[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40236-40238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-14364]


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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 Transfer Agent Registration and Amendment Form and Transfer Agent 
Deregistration Form (Form TA-1 and Form TA-W); OMB No. 7100-0099).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 6, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Form TA-1 or Form TA-
W, 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 or FR number in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: (202) 452-3819 or (202) 452-3102.
     Mail: Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Attn: Ann E. 
Misback, Secretary of the Board, Mailstop M-4775, 2001 C St 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

[[Page 40237]]

modified for technical reasons or to remove personally identifiable 
information at the commenter's request. Accordingly, comments will not 
be edited to remove any confidential business information, identifying 
information, or contact information. Public comments may also be viewed 
electronically or in paper in Room M-4365A, 2001 C St NW, Washington, 
DC 20551, 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 for the Federal 
Reserve Board, 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 Paperwork Reduction Act (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.
    During the comment period for this proposal, a copy of the proposed 
PRA OMB submission, including the draft reporting form and 
instructions, supporting statement, and other documentation, will 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. Final 
versions of these documents will be made available at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, if approved.

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, With 
Revision, the Following Information Collection

    Collection title: Transfer Agent Registration and Amendment Form 
and Transfer Agent Deregistration Form.
    Collection identifier: Form TA-1 and Form TA-W.
    OMB control number: 7100-0099.
    Frequency: As needed.
    Respondents: The respondent panel for this collection of 
information consists of current and former transfer agents that are a 
state member bank (SMB) or a subsidiary thereof, a bank holding company 
(BHC), a savings and loan holding company (SLHC), or a subsidiary of a 
BHC that is a bank within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 (Exchange Act) and that is not required to register with the 
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) or the Federal Deposit 
Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
    Estimated number of respondents: Registrations, 1; Amendments, 1; 
Deregistrations, 1.
    Estimated average hours per response: Registrations, 1.25; 
Amendments, 0.16; Deregistrations, 0.5.
    Estimated annual burden hours: Registrations, 1; Amendments, 0.16; 
Deregistrations, 1.
    General description of collection: The Exchange Act requires any 
person acting as a transfer agent \1\ to register as such with the 
appropriate regulatory agency (ARA). The Board is the ARA for transfer 
agents listed in the respondents section above. Transfer agents for 
which the Board is the ARA must register with the Board using Form TA-
1. Additionally, registered transfer agents for which the Board is 
their ARA may deregister by submitting Form TA-W.
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    \1\ Transfer agents are persons that provide securities 
transfer, registration, monitoring, and other specified services on 
behalf of securities issuers. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(25) (defining 
``transfer agent'').
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    Proposed revisions: The Board proposes to utilize its own Form TA-W 
for respondents to deregister rather than asking respondents to use a 
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) form or submit a separate 
letter, as has been done in the past. This would allow the Board to 
have its OMB control number on the form and make changes in the future 
if necessary. The draft Form TA-W asks the same type of information 
that is on the SEC deregistration form.
    Legal authorization and confidentiality: This information 
collection is authorized under section 17A(c) of the Exchange Act.\2\ 
The collection is also authorized under sections 2, 17(a)(3), and 23(a) 
of the Exchange Act \3\ and under the Board's general authority to 
require reports from SMBs,\4\ BHCs,\5\ and SLHCs.\6\ The collection is 
mandatory for transfer agents for which the Board is the ARA. 
Information collected on the forms is available to the public upon 
request and is not considered confidential.
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    \2\ 15 U.S.C. 78q-1(c) (requiring all transfer agents for 
securities registered under section 12 of the Exchange Act to 
register with the ARA by filing ``an application for registration in 
such form and containing such information'' as the ARA may 
prescribe).
    \3\ 12 U.S.C. 78b, 78q(a)(3) and 78w(a) (authorizing the Board 
to promulgate regulations and establish recordkeeping and reporting 
requirements with respect to Board-registered Transfer Agents).
    \4\ 12 U.S.C. 248(a) and 324.
    \5\ 12 U.S.C. 1844(c).
    \6\ 12 U.S.C. 1467a(b) and (g).
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    Consultation outside the agency: The SEC, Board, FDIC, and OCC 
jointly developed the Form TA-1 and associated instructions, and the 
Board has consulted with the FDIC and OCC to determine whether 
revisions to that form are necessary.


[[Page 40238]]


    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, June 30, 2022.
Michele Taylor Fennell,
Deputy Associate Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2022-14364 Filed 7-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210-01-P