[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 128 (Monday, July 6, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 36409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17744]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM


Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board 
Approval Under Delegated Authority and Submission to OMB

SUMMARY:
    Background. Notice is hereby given of the final approval of a 
proposed information collection by the Board of Governors of the 
Federal Reserve System (Board) under OMB delegated authority, as per 5 
CFR 1320.16 (OMB Regulations on Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the 
Public). Board-approved collections of information are incorporated 
into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of 
information. Copies of the OMB 83-Is and supporting statements and 
approved collection of information instrument(s) are placed into OMB's 
public docket files. The Federal Reserve may not conduct or sponsor, 
and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information 
collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after 
October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control 
number.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chief, Financial Reports Section--Mary M. McLaughlin--Division of 
Research and Statistics, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 
System, Washington, DC 20551 (202-452-3829)
OMB Desk Officer--Alexander T. Hunt--Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive 
Office Building, Room 3208, Washington, DC 20503 (202-395-7860)
    Final approval under OMB delegated authority of the implementation 
of the following report:
1. Report title: Survey of Small Business Finances
    Agency form number: FR 3044
    OMB Control number: 7100-0262
    Frequency: one-time
    Reporters: small businesses
    Annual reporting hours: 6,100
    Estimated average hours per response: 1
    Number of respondents: 6,100
    Small businesses are affected.
    General description of report: This information collection is 
voluntary (12 U.S.C. 252, 1817(j), 1828(c), and 1841 et seq.). 
Individual respondent data are provided in a public-use file. However, 
any information that could identify respondent firms, or the financial 
institutions that they use, will be excluded from the public data set 
pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. Sec.  552(b)(4)).
    Abstract: The FR 3044 will be similar to the 1987 and 1993 National 
Surveys of Small Business Finances (OMB Nos. 7100-0234 and 7100-0262, 
respectively). In part, this survey is being conducted to collect 
information needed to satisfy the requirements of Section 2227 of the 
Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996. This 
law requires the Board to conduct a study and submit a report to the 
Congress every five years ``...detailing the extent of small business 
lending by all creditors....''
    The FR 3044 would gather data from small businesses on their 
financial relationships, credit experiences, lending terms and 
conditions, income and balance sheet information, the location and 
types of financial institutions used, and other firm characteristics. 
In conjunction with Board staff, a private survey firm would conduct 
small focus groups to investigate emerging issues in small business 
finance and update the 1993 questionnaire. The survey firm would then 
conduct two pretests with a minimum of fifty small business firms in 
each pretest. Following revisions to the questionnaire, the survey 
would be conducted by means of computer-assisted telephone interviews 
with approximately 6,000 randomly selected small business firms. 
Interviewing would likely commence in early 1999.
    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, June 29, 1998.
Jennifer J. Johnson,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 98-17744 Filed 7-2-98; 8:45AM]
Billing Code 6210-01-F