[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 27, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25240-25241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-12249]


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FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board).

ACTION: Notice and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the Board, the Federal Deposit 
Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the 
Currency (OCC) (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. The Federal Financial Institutions 
Examination Council (FFIEC), of which the agencies are members, has 
approved the agencies' publication for public comment of a proposal to 
extend, without revision, the Country Exposure Report for U.S. Branches 
and Agencies of Foreign Banks (FFIEC 019), which is a currently 
approved information collection. At the end of the comment period, the 
comments and recommendations received will be analyzed to determine the 
extent to which the FFIEC should modify the reports. The Board will 
then submit the report to OMB for review and approval.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 27, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are invited to submit written comments to 
the agency listed below. All comments, which should refer to the OMB 
control number, will be shared among the agencies.
    You may submit comments, identified by FFIEC 019 (7100-0213), by 
any of the following methods:
     Agency Web Site: http://www.federalreserve.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on the http://www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/foia/ProposedRegs.cfm.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include the OMB 
control number in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: 202-452-3819 or 202-452-3102.
     Mail: Jennifer J. Johnson, Secretary, Board of Governors 
of the Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20551.
    All public comments are available from the Board's Web site at 
http://www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/foia/ProposedRegs.cfm as 
submitted, except as necessary for technical reasons. Accordingly, your 
comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact 
information. Public comments may also be viewed electronically or in 
paper in Room MP-500 of the Board's Martin Building (20th and C 
Streets, NW.) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
    Additionally, commenters may send a copy of their comments to the 
OMB desk officer for the agencies by mail to Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, New Executive 
Office Building, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503 
or by fax to 202-395-6974.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information or a copy of 
the collection may be requested from Cynthia Ayouch, Federal Reserve 
Board Acting Clearance Officer, 202-452-3829, 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Proposal to extend for three years, without revision, the following 
currently approved collection of information:
    Report Title: Country Exposure Report for U.S. Branches and 
Agencies of Foreign Banks.
    Form Number: FFIEC 019.
    OMB Number: 7100-0213.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly.
    Affected Public: U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 161.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 10 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 6,440 hours.

General Description of Reports

    This information collection is mandatory: 12 U.S.C. 3906 for all 
agencies; 12 U.S.C. 3105 and 3108 for the Board; sections 7 and 10 of 
the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1817, 1820) for the FDIC; 
and the National Bank Act (12 U.S.C. 161) for the OCC. This information 
collection is given confidential treatment under the Freedom of 
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(8)).

Abstract

    All individual U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks that 
have more than $30 million in direct claims on residents of foreign 
countries must file the FFIEC 019 report quarterly. Currently, all 
respondents report adjusted exposure amounts to the five largest 
countries having at least $20 million in total adjusted exposure. The 
agencies collect this data to monitor the extent to which such branches 
and agencies are pursuing prudent country risk diversification policies 
and limiting potential liquidity pressures. No changes are proposed to 
the FFIEC 019 reporting form or instructions.

[[Page 25241]]

Request for Comment

    Comments are invited on:
    a. Whether the information collection is necessary for the proper 
performance of the agencies' functions, including whether the 
information has practical utility;
    b. The accuracy of the agencies' estimate of the burden of the 
information collection, 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 the information collection 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 estimate 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.

    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, May 21, 2009.
Robert deV. Frierson,
Deputy Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. E9-12249 Filed 5-26-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210-01-P