[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 155 (Friday, August 9, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 41535-41537]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20212]


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FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE BOARD

12 CFR Part 934

[No. 96-53]


Amendment of Budgets Regulation

AGENCY: Federal Housing Finance Board.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Housing Finance Board (Finance Board) is proposing 
to amend its regulation governing approval of Federal Home Loan Bank 
(FHLBank) budgets by removing the requirement that the FHLBanks' 
budgets be approved by the Finance Board. In order to ensure sufficient 
data to carry out its supervisory responsibility to ensure the safety 
and soundness of FHLBank operations, the Finance Board is further 
proposing to establish specific requirements for the FHLBanks' 
preparation and reporting of both budget and other financial 
information to the Finance Board. Certain of these reporting 
requirements are derived and streamlined from the Finance Board's 
current practice for budget and financial information reporting by the 
FHLBanks. The proposed rule is in keeping with the Finance Board's 
continuing effort to devolve corporate governance authority to the 
FHLBanks. It also is consistent with the goals of the Regulatory 
Reinvention Initiative of the National Performance Review.

DATES: Comments on this proposed rule must be received in writing on or 
before September 9, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Elaine L. Baker, Executive Secretary, 
Federal Housing Finance Board, 1777 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 
20006. Comments will be available for public inspection at this 
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John C. Waters or Christina T. 
Muradian, Office of Policy, (202) 408-2860 or 408-2584, or Sharon B. 
Like, Senior Attorney-Advisor, Office of General Counsel, (202) 408-
2930, Federal Housing Finance Board.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Statutory and Regulatory Background

    Section 934.6 of the Finance Board's existing regulations provides:

    As prescribed by the [Finance] Board or its designee, each Bank 
shall prepare and submit to the Board for its approval a budget. 
Each Bank will operate within such budget as approved or as it may 
be amended by the Bank's board of directors within limits set by the 
Board. Any amendment beyond such limits must be submitted to the 
Board for approval. The Board's designee, may approve amendments 
within limits set by the Board.

See 12 CFR 934.6.
    The substance of Sec. 934.6 previously appeared at Sec. 524.6 of 
the regulations of the Finance Board's predecessor, the Federal Home 
Loan Bank Board (FHLBB). See 12 CFR 524.6 (1989). (redesignated). The 
Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 
(FIRREA), Pub. L. No. 101-73, 103 Stat. 183 (Aug. 9, 1989), amended the 
Federal Home Loan Bank Act (Bank Act), 12 U.S.C. 1421 to 1449, by 
creating the Finance Board and transferring from the FHLBB to the 
Finance Board the responsibility for the supervision and regulation of 
the twelve FHLBanks. See id. Secs. 1422a(a), 1422b(a)(1). Section 524.6 
subsequently was redesignated as Sec. 934.6 of the Finance Board's 
regulations. See 54 FR 36757 (Sept. 5, 1989).
    The Bank Act does not provide explicitly for Finance Board approval 
of Bank budgets. See 12 U.S.C. 1432(a). Such approval authority is 
derived from the Finance Board's general powers and duties to supervise 
the FHLBanks under sections 2A(a)(3) and 2B(a)(1) of the Bank Act, as 
well as the Finance Board's authority to approve corporate powers 
granted to the FHLBanks under section 12(a) of the Bank Act. See id. 
Secs. 1422a(a)(3), 1422b(a)(1), 1432(a).

II. Analysis of the Proposed Rule

A. Current Practice and Basis For Proposed Amendment

    In approving the FHLBanks' budgets under current Sec. 934.6, the 
Finance Board's practice, which is not codified in the regulation, has 
been to request from each FHLBank a report on the FHLBank's annual 
budget approved by its board of directors, including the following 
information: projected balance sheet; projected income statement 
(including FHLBank board-approved operating expense budget and staffing 
levels); FHLBank board-approved capital expenditures budget; 
supplemental information as requested by the Finance Board; strategic/
business plan; organizational chart; FHLBank board-approved budget 
resolution; and management discussion of the FHLBank's expected 
financial performance and underlying assumptions and comparisons with 
the financial performance from the prior year.
    The Finance Board reviews this information and, pursuant to 
Sec. 934.6, approves each FHLBank's operating expense and capital 
expenditures budget. Generally, budgets have been approved by the 
Finance Board as submitted by the FHLBanks. The Finance Board also 
reviews and approves, pursuant to Sec. 934.6, amendments to the 
FHLBanks' budgets to exceed previously approved limits.
    In addition, Finance Board practice has been to require each 
FHLBank to submit quarterly reports that evaluate year-to-date actual 
performance results relative to the original approved budget 
projections, and reforecasted financial projections for the remainder 
of the year relative to the original approved budget projections. Each 
FHLBank also submits an annual report that evaluates the actual 
performance results for the year relative to the original approved 
budget projections.
    The Finance Board has been considering ways to transfer a variety 
of

