[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 218 (Friday, November 9, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56733-56734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28116]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY


Departmental Offices Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork burdens, invites the general public and 
other Federal agencies to comment on an information collection that is 
due for revision approval by the Office of Management and Budget. The 
Office of Program Services within the Department of the Treasury is 
soliciting comments concerning the Annual Report of Foreign-Residents' 
Holdings of U.S. Securities, including Selected Money Market 
Instruments. The next such report is to be conducted as of June 28, 
2002.

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before January 8, 2002 
to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Dwight Wolkow, Administrator, 
International Portfolio Investment Data Systems, Department of 
Treasury, Room 5457 MT, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington DC 
20220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the forms and instructions should be directed to Dwight 
Wolkow, Administrator, International Portfolio Investment Data Systems 
at the above address, or by emailing [email protected], or by 
faxing (202) 622-7448, or by calling (202) 622-1276. The forms and 
instructions can be viewed in section C of the webpage at: 
www.treas.gov/tic/forms.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Treasury Department Form SHLA/SHLB, Foreign-Residents' 
Holdings of U.S. Securities, including Selected Money Market 
Instruments.
    OMB Number: 1505-0123.
    Abstract: These forms are used to conduct annual surveys of 
holdings by foreign-residents of U.S. securities for portfolio 
investment purposes. These data are used by the U.S. Government in the 
formulation of international and financial policies and for the 
computation of the U.S. balance of payments accounts and the U.S.l 
international investment position. These data will also be used to 
provide information to the public and to meet international reporting 
commitments.
    Current Actions: (a) Data will be collected on short-term 
securities, including selected money market instruments, as well as on 
long-term securities, (b) The frequency of reporting by the largest 
U.S.-resident custodians and U.S.-resident issuers of U.S. securities 
will increase to annual from once every five years. The objective is to 
gather information annually with a minimum increase in reporting burden 
and cost to the government. This will be done by: (1) Continuing the 
benchmark survey (Form SHLB) once every five years, which requires 
reporting by all significant U.S.-resident custodians and U.S.-resident 
security issuers; and (2) introducing in non-benchmark years an annual 
survey (Form SHLA), which will require reports from only the very 
largest U.S.-resident custodians and issuers. The data requested will 
be the same in both Form SHLB and Form SHLA. The determination of who 
must report on the annual reports (SHLA) will be based upon the 
securities data submitted during the previous benchmark survey. The 
data collected under the annual reports (SHLA) will be used in 
conjunction with the results of the previous benchmark survey to 
compute economy-wide estimates for the non-benchmark years.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved data collection.
    Affected Public: Business/Financial Institutions.
    Forms:

TDF SHLA, Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 (1505-0123);
TDF SHLB, Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 (1505-123)

    Estimated Number of Respondents: an annual average (over five 
years) of 435, but this varies widely from about 2,000 in benchmark 
years (once every five years) to about 45 in all other years (four out 
of every five years).
    Estimated Average Time per Respondents: an annual average (over 
five years) of about 68 hours, but this will vary widely from 
respondent to respondent. (a) In the year of a benchmark survey, which 
is conducted

[[Page 56734]]

once every five years, it is estimated that exempt respondents will 
require an average of 16 hours; for custodians of securities, the 
estimate is a total of 176 hours on average, but this figure will vary 
widely for individual custodians; and for issuers of securities that 
have data to report and are not custodians, the estimate is 48 hours 
total. (b) In a non-benchmark year, which occurs four years out of 
every five years; for the largest custodians of securities, the 
estimate is a total of 472 hours on average; and for the largest 
issuers of securities that have data to report and are not custodians, 
the estimate is 136 hours total.
    Estimate Total Annual Burden Hours: an annual average (over five 
years) of 29,600 hours .
    Frequency of Response: Annual.

Request for Comments

    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. The 
public is invited to submit written comments concerning: (a) whether 
the Survey is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Office, including whether the information collected has practical 
uses; (b) the accuracy of the above burden estimates; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, usefulness and clarity of the information to be 
collected; (d) ways to minimize the reporting and/or record keeping 
burdens on respondents, including the use of information technologies 
to automate the collection of the data; and (e) estimates of capital or 
start-up costs of operation, maintenance and purchases of services to 
provide information.

Dwight Wolkow,
Administrator, International Portfolio Investment Data Systems.
[FR Doc. 01-28116 Filed 11-8-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-25-M