[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 198 (Monday, October 18, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57673-57674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-22590]


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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, without 
revision, the Domestic Branch Application (FR 4001; OMB No. 7100-0097).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 17, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by FR 4001, by any of 
the following methods:
     Agency website: https://www.federalreserve.gov/. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments at https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/foia/proposedregs.aspx.
     Email: [email protected]. Include the 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 
https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/foia/proposedregs.aspx as 
submitted, unless modified for technical reasons or to remove 
personally identifiable information at the commenter's request. 
Accordingly, comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or 
contact information. Public comments may also be viewed electronically 
or in paper in Room 146, 1709 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006, 
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. For security reasons, the 
Board requires that visitors make an appointment to inspect comments. 
You may do so by calling (202) 452-3684. Upon arrival, visitors will be 
required to present valid government-issued photo identification and to 
submit to security screening in order to inspect and photocopy 
comments.
    Additionally, commenters may send a copy of their comments to the 
Office of Management and Budget (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: 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 15, 1984, OMB delegated to the Board 
authority under the PRA to approve and assign OMB control numbers to 
collections of information 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 
comments received from the public and other agencies.
    A copy of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) OMB submission, 
including the reporting form and instructions, supporting statement, 
and other documentation will be available at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, if approved. These documents will also be made 
available on the Board's public website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/reportforms/review.aspx or may be requested 
from the agency clearance officer, whose name appears above.

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 Board's functions, including whether the 
information has practical utility;
    b. The accuracy of the Board'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 Board 
should modify the proposal.

Proposal Under OMB Delegated Authority To Extend for Three Years, 
Without Revision, the Following Information Collection

    Report title: Domestic Branch Application.
    Agency form number: FR 4001.
    OMB control number: 7100-0097.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondents: State member banks (SMBs).
    Estimated number of respondents: Expedited notifications, 55; 
nonexpedited notifications, 169; disclosures, 224.
    Estimated average hours per response: Expedited notifications, 1; 
nonexpedited notifications, 1.5; disclosures, 0.5.
    Estimated annual burden hours: Expedited notifications, 55; 
nonexpedited notifications, 254; disclosures, 112.
    General description of report: The Federal Reserve Act and the 
Board's

[[Page 57674]]

Regulation H require an SMB to seek prior approval of the Federal 
Reserve System before establishing or acquiring a domestic branch. Such 
requests for approval must be filed as applications at the appropriate 
Reserve Bank for the SMB. Due to the limited information that an SMB 
generally has to provide for branch proposals, there is no reporting 
form for a domestic branch application. An SMB is required to notify 
the Federal Reserve by letter of its intent to establish one or more 
new branches and provide evidence that public notice of the proposed 
branch(es) has been published by the SMB in the appropriate 
newspaper(s). The Federal Reserve uses the information provided to 
fulfill its statutory obligation to review branch applications before 
acting on the proposals and to otherwise supervise SMBs.
    Legal authorization and confidentiality: The filing requirements 
under the FR 4001 are authorized by section 9(3) of the Federal Reserve 
Act.\1\ The filing requirements under the FR 4001 are required to 
obtain a benefit.
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    \1\ 12 U.S.C. 321 (requiring state member banks to obtain Board 
approval prior to establishing a domestic branch).
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    The information in an SMB's domestic branch application is public. 
An SMB may request that portions of its application be kept 
confidential pursuant to exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act 
(FOIA) if they contain commercial or financial information that is both 
customarily and actually treated as private.\2\ Information provided by 
an SMB as part of its domestic branch application may also be 
considered confidential under FOIA exemption 6 if the application 
contains personal information, the disclosure of which would 
``constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy,'' \3\ and under 
FOIA exemption 8 if it is obtained as part of an examination or 
supervision of a financial institution.\4\
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    \2\ 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4).
    \3\ 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6).
    \4\ 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(8).

    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, October 12, 
2021.
Michele Taylor Fennell,
Deputy Associate Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2021-22590 Filed 10-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210-01-P