[[Page 41536]]

governance responsibilities it exercises to the FHLBanks since the 
completion of studies by the Congressional Budget Office, General 
Accounting Office, Department of the Treasury, Department of Housing 
and Urban Development, and Finance Board, which were required by the 
Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, Pub. L. No. 102-550, 106 
Stat. 3672 (Oct. 28, 1992). These studies recommended that the 
governance and regulatory responsibilities for the FHLBanks be 
separated, with the FHLBanks carrying out the management functions, and 
the Finance Board exercising regulatory oversight over the FHLBanks. 
The Finance Board already has taken actions to devolve some governance 
functions to the FHLBanks, including its recently adopted final rule 
transferring responsibility for all FHLBank membership approvals from 
the Finance Board to the FHLBanks. See Final Membership Rule, adopted 
July 3, 1996, no. 96-43 (to be codified at 12 CFR part 933).
    Approval of the FHLBanks' budgets is a management responsibility 
which the Finance Board believes is best administered by the FHLBanks' 
respective boards of directors. The Finance Board believes that Finance 
Board approval of FHLBank budgets is unnecessary because incentives 
exist at the FHLBank board level to encourage efficient FHLBank 
operations: e.g., increased operating expenses reduce shareholder 
dividends, and since FHLBank elected board members represent FHLBank 
shareholders, they have an incentive to effectively manage operating 
expenses. Moreover, over the past few years, FHLBank System operations 
have become increasingly efficient, with the ratio of operating 
expenses to total assets declining from 17 basis points in 1990 to 8 
basis points in 1995.
    In addition, the fact that the Finance Board generally has approved 
the budgets as submitted by the FHLBanks indicates that Finance Board 
approval of the budgets is unnecessary.
    The Finance Board would continue to exercise its supervisory 
responsibility to ensure that the FHLBanks are operating in a safe and 
sound manner by requiring and reviewing FHLBank budget and other 
financial information, and conducting on-site examinations of the 
FHLBanks. As further discussed below, the reporting requirements in the 
proposed rule would codify and streamline current reporting practice.

B. Section-by-Section Analysis of the Proposed Rule

1. Adoption of Annual FHLBank Budget--Sec. 934.6(a).
    Under the proposed rule, Finance Board approval of FHLBank 
operating expense and capital expenditures budgets no longer would be 
required. Proposed Sec. 934.6(a)(1) provides that each FHLBank's board 
of directors shall be responsible for the adoption of an annual 
operating expense and capital expenditures budget for the FHLBank, and 
any subsequent amendments thereto, consistent with the requirements of 
the Bank Act, proposed Sec. 934.6, and other regulations and policies 
of the Finance Board. Implicit in these requirements are the 
requirements that the FHLBanks operate in a financially safe and sound 
manner and carry out their housing finance mission to the extent 
consistent with the former. See 12 U.S.C. 1422a(a)(3).
    The extent to which a FHLBank is operating efficiently pursuant to 
its approved budget limits may impact on its safety and soundness and 
ability to carry out its housing finance mission. The proposed rule 
does not establish a specific ``efficiency'' standard as part of the 
overall safety and soundness and housing finance mission requirements. 
The Finance Board specifically requests comments on whether such a 
standard should be included in the rule, and if so, what that standard 
should be.
    Proposed Sec. 934.6(a)(2) provides that the board of directors of a 
FHLBank may not delegate the authority to approve the annual budget, or 
any subsequent amendments thereto, to FHLBank officers or other FHLBank 
employees.
    Proposed Sec. 934.6(a)(3) requires that each FHLBank's annual 
budget be prepared based upon an interest rate scenario provided by the 
Finance Board. This is consistent with current Finance Board practice. 
The Finance Board specifically requests comments on whether an 
alternative approach, such as requiring the use of reported interest 
rates as of a fixed date specified in the regulation, would be 
preferable to the current approach.
    Proposed Sec. 934.6(a)(4) provides that a FHLBank may not exceed 
its annual budget limits without prior approval by the FHLBank's board 
of directors of an amendment to such budget.
2. Annual Budget Report--Sec. 934.6(b)
    Proposed Sec. 934.6(b) establishes specific FHLBank reporting 
requirements, certain of which are codified and streamlined from the 
Finance Board's current practice for FHLBank reporting.
    Specifically, the FHLBanks would be required to submit to the 
Finance Board, by January 31 of each year, in accordance with reporting 
formats and as further prescribed by the Finance Board, a report 
containing such FHLBank budget and other financial information as the 
Finance Board shall require, which may include the following: (1) 
balance sheet projections; (2) income statement projections, including 
operating expense budget data and staffing levels; (3) capital 
expenditures budget data; (4) management discussion of expected 
financial performance; (5) strategic or business plan, and (6) a copy 
of the FHLBank's board of directors resolution adopting the FHLBank's 
annual operating expense and capital expenditures budget.
3. Report on Amendments to Annual Budget--Sec. 934.6(c)
    Proposed Sec. 934.6(c) requires a FHLBank to submit promptly to the 
Finance Board a copy of the FHLBank's board of directors resolution 
adopting any amendment to the FHLBank's annual budget.
4. Mid-year Reforecasting Report--Sec. 934.6(d)
    Rather than requiring the current quarterly reports from the 
FHLBanks of reforecasted projections for the year relative to original 
budget projections, proposed Sec. 934.6(d) requires each FHLBank to 
submit only a mid-year report containing a balance sheet and income 
statement setting forth reforecasted projections for the year relative 
to the original budget for that year, including a management discussion 
explaining any significant changes from the original budget.
5. Annual Actual Performance Results Report--Sec. 934.6(e)
    Rather than requiring the current quarterly reports from the 
FHLBanks, which analyze actual performance results for the period 
relative to original budget projections, proposed Sec. 934.6(e) 
requires each FHLBank to submit only an annual report containing a 
balance sheet and income statement setting forth actual performance 
results for the year relative to the original budget for that year, 
including a management discussion explaining any significant changes 
from the original budget.

III. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    This proposed rule applies only to the FHLBanks, which do not come 
within the meaning of ``small entities,'' as defined in the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act. See 5 U.S.C. 601(6). Therefore, in

[[Page 41537]]

accordance with 5 U.S.C. 605(b), the Finance Board hereby certifies 
that this proposed rule, if promulgated as a final rule, will not have 
a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities.

List of Subjects in 12 CFR Part 934

    Federal home loan banks, Securities, Surety bonds.

    Accordingly, the Federal Housing Finance Board hereby proposes to 
amend title 12, chapter IX, subchapter B, part 934, of the Code of 
Federal Regulations, as follows:

PART 934--OPERATIONS OF THE BANKS

    1. The authority citation for part 934 is revised to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1422a, 1422b, 1442.

    2. Section 934.6 is revised to read as follows:


Sec. 934.6  Budget preparation and reporting requirements.

    (a) Adoption of annual Bank budget. (1) Each Bank's board of 
directors shall be responsible for the adoption of an annual operating 
expense and capital expenditures budget for the Bank, and any 
subsequent amendments thereto, consistent with the requirements of the 
Act, this section, and other regulations and policies of the Board.
    (2) A Bank's board of directors may not delegate the authority to 
approve the Bank's annual budget, or any subsequent amendments thereto, 
to Bank officers or other Bank employees.
    (3) A Bank's annual budget shall be prepared based upon an interest 
rate scenario provided by the Board.
    (4) A Bank may not exceed its annual budget limits without prior 
approval by the Bank's board of directors of an amendment to such 
budget.
    (b) Annual budget report. Each Bank shall submit to the Board, by 
January 31 of each year, in accordance with reporting formats and as 
further prescribed by the Board, a report containing such Bank budget 
and other financial information as the Board shall require, which may 
include the following:
    (1) Balance sheet projections;
    (2) Income statement projections, including operating expense 
budget data and staffing levels;
    (3) Capital expenditures budget data;
    (4) Management discussion of expected financial performance;
    (5) Strategic or business plan; and
    (6) A copy of the FHLBank's board of directors resolution adopting 
the FHLBank's annual operating expense and capital expenditures budget.
    (c) Report on amendments to annual budget. A Bank shall submit 
promptly to the Board a copy of the Bank's board of directors 
resolution adopting any amendment to the Bank's annual budget.
    (d) Mid-year reforecasting report. Each Bank shall submit to the 
Board, by July 31 of each year, in accordance with reporting formats 
and as further prescribed by the Board, a report containing a balance 
sheet and income statement setting forth reforecasted projections for 
the year relative to the original budget for that year, including a 
management discussion explaining any significant changes in the 
reforecasted projections from the original budget.
    (e) Annual actual performance results report. Each Bank shall 
submit to the Board, by January 31 of each year, in accordance with 
reporting formats and as further prescribed by the Board, a report 
containing a balance sheet and income statement setting forth the 
actual performance results for the prior year relative to the original 
budget for that year, including a management discussion explaining any 
significant changes in the actual performance results from the original 
budget.

    Dated: July 25, 1996.

    By the Board of Directors of the Federal Housing Finance Board.
Bruce A. Morrison,
Chairman.
[FR Doc. 96-20212 Filed 8-8-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6725-01-P