Document ID: SEC-2016-0703-0001
Agency: sec
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals
Posted Date: 2016-04-22T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 78 (Friday, April 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23779-23780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09360]

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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 FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 
20549-2736.

Extension:
    Rule 606 of Regulation NMS, SEC File No. 270-489, OMB Control 
No. 3235-0541.

    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 previously approved collection of information provided for in Rule 
606 of Regulation NMS (``Rule 606'') (17 CFR 242.606) under the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et. seq.).
    Rule 606 (formerly known as Rule 11Ac1-6) requires broker-dealers 
to prepare and disseminate quarterly order routing reports. Much of the 
information needed to generate these reports already should be 
collected by broker-dealers in connection with their periodic 
evaluations of their order routing practices. Broker-dealers must 
conduct such evaluations to fulfill the duty of best execution that 
they owe their customers.
    The collection of information obligations of Rule 606 apply to 
broker-dealers that route non-directed customer orders in covered 
securities. The Commission estimates that out of the currently 4,240 
broker-dealers that are subject to the collection of information 
obligations of Rule 606, clearing brokers bear a substantial portion of 
the burden of complying with the reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements of Rule 606 on behalf of small to mid-sized introducing 
firms. There currently are approximately 185 clearing brokers. In 
addition, there are approximately 81 introducing brokers that receive 
funds or securities from their customers. Because at least some of 
these firms also may have greater involvement in determining where 
customer orders are routed for execution, they have been included, 
along with clearing brokers, in estimating the total burden of Rule 
606.
    The Commission staff estimates that each firm significantly 
involved in order routing practices incurs an average burden of 40 
hours to prepare and disseminate a quarterly report required by Rule 
606, or a burden of 160 hours

[[Page 23780]]

per year. With an estimated 266 \1\ broker-dealers significantly 
involved in order routing practices, the total industry-wide burden per 
year to comply with the quarterly reporting requirement in Rule 606 is 
estimated to be 42,560 hours (160 x 266).
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    \1\ 185 clearing brokers + 81 introducing brokers = 266.
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    Rule 606 also requires broker-dealers to respond to individual 
customer requests for information on orders handled by the broker-
dealer for that customer. Clearing brokers generally bear the burden of 
responding to these requests. The Commission staff estimates that an 
average clearing broker incurs an annual burden of 400 hours (2000 
responses x 0.2 hours/response) to prepare, disseminate, and retain 
responses to customers required by Rule 606. With an estimated 185 
clearing brokers subject to Rule 606, the total industry-wide burden 
per year to comply with the customer response requirement in Rule 606 
is estimated to be 74,000 hours (185 x 400).
    The collection of information obligations imposed by Rule 606 are 
mandatory. The responses will be available to the public and will not 
be kept confidential.
    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: April 19, 2016.
Robert W. Errett,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-09360 Filed 4-21-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P