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###### Securities and Exchange Commission

          - [SEC File No. 270-325, OMB Control No. 3235-0385]

*Upon Written Request, Copies Available From:*                    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-2736                

*Extension:*

Rule 15g-9

                    Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501*et seq.*), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) a request for extension of the previously approved collection of information discussed below.                

                    Section 15(c)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a*et seq.*) (the “Exchange Act”) authorizes the Commission to promulgate rules that prescribe means reasonably designed to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative practices in connection with over-the-counter (“OTC”) securities transactions. Pursuant to this authority, the Commission in 1989 adopted Rule 15a-6, which was subsequently redesignated as Rule 15g-9, 17 CFR 240.15g-9 (the “Rule”). The Rule requires broker-dealers to produce a written suitability determination for, and to obtain a written customer agreement to, certain recommended transactions in penny stocks that are not registered on a national securities exchange, and whose issuers do not meet certain minimum financial standards. The Rule is intended to prevent the indiscriminate use by broker-dealers of fraudulent, high pressure telephone sales campaigns to sell penny stocks to unsophisticated customers.                

                    The Commission staff estimates that there are approximately 198 broker-dealers subject to the Rule. The burden of the Rule on a respondent varies widely depending on the frequency with which new customers are solicited. On the average for all respondents, the staff has estimated that respondents process three new customers per week, or approximately 156 new customer suitability determinations per year. We also estimate that a broker-dealer would expend approximately one-half hour per new customer in obtaining, reviewing, and processing (including transmitting to the customer) the information required by Rule 15g-9, and each respondent would consequently spend 78 hours annually (156 customers × .5 hours) obtaining the information required in the rule. We determined, based on the estimate of 198 broker-dealer respondents, that the current annual burden of Rule 15g-9 is 15,444 hours (198 respondents × 78 hours).                          ( print page 43417)    

The broker-dealer must keep the written suitability determination and customer agreement required by the Rule for at least three years. Completing the suitability determination and obtaining the customer agreement in writing is mandatory for broker-dealers who effect transactions in penny stocks and do not qualify for an exemption, but does not involve the collection of confidential information.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information under the PRA unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

                    The public may view background documentation for this information collection at the following Web site:                     *www.reginfo.gov.*                     Comments should be directed to (i) Desk Officer for the Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10102, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or by sending an email to:                     *Shagufta_Ahmed@omb.eop.gov;*                     and (ii) Pamela Dyson, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Remi Pavlik-Simon, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549, or by sending an email to:                     *PRA_Mailbox@sec.gov.*                     Comments must be submitted to OMB within 30 days of this notice.                

Dated: September 12, 2017.

Eduardo A. Aleman,

Assistant Secretary.

[FR Doc. 2017-19677 Filed 9-14-17; 8:45 am]

 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P