33316 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 131 / Friday, July 10, 2009 / Notices 

1The five Federal financial institution 

supervisory agencies are the Office of the 

Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Board of 

Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB), 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), 

Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), and National 

Credit Union Administration (NCUA). 

2 83 FR 23891 (May 1, 2007). This announcement 

did not affect the BSA filing requirements, and 

financial institutions were to continue to use the 

July 2003 form until further notice. (http:// 

www.fincen.gov/forms/files/f9022–47_sar-di.pdf). 

and also viewed at public libraries in 

the project area. 

This notice applies to all Federal 

agency decisions as of the issuance date 

of this notice and all laws under which 

such actions were taken, including but 

not limited to: 

1. General: National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) [42 U.S.C. 4321– 

4351]. 

2. Historic and Cultural Resources: 

National Historic Preservation Act of 

1966, as amended (NHPA), 16 U.S.C. 

470 and United States Department of 

Transportation Act of 1966 (Section 

4[f]), 49 USC 303. 

3. Executive Orders: E.O. 13112 

Invasive Species. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning 

and Construction. The regulations 

implementing Executive Order 12372 

regarding intergovernmental consultation on 

Federal programs and activities apply to this 

program.) 

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). 

Issued on: July 6, 2009. 

Cindy Vigue, 

Director, State Programs, Federal Highway 

Administration, Sacramento, California. 

[FR Doc. E9–16331 Filed 7–9–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–RY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Office of the Comptroller of the 

Currency 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Submission for OMB 

Review; Comment Request 

AGENCY: Office of the Comptroller of the 

Currency, 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. An agency may 

not conduct or sponsor, and a 

respondent is not required to respond 

to, an information collection unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. The OCC is soliciting comment 

concerning its information collection 

titled, ‘‘Minimum Security Devices and 

Procedures, Reports of Suspicious 

Activities, and Bank Secrecy Act 

Compliance—12 CFR 21.’’ The OCC also 

gives notice that it has sent the 

information collection to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

August 10, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Communications Division, 

Office of the Comptroller of the 

Currency, Public Information Room, 

Mailstop 2–3, Attention: 1557–0180, 250 

E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20219. In 

addition, comments may be sent by fax 

to (202) 874–5274, or by electronic mail 

to regs.comments@occ.treas.gov. You 

may personally inspect and photocopy 

comments at the OCC, 250 E Street, 

SW., Washington, DC 20219. For 

security reasons, the OCC requires that 

visitors make an appointment to inspect 

comments. You may do so by calling 

(202) 874–4700. Upon arrival, visitors 

will be required to present valid 

government-issued photo identification 

and submit to security screening in 

order to inspect and photocopy 

comments. 

Additionally, you should send a copy 

of your comments to OCC Desk Officer, 

1557–0180, by mail to U.S. Office of 

Management and Budget, 725, 17th 

Street, NW., #10235, Washington, DC 

20503, or by fax to (202) 395–6974. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You 

can request additional information or a 

copy of the collection from Mary H. 

Gottlieb, OCC Clearance Officer, (202) 

874–5090, Legislative and Regulatory 

Activities Division, Office of the 

Comptroller of the Currency, 250 E 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20219. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The OCC 

is proposing to extend OMB approval of 

the following information collection: 

Title: Minimum Security Devices and 

Procedures, Reports of Suspicious 

Activities, and Bank Secrecy Act 

Compliance—12 CFR 21. 

OMB Control No.: 1557–0180. 

SAR Form Nos.: 8010/8010–9. 

Description: This submission covers 

an existing regulation and involves no 

change to the regulation or to the 

information collection requirements. 

The OCC requests only that OMB extend 

its approval of the information 

collection. 

Minimum Security Devices and 

Procedures (12 CFR 21.2 and 21.4) 

Under §§ 21.2 and 21.4, a national 

bank is required to designate a security 

officer who must develop and 

administer a written security program. 

The security officer shall report at least 

annually to the bank’s board of directors 

on the effectiveness of the security 

program. The substance of the report 

shall be reflected in the Board’s 

minutes. These requirements ensure 

that the security officer is responsible 

for the security program and that bank 

management and the board of directors 

are aware of the content and 

effectiveness of the program. These 

requirements ensure prudent bank 

management and bank safety and 

soundness. The OCC uses the 

information to ensure that national 

banks carefully review the effectiveness 

of their security systems and comply 

with Federal law. The information 

collection ensures that national banks 

conduct their activities in accordance 

with safe and sound principles. A 

national bank’s board of directors uses 

the information to ensure that the bank’s 

security system is adequate. 

Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) (12 

CFR 21.11) 

In 1992, the Department of the 

Treasury was granted broad authority to 

require suspicious transaction reporting 

under the Bank Secrecy Act. See 31 

U.S.C. 5318(g). FinCEN, which has been 

delegated authority to administer the 

Bank Secrecy Act, joined with the bank 

regulators in 1996 in requiring, on a 

consolidated form (the SAR form), 

reports of suspicious transactions. See 

31 CFR 103.18(a). The filing of SARs is 

necessary to prevent and detect crimes 

involving bank funds, bank insiders, 

criminal transactions, and money 

laundering. These requirements are 

necessary to ensure bank safety and 

soundness. 

The Financial Crimes Enforcement 

Network (FinCEN) and Federal financial 

institution supervisory agencies 1 (bank 

regulators) adopted the SAR in 1996 to 

simplify the process through which 

depository institutions (banks) inform 

their regulators and law enforcement 

about suspected criminal activity. 

