Document ID: SEC-2012-1948-0001
Agency: sec
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals
Posted Date: 2012-11-27T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70854-70855]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-28641]

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Upon Written Request Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, Washington, DC 
20549-0213.

Extension: Rule 17a-25; OMB Control No. 3235-0540, SEC File No. 270-
482.

    Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) (``PRA''), the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (``Commission'') has submitted to the Office of Management 
and Budget (``OMB'') a request for approval of extension of the 
existing collection of information provided for in Rule 17a-25 (17 CFR 
204.17a-25) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et 
seq.).
    Paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 17a-25 requires registered broker-dealers 
to electronically submit securities transaction information, including 
identifiers for prime brokerage arrangements, average price accounts, 
and depository institutions, in a standardized format when requested by 
the Commission staff. In addition, Paragraph (a)(3)(c) of Rule 17a-25 
requires broker-dealers to submit, and keep current, contact person 
information for electronic blue sheets (``EBS'') requests. The 
Commission uses the information for enforcement inquiries or 
investigations and trading reconstructions, as well as for inspections 
and examinations.
    The Commission estimates that it sends approximately 7169 
electronic blue sheet requests per year to clearing broker-dealers, who 
in turn submit an average 87,454 responses.\1\ It is estimated that 
each broker-dealer who responds electronically will take 8 minutes, and 
each broker-dealer who responds manually will take 1\1/2\ hours to 
prepare and submit the securities trading data requested by the 
Commission. The annual aggregate hour burden for electronic and manual 
response firms is estimated to be 11,780 (87,454 x 8 / 60 = 11,660 
hours) + (80 x 1.5 = 120 hours), respectively.\2\ In addition, the 
Commission estimates that it will request 500 broker-dealers to supply 
the contact information identified in Rule 17a-25(c) and estimates the 
total aggregate burden hours to be 125. Thus, the annual aggregate 
burden for all respondents to the collection of information 
requirements of Rule 17a-25 is estimated at 11,905 hours (11,660 + 120 
+ 125).
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    \1\ A single EBS request has a unique number assigned to each 
request (e.g. ``0900001''). However, the number of broker-dealer 
responses generated from one EBS request can range from one to 
several thousand. EBS requests are sent directly to clearing firms, 
as the clearing firm is the repository for trading data for 
securities transactions information provided by itself and 
correspondent firms. Clearing brokers respond for themselves and 
other firms they clear for.
    \2\ Few of respondents submit manual EBS responses. The small 
percentage of respondents that submit manual responses do so by 
hand, via email, spreadsheet, disk, or other electronic media. Thus, 
the number of manual submissions (80) has minimal effect on the 
total annual burden hours.
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    The Commission may not conduct or sponsor a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. No 
person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a 
collection of information subject to the PRA that does not display a 
valid OMB control number.

[[Page 70855]]

    Background documentation for this information collection may be 
viewed 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@comb.eop.gov; and (ii) Thomas Bayer, Director/Chief Information 
Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Remi Pavlik-Simon, 
6432 General Green Way, Alexandria, Virginia 22312 or send an email to 
PRA_Mailbox@sec.gov. Comments must be submitted to OMB within 30 days 
of this notice.

    Dated: November 20, 2012.
Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-28641 Filed 11-26-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P