[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 57 (Friday, March 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12762-12763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05955]


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FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

ACTION: Notice, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) 
invites comment on a proposal to extend for three years, with revision, 
the Application for a Foreign Organization to Acquire a U.S. Bank or 
Bank Holding Company (FR Y-3F; OMB No. 7100-0119). The Board proposes 
to revise the FR Y-3F form and instructions in order to improve the 
clarity of the require information; obtain additional information 
necessary to evaluate the statutory factors; reflect the impact of new 
laws, regulations, capital requirements, and accounting rules; and 
improve transparency regarding the information that is required to 
consider a proposal. The revisions are intended to reduce the need for 
subsequent requests for additional information from applicants, which 
may delay the Board's consideration of a filing and create additional 
burden for filers.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 22, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by FR Y-3F, by any of 
the following methods:
     Agency website: http://www.federalreserve.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments at http://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/foia/proposedregs.aspx.
     Email: [email protected]. Include OMB 
number in the subject line of the message.
     FAX: (202) 452-3819 or (202) 452-3102.
     Mail: Ann E. Misback, 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 website at 
http://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/foia/proposedregs.aspx as submitted, 
unless modified 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 form in Room 
3515, 1801 K Street (between 18th and 19th Streets NW) Washington, DC 
20006 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.
    Additionally, commenters may send a copy of their comments to the 
OMB Desk Officer--Shagufta Ahmed--Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, 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: A copy of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
(PRA) OMB submission, including the proposed reporting form and 
instructions, supporting statement, and other documentation will be 
placed into OMB's public docket files, if approved. These documents 
will also be made available on the Federal Reserve Board's public 
website at: http://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/reportforms/review.aspx 
or may be requested from the agency clearance officer, whose name 
appears below.
    Federal Reserve Board Clearance Officer--Nuha Elmaghrabi--Office of 
the Chief Data Officer, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 
System, Washington, DC 20551, (202) 452-3829. Telecommunications Device 
for the Deaf (TDD) users may contact (202) 263-4869, Board of Governors 
of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 15, 1984, the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) delegated to the Board authority under the PRA to 
approve of and assign OMB control numbers to collection of information 
requests and requirements conducted or sponsored by the Board. In 
exercising this delegated authority, the Board is directed to take 
every reasonable step to solicit comment. In determining whether to 
approve a collection of information, the Board will consider all

[[Page 12763]]

comments received from the public and other agencies.

Request for Comment on Information Collection Proposal

    The Board invites public comment on the following information 
collection, which is being reviewed under authority delegated by the 
OMB under the PRA. Comments are invited on the following:
    a. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the Federal Reserve's functions; including 
whether the information has practical utility;
    b. The accuracy of the Federal Reserve's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed 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 information collection on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology; and
    e. Estimates of capital or startup costs and costs of operation, 
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.
    At the end of the comment period, the comments and recommendations 
received will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the Federal 
Reserve should modify the proposal.

Proposal To Approve Under OMB Delegated Authority the Extension for 
Three Years, With Revision, of the Following Report

    Report title: Application for a Foreign Organization to Acquire a 
Bank Holding Company.
    Agency form number: FR Y-3F.
    OMB control number: 7100-0119.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondents: Any company organized under the laws of a foreign 
country seeking to acquire a U.S. bank or bank holding company.
    Estimated number of respondents: Initial application, 1; subsequent 
application, 5.
    Estimated average hours per response: Initial application, 91 
hours; subsequent application, 71 hours.
    Estimated annual burden hours: 446 hours.
    General description of collection: Under the Bank Holding Company 
Act (BHCA), submission of this application is required for any company 
organized under the laws of a foreign country seeking to acquire a U.S. 
bank or bank holding company. Applicants must provide financial and 
managerial information, discuss the competitive effects of the proposed 
transaction, and discuss how the proposed transaction would effect the 
convenience and needs of the community to be served. The Federal 
Reserve also uses the information to fulfill, in part, its supervisory 
responsibilities with respect to foreign banking organizations in the 
United States.
    In addition to the application materials, an applicant also is 
required to publish a notice in a newspaper of general circulation in 
the community where the head office of the bank to be acquired is 
located. The notice must state the name and address of the applicant 
and its proposed subsidiary, and it must invite the public to submit 
written comments to the appropriate Federal Reserve Bank.
    Proposed revisions: The Board proposes to revise the FR Y-3F form 
and instructions in order to improve the clarity of the required 
information; obtain additional information necessary to evaluate the 
statutory factors; reflect the impact of new laws, regulations, capital 
requirements and accounting rules; and increase transparency regarding 
the information that is required to consider a proposal. The revisions 
are intended to reduce the need for subsequent information requests, 
which delay the Board's consideration of a filing and create additional 
burden for filers.
    Legal authorization and confidentiality: This information 
collection is mandatory and authorized by sections 3(a), 3(c), and 5(b) 
of the BHCA (12 U.S.C. 1842(a), (c) and 1844(b)). The information 
provided in the application is not confidential unless the applicant 
specifically requests confidentiality and the Board approves the 
request. Applicants may rely on any Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 
exemption, but such requests for confidentiality must contain detailed 
justifications corresponding to the claimed FOIA exemption. Requests 
for confidentiality will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
    Effective date: July 31, 2018.

    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, March 20, 
2018.
Ann E. Misback
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2018-05955 Filed 3-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6210-01-P