[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 41 (Monday, March 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10069-10070]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-4911]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

AGENCIES: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Treasury; 
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board); and Federal 
Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

ACTION: Notice of information collection to be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the OCC, the Board, and the FDIC 
(collectively, the ``agencies'') may not conduct or sponsor, and the 
respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection 
unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) control number.
    On November 8, 2002, the agencies requested public comment for 60 
days on proposed revisions to the Country Exposure Report and the 
Country Exposure Information Report, which are currently approved 
collections of information. After considering the two comments the 
agencies received, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination 
Council (FFIEC), of which the agencies are members, adopted the 
proposed revisions.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 2, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are invited to submit written comments to 
any or all of the agencies. All comments should refer to the OMB 
control number(s) and will be shared among the agencies.
    OCC: Comments should be sent to the Public Information Room, Office 
of the Comptroller of the Currency, Mailstop 1-5, Attention: 1557-0100, 
250 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20219. Due to delays in paper mail 
delivery in the Washington area, commenters are encouraged to submit 
comments by fax or e-mail. Comments may be sent by fax to (202) 874-
4448, or by e-mail to [email protected]. You can inspect and 
photocopy the comments at the OCC's Public Information Room, 250 E 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20219. You can make an appointment to 
inspect the comments by calling (202) 874-5043.
    Board: Written comments, which should refer to ``Country Exposure 
Report, 7100-0035,'' may be mailed to Ms. Jennifer J. Johnson, 
Secretary, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th 
Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20551. However, 
because paper mail in the Washington area and at the Board of Governors 
is subject to delay, please consider submitting your comments by e-mail 
to [email protected], or faxing them to the Office of 
the Secretary at 202-452-3819 or 202-452-3102. Comments addressed to 
Ms. Johnson may also be delivered to the Board's mail facility in the 
West Courtyard between 8:45 a.m. and 5:15 p.m., located on 21st Street 
between Constitution Avenue and C Street, NW. Members of the public may 
inspect comments in Room MP-500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays 
pursuant to 261.12, except as provided in 261.14, of the Board's Rules 
Regarding Availability of Information, 12 CFR 261.12 and 261.14.
    FDIC: Written comments should be addressed to Robert E. Feldman, 
Executive Secretary, Attention: Comments/Legal, Federal Deposit 
Insurance Corporation, 550 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20429. All 
comments should refer to ``Country Exposure Report, 3064-0017.'' 
Commenters are encouraged to submit comments by fax or electronic mail 
[Fax number: (202) 898-3838; Internet address: [email protected]]. 
Comments also may be hand-delivered to the guard station at the rear of 
the 550 17th Street Building (located on F Street) on business days 
between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Comments may be inspected and photocopied in 
the FDIC Public Information Center, Room 100, 801 17th Street, NW., 
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on business days.
    A copy of the comments may also be submitted to the OMB desk 
officer for the agencies: Joseph F. Lackey, Jr., Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive 
Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503 or electronic mail to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information or a copy of 
the collection may be requested from:
    OCC: Jessie Dunaway, OCC Clearance Officer, or Camille Dixon, (202) 
874-5090, Legislative and Regulatory Activities Division, Office of the 
Comptroller of the Currency, 250 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20219.
    Board: Cynthia M. Ayouch, Board Clearance Officer, (202) 452-2204, 
Division of Research and Statistics, Board of Governors of the Federal 
Reserve System, 20th and C Streets, NW., Washington, DC 20551. 
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) users may call (202) 263-
4869.
    FDIC: Tamara R. Manly, Management Analyst, (202) 898-7453, Legal 
Division, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 550 17th Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20429.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Request for OMB approval to extend, with 
revision, the following currently approved collections of information:
    Report Title: Country Exposure Report/Country Exposure Information 
Report.
    Form Number: FFIEC 009 and FFIEC 009a.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly.
    Affected Public: Business or other for profit.

For OCC

    OMB Number: 1557-0100.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 21 (FFIEC 009), 21 (FFIEC 009a).
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 30 burden hours (FFIEC 009), 
5.25 burden hours (FFIEC 009a).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 2,520 burden hours (FFIEC 009), 441 
burden hours (FFIEC 009a).

For Board

    OMB Number: 7100-0035.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 31 (FFIEC 009), 16 (FFIEC 009a).
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 30 burden hours (FFIEC 009), 
5.25 burden hours (FFIEC 009a).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 3720 burden hours (FFIEC 009), 336 
burden hours (FFIEC 009a).

For FDIC

    OMB Number: 3064-0017.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 22 (FFIEC 009), 22 (FFIEC 009a).
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 30 burden hours (FFIEC 009), 
5.25 burden hours (FFIEC 009a).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 2,640 burden hours (FFIEC 009), 462 
burden hours (FFIEC 009a).