The SAR was updated in 1999, 2002, 

and 2006. The 2006 revisions to the 

SAR form enhanced the clarity of the 

instructions to allow for joint filing of 

SARs, and improved the usefulness of 

the SAR to law enforcement. These 

revisions were originally scheduled to 

become effective on June 30, 2007. On 

May 1, 2007, FinCEN issued a notice to 

communicate a delay in the dates for 

using the revised SAR form, and stated 

its intention to establish new effective 

dates in a future notice consistent with 

its data quality initiatives.2 FinCEN has 


sroberts on DSKD5P82C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 131 / Friday, July 10, 2009 / Notices 33317 

not established new effective dates for 

using this revised SAR form. 

Consistent with the 2006 revisions to 

the SAR form, FinCEN and the bank 

regulators are once again proposing to 

adopt the revised 2006 SAR form. This 

SAR form will not become effective 

until FinCEN establishes new dates 

consistent with its data quality 

initiatives. The OCC uses the SAR and 

the supporting documentation retained 

by national banks for supervisory 

purposes. The information collection 

identifies suspicious transactions that 

could pose a threat to national banks. 

Banks are required to maintain a copy 

of any SAR filed and the original or 

business record equivalent of any 

supporting documentation for a period 

of five years. The documents are 

necessary for criminal investigations 

and prosecutions. 

Procedures for Monitoring Bank 

Secrecy Act Compliance (12 CFR 21.21) 

Under 12 CFR 21.21, national banks 

are required to develop and provide for 

the continued administration of a 

program reasonably designed to assure 

and monitor their compliance with the 

Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Treasury 

regulations at 12 CFR part 31. The 

compliance program shall be reduced to 

writing, approved by the board of 

directors, and noted in the minutes. 

These requirements are necessary to 

ensure bank compliance with the BSA 

and 12 CFR part 31. National banks use 

the compliance program to ensure 

compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act. 

Bank examiners review the written 

procedures and board approval in the 

examination process. 

FinCEN and the Internal Revenue 

Detroit Computing Center (DCC) operate 

the computer system containing the 

information collected from banks. 

FinCEN and DCC provide on-line access 

to the information to representatives of 

bank regulators and appropriate law 

enforcement agencies. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Affected Public: Individuals; 

Businesses or other for-profit. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

1,501. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

337,421. 

Frequency of Response: On occasion. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 

449,086. 

OCC, FinCEN, FRB, FDIC, OTS, and 

NCUA issued a 60-day notice for 

comment on April 1, 2009. 71 FR 14863. 

The notice covered the information 

collection requirements contained in the 

SAR for all of the agencies and the 

information collection requirements in 

OCC’s part 21. No comments were 

received by the OCC. FinCEN received 

three comments, one of which was also 

received by the FDIC. A comment 

summary is included in the information 

collection submitted to OMB. 

The OCC invites continued comments 

on: 

(a) Whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether the 

information has practical utility; 

(b) The accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the collection 

of information; 

(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 startup costs 

and costs of operation, maintenance, 

and purchase of services to provide 

information. 

Dated: July 6, 2009. 

Michele Meyer, 

Assistant Director, Legislative and Regulatory 

Activities Division. 

[FR Doc. E9–16382 Filed 7–9–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–33–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Joint Biomedical Laboratory Research 

and Development and Clinical Science 

Research and Development Services 

Scientific Merit Review Board [Request 

for Applications: Clinical Science 

Research and Development (RFA: 

‘‘CSR&D) Award for Investigators 

Associated with the National Center for 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 

(PTSD)’’]; Notice of Meeting 

The Department of Veterans Affairs 

gives notice under Public Law 92–463 

(Federal Advisory Committee Act) that 

a special emphasis review panel of the 

Joint Biomedical Laboratory Research 

and Development and Clinical Science 

Research and Development Services 

Scientific Merit Review Board [RFA: 

‘‘CSR&D Award for Investigators 

Associated with the National Center for 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)’’] 

will conduct a telephone conference call 

on Monday, July 27, 2009, from 11 a.m. 

to 3 p.m. through the Department of 

Veterans Affairs, Office of Research and 

Development, Washington, DC. 

The purpose of this special emphasis 

review panel of the Merit Review Board 

is to provide advice on the scientific 

quality, budget, safety and mission 

relevance of research proposals 

submitted for VA merit review 

consideration. Proposals submitted for 

review by the Board involve a range of 

specialties and subspecialties related to 

PTSD, substance use and abuse. 

This conference call will be open to 

the public for approximately one-half 

hour at the start of the session to discuss 

the general status of the program. The 

remaining portion of the conference call 

will be closed to the public for the 

review, discussion, and evaluation of 

non-clinician credentials and research 

proposals to be performed for the 

Department of Veterans Affairs, 

discussion and recommendations will 

deal with qualifications of personnel 

conducting the studies, the disclosure of 

which would constitute a clearly 

unwarranted invasion of personal 

privacy, as well as research information, 

the premature disclosure of which could 

significantly frustrate implementation of 

proposed agency action regarding such 

research proposals. 

As provided by subsection 10(d) of 

Public Law 92–463, as amended, closing 

portions of a meeting is in accordance 

with 5 U.S.C., 552b(c)(6) and (c)(9)(B). 

Individuals wishing to participate in the 

call or who would like to obtain a copy 

of the conference call minutes and 

roster of the members of the review 

panel should contact LeRoy G. Frey, 

PhD, Chief, Program Review (121F), 

Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 

Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 

20420 at (202) 461–1664. 

Dated: July 6, 2009. 

By Direction of the Secretary. 

E. Philip Riggin, 

Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–16342 Filed 7–9–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 


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