[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 52 (Thursday, March 18, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13073-13074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5881]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service


Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Housing Service (RHS) invites 
comments on this information collection for which approval from the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be requested. The intention 
is to request a revision an extension for a currently approved 
information collection in support of the program for 7 CFR Part 3550, 
Direct Single Family Housing Loans and Grants and its accompanying 
Handbooks.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by May 17, 2010 to be 
assured consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shantelle C. Gordon, Program Analyst, 
USDA Rural Housing Service, Single Family Housing, 1400 Independence 
Avenue, SW., STOP 0783, Washington, DC 20250-0783, Telephone: (202) 
205-9567, Fax: (202) 720-2232. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) regulation (5 CFR part 
1320) implementing provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(Pub.L. 104-13) required that interested members of the public and 
affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information 
collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This 
notice identifies an information collection that RHS is submitting to 
OMB for approval. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the

[[Page 13074]]

proposed collection of information including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology. Comments may be sent to: Linda 
Watts Thomas, Regulations and Paperwork Management Branch, Support 
Services Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, 
STOP 0742, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250-0742. All 
responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request 
for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public 
record.
    Title: Direct Single Family Housing Loans and Grants.
    OMB Number: 0575-0172.
    Expiration Date of Approval: August 31, 2010.
    Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: The Rural Housing Service (RHS), through its direct 
single family housing loan and grant programs, provides financial 
assistance to construct, improve, alter, repair, replace or 
rehabilitate dwellings, which will provide modest, decent, safe and 
sanitary housing to eligible individuals in rural areas. To assist a 
customer, they must provide the Agency with a standard housing 
application (used by government and private lenders), and provide 
documentation to support the same. Documentation includes verification 
of income, financial information on assets and liabilities, etc. The 
information requested is comparable to that required by any private 
mortgage lender. To assist individuals in obtaining affordable housing, 
a borrower's house payment may be subsidized to an interest rate as low 
as one percent. The amount of subsidy is based upon the customer's 
household income. After receipt of this information, if the customer 
obtains a loan from RHS, they must update income information on an 
annual basis to renew the payment subsidy. The aforementioned 
information required by RHS is vital to be able to process applications 
for RHS assistance and make prudent loan underwriting and program 
decisions. It includes borrower financial information such as household 
income, assets and liabilities and monthly expenses. Without this 
information, the Agency is unable to determine if a customer would 
qualify for any services or if assistance has been granted to which the 
customer would not be eligible under current regulations and statutes. 
The Agency also encourages its customers to leverage our mortgage 
financing with that of other lenders to assist as many customers as 
possible within our limited resources. In many cases, another lender 
will leverage and participate with RHS in assisting the customer. In 
these cases, RHS and the other lender share documentation, with the 
customer's consent, to reduce duplication. Through our work with 
participating lenders, the Agency keeps abreast of information required 
by other lenders to ensure that RHS is not requiring unnecessary 
information. The Agency continually strives to ensure that information 
collection burden is kept to a minimum.
    As mentioned, these loans are made directly by the Agency. RHS also 
services these loans for their term (30, 33, or 38 years) and provides 
tools to assist the customer in becoming a successful homeowner. As 
discussed, payment subsidies are renewed on an annual basis. In 
addition, the Agency provides credit counseling and other services to 
its customers in an effort to assist them in becoming successful. The 
Agency offers many servicing tools including a moratorium (stop) on 
payments, modifications to payment subsidies to reflect changes in the 
customer's income, loan re-amortization, payment workouts, etc. To 
obtain this assistance, the Agency must require certain information 
such as updated income and financial information, etc., to ensure the 
customer qualifies for the assistance, and is provided with the correct 
benefits based upon their circumstances.
    Direct Single Family Housing loans are only provided to customers 
who cannot obtain other credit for their housing needs and are required 
by statute to refinance with another lender when they are financially 
able. To ensure the Agency meets its statutory responsibilities, 
existing customers may be requested to submit updated income and 
financial information for the Agency to make a determination as to 
whether they can ``graduate'' to other credit. In addition, should a 
customer default on a loan which results in liquidation, the Agency 
needs updated income and financial information to settle any 
outstanding indebtedness.
    With the implementation of EGOV in June 2002, individuals are able 
to make application on line. We have 64 eForms which the public can 
access and print for personal use. RHS is committed to automation and 
reducing the burden upon the public.
    Estimate of Burden: Public burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average .30 hours per response.
    Respondents: Approximately 33,000 applicants seeking direct single 
family housing loans and grants from the Agency and approximately 
292,000 existing customers who have active loans and grants under the 
Section 502 and 504 programs.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 225,586.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Number of Responses: 1,435,263.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents (hours): 428,461.
    Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Linda 
Watts Thomas, Regulations and Paperwork Management Branch at (202) 692-
0226.

    Dated: March 12, 2010.
Tammye Trevi[ntilde]o,
Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-5881 Filed 3-17-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P