General Description of Reports

    These information collections are mandatory: 12 U.S.C. 161 and 1817 
(for national banks), 12 U.S.C. 248(a), 1844(c), and 3906 (for state 
member banks and bank holding companies); and 12 U.S.C. 1817 and 1820 
(for insured state nonmember commercial and savings banks). The FFIEC 
009 information collection is given

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confidential treatment (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4) and (b)(8)). The FFIEC 009a 
information collection is not given confidential treatment. Small 
businesses (i.e., small banks) are not affected.

Abstract

    The Country Exposure Report (FFIEC 009) is filed quarterly with the 
agencies and provides information on international claims of U.S. banks 
and bank holding companies that is used for supervisory and analytical 
purposes. The information is used to monitor country exposure of banks 
to determine the degree of risk in their portfolios and the possible 
impact on U.S. banks of adverse developments in particular countries. 
The Country Exposure Information Report (FFIEC 009a) is a supplement to 
the FFIEC 009 and provides publicly available information on material 
foreign country exposures (all exposures to a country in excess of one 
percent of total assets or 20 percent of capital, whichever is less) of 
U.S. banks and bank holding companies that file the FFIEC 009 report. 
As part of the Country Exposure Information Report, reporting 
institutions must also furnish a list of countries in which they have 
lending exposures above 0.75 percent of total assets or 15 percent of 
total capital, whichever is less.

Current Action

    On November 8, 2002, the OCC, the Board, and the FDIC jointly 
published a notice soliciting comments for 60 days on proposed 
revisions to the FFIEC 009 and FFIEC 009a (67 FR 68228). The agencies 
proposed to require electronic submission of all FFIEC 009 and 009a 
reports effective with the March 31, 2003, report date. The agencies 
proposed to have the Board collect and process the FFIEC 009 and 009a 
reports on their behalf via the Federal Reserve System's Internet 
Electronic Submission (IESUB) system. Electronic filing capability via 
IESUB is available on the Internet through the use of data entry or a 
file transfer feature. These methods are secure and result in a minimal 
burden to banks and bank holding companies. The agencies would no 
longer accept paper (hard copy) reports from banks and bank holding 
companies after the December 31, 2002, report date. The submission 
deadline would remain 45 calendar days after the report date. No other 
changes to the FFIEC 009 reporting forms or the FFIEC 009a reporting 
forms and instructions were proposed.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Comments Received on the Agencies' Proposal

    In response to the November 8, 2002, notice, the agencies received 
2 comment letters, one from a banking organization and one from a 
bankers' association. The two commenters alluded to their familiarity 
with the IESUB system filing requirements and supported the proposed 
submission method. However, the commenters expressed concern about the 
start-up time and effort required to initially submit their FFIEC 009 
and 009a reports electronically. The commenters specifically cited the 
lack of currently approved FFIEC 009 and 009a vendor software 
applications as a concern. The commenters recommended the agencies 
investigate the possibility of providing a standardized pre-formatted 
form for file transfer submission to alleviate this concern.
    The FFIEC and the agencies have considered the comments received 
and determined that it would not be practical or necessary for the 
Board, or the Federal Reserve district banks, to create a specific pre-
formatted form for filing the FFIEC 009 and 009a via IESUB using the 
file transfer method. Rather than developing a pre-formatted form for 
file transfer submissions, the Federal Reserve district banks will 
provide technical assistance to any respondent who needs assistance 
creating files for their initial FFIEC 009 and 009a submission via 
IESUB. Any FFIEC 009 and 009a respondent who needs assistance is 
encouraged to visit the Federal Reserve System Web site http://www.reportingandreserves.org/req.html for additional information on 
IESUB. The Web site also includes a link that respondents may use to 
contact their local Federal Reserve district bank for assistance with 
IESUB.

Request for Comment

    Comments are invited on:
    a. Whether the information collections are necessary for the proper 
performance of the agencies' functions, including whether the 
information has practical utility;
    b. The accuracy of the agencies' estimates of the burden of the 
information collections, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    c. Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected;
    d. Ways to minimize the burden of information collections on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology; and
    e. Estimates of capital or start up costs and costs of operation, 
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be shared among 
the agencies. All comments will become a matter of public record. 
Written comments should address the accuracy of the burden estimates 
and ways to minimize burden including the use of automated collection 
techniques or the use of other forms of information technology as well 
as other relevant aspects of the information collection request.

    Dated: February 24, 2003.
Mark J. Tenhundfeld,
Assistant Director, Legislative and Regulatory Activities Division, 
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, February 25, 
2003.
Jennifer J. Johnson,
Secretary of the Board.

    Dated at Washington, DC, this 24th day of February, 2003.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Robert E. Feldman,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-4911 Filed 2-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-33-P; 6210-01-P; 6714-01-P