 

2. In your experience, what FDIC 

examination activities have not been as 

well suited to completion on an off-site 

basis? Please explain, including why 

these activities are best suited for 

completion on or are most effective 

using an on-site approach. 

3. What criteria are useful in 

determining FDIC examination activities 

best suited for completion on either an 

off-site or on-site basis? Please explain. 

Use of Technology 

4. In your experience, what FDIC 

technologies used in conjunction with 

off-site examination activities have 

worked well? Please explain. 

5. In your experience, what FDIC 

technologies used in conjunction with 

off-site examination activities could be 

improved? Please explain. 

6. What new or emerging technologies 

would support additional off-site 

examination activities? Please explain, 

including any potential impediments to 

adoption or deployment. 

Communication Methods 

7. What communication methods 

used during FDIC off-site examinations 

worked well? Please explain. 

8. What communication methods 

used during FDIC off-site examinations 

could be improved? Please explain. 


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44366 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 153 / Thursday, August 12, 2021 / Notices 

9. Should the FDIC continue to use 

secure email as an alternative to 

hardcopy mail, including when 

providing outgoing supervisory 

correspondence? Please explain. 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. 

Dated at Washington, DC, on August 5, 

2021. 

James P. Sheesley, 

Assistant Executive Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2021–17230 Filed 8–11–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6714–01–P 

FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH 

REVIEW COMMISSION 

Temporary Suspension of In-Person 

Hearings 

AGENCY: Federal Mine Safety and Health 

Review Commission. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Mine Safety and 

Health Review Commission (the 

‘‘Commission’’) is temporarily 

suspending in-person hearings, 

settlement judge conferences, and 

mediations in the manner described 

below until December 31, 2021. 

DATES: Applicable: August 6, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sarah Stewart, Deputy General Counsel, 

Office of the General Counsel, Federal 

Mine Safety and Health Review 

Commission, at (202) 434–9935. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 

30, 2021, Commission Chief 

Administrative Law Judge Glynn F. 

Voisin issued an order, which is posted 

on the Commission’s website 

(www.fmshrc.gov). The contents of the 

order were also published in the 

Federal Register. 86 FR 42,827 (Aug. 5, 

2021). Under the terms of that order, the 

Commission was going to resume the 

pre-pandemic norm of in-person 

hearings as of September 1, 2021. 

On August 6, 2021, Chief Judge Voisin 

issued an order supplementing the July 

30 order. The contents of the August 6 

order are set forth in this notice. 

In view of recently updated guidance 

from the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (‘‘CDC’’) highlighting the 

risks presented by the novel coronavirus 

COVID–19 and especially its rapidly 

spreading delta variant, the Federal 

Mine Safety and Health Review 

Commission, Office of the Chief 

Administrative Law Judge (OCALJ) is, 

effective immediately, strongly 

discouraging the scheduling of inperson hearings, settlement judge 

conferences and mediations until 

December 31, 2021. At the discretion of 

the presiding Administrative Law Judge 

and in coordination with the parties, 

such proceedings may be held by 

videoconference or by telephone. 

In the event a Judge determines inperson proceedings are necessary for all 

or part of a hearing, settlement 

conference or mediation, he or she will 

seek authorization of Chief Judge Voisin 

prior to scheduling any such 

proceeding. Such authorization should 

only be sought where absolutely 

necessary and is unlikely to be granted 

absent an extraordinarily compelling 

need and strict protocols ensuring the 

safety of all in attendance. No party, 

representative or witness shall be 

compelled to attend an in-person 

hearing or conference during the 

pendency of this order. 

The presiding administrative law 

judge may be contacted with questions 

regarding this notice. 

Authority: 30 U.S.C. 823; 29 CFR part 

2700. 

Dated: August 6, 2021. 

Sarah L. Stewart, 

Deputy General Counsel, Federal Mine Safety 

and Health Review Commission. 

[FR Doc. 2021–17152 Filed 8–11–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6735–01–P 

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM 

Change in Bank Control Notices; 

Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or 

Bank Holding Company 

The notificants listed below have 

applied under the Change in Bank 

Control Act (Act) (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and 

§ 225.41 of the Board’s Regulation Y (12 

CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank 

or bank holding company. The factors 

that are considered in acting on the 

applications are set forth in paragraph 7 

of the Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)(7)). 

The public portions of the 

applications listed below, as well as 

other related filings required by the 

Board, if any, are available for 

immediate inspection at the Federal 

Reserve Bank(s) indicated below and at 

the offices of the Board of Governors. 

This information may also be obtained 

on an expedited basis, upon request, by 

contacting the appropriate Federal 

Reserve Bank and from the Board’s 

Freedom of Information Office at 

https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/ 

request.htm. Interested persons may 

express their views in writing on the 

standards enumerated in paragraph 7 of 

the Act. 

Comments regarding each of these 

applications must be received at the 

Reserve Bank indicated or the offices of 

the Board of Governors, Ann E. 

Misback, Secretary of the Board, 20th 

Street and Constitution Avenue NW, 

Washington, DC 20551–0001, not later 

than August 27, 2021. 

A. Federal Reserve Bank of 

Minneapolis (Chris P. Wangen, 

Assistant Vice President) 90 Hennepin 

Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

55480–0291: 

1. Patty Beyers, Roscoe, South Dakota; 

to retain voting shares of Ipswich 

Community Bancshares, Inc., and 

thereby indirectly retain voting shares of 

Ipswich State Bank, both of Ipswich, 

South Dakota. 

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 

System, August 6, 2021. 

Ann Misback, 

Secretary of the Board. 

[FR Doc. 2021–17168 Filed 8–11–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM 

Formations of, Acquisitions by, and 

Mergers of Bank Holding Companies 

The companies listed in this notice 

have applied to the Board for approval, 

pursuant to the Bank Holding Company 

Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.) 

(BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR part 

225), and all other applicable statutes 

and regulations to become a bank 

holding company and/or to acquire the 

assets or the ownership of, control of, or 

the power to vote shares of a bank or 

bank holding company and all of the 

banks and nonbanking companies 

owned by the bank holding company, 

including the companies listed below. 

The public portions of the 

applications listed below, as well as 

other related filings required by the 

Board, if any, are available for 

immediate inspection at the Federal 

Reserve Bank(s) indicated below and at 

the offices of the Board of Governors. 

This information may also be obtained 

on an expedited basis, upon request, by 

contacting the appropriate Federal 

Reserve Bank and from the Board’s 

Freedom of Information Office at 

https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/ 

request.htm. Interested persons may 

express their views in writing on the 

standards enumerated in the BHC Act 

(12 U.S.C. 1842(c)). 

Comments regarding each of these 

applications must be received at the 

Reserve Bank indicated or the offices of 

the Board of Governors, Ann E. 

Misback, Secretary of the Board, 20th 

Street and Constitution Avenue NW, 

Washington, DC 20551–0001, not later 

than September 13, 2021. 

A. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas 

(Karen Smith, Director, Applications) 


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