[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 148 (Thursday, August 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 51391]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16546]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[SEC File No. 270-203, OMB Control No. 3235-0195]


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Extension: Rule 
17Ab2-1 and Form CA-1

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 
20549-2736

    Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (``PRA'') (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities and 
Exchange Commission (``Commission'') has submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (``OMB'') a request for approval of extension of 
the previously approved collection of information provided for in Rule 
17Ab2-1 (17 CFR 240.17Ab2-1) and Form CA-1: Registration of Clearing 
Agencies (17 CFR 249b.200) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Exchange Act'') (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.).
    Rule 17Ab2-1 and Form CA-1 require clearing agencies to register 
with the Commission and to meet certain requirements with regard to, 
among other things, the clearing agency's organization, capacities, and 
rules. The information is collected from the clearing agency upon the 
initial application for registration on Form CA-1. Thereafter, 
information is collected by amendment to the initial Form CA-1 when 
changes in circumstances that render certain information on Form CA-1 
inaccurate, misleading, or incomplete necessitate modification of the 
information previously provided to the Commission.
    The Commission uses the information disclosed on Form CA-1 to (i) 
determine whether an applicant meets the standards for registration set 
forth in Section 17A of the Exchange Act, (ii) enforce compliance with 
the Exchange Act's registration requirement, and (iii) provide 
information about specific registered clearing agencies for compliance 
and investigatory purposes. Without Rule 17Ab2-1, the Commission could 
not perform these duties as statutorily required.
    The Commission staff estimates that the average Form CA-1 requires 
approximately 340 hours to complete and submit for approval, and that 
on average, the Commission receives one application each year. The 
Commission staff estimates that completion of an initial Form CA-1 will 
result in an internal cost of compliance of approximately $145,360 per 
year. The Commission staff estimates that it receives one amendment per 
year, and that an amendment requires approximately 60 hours of the 
exempt or registered clearing agency's staff time. The Commission staff 
estimates that amendment of a filed Form CA-1 will result in an 
internal cost of compliance of approximately $28,020 per year. 
Therefore, the aggregate hour burden is approximately 400 hours per 
year (340 + 60) and the aggregate internal cost of compliance is 
approximately $173,380 per year ($145,360 + $28,020).
    The external costs associated with work on Form CA-1 include fees 
charged by outside lawyers and accountants to assist the applicant or 
registrant to collect and prepare the information sought by the form 
(though such consultations are not required by the Commission). The 
Commission staff estimates that these external costs are more likely 
when novel questions arise under a new application, rather than under 
periodic review and amendment. The staff estimates an annual external 
cost of 45 hours of an Attorney's time (estimated at $462 per hour) and 
10 hours of a Senior Accountant's time (estimated at $241 per hour) for 
preparation of the Form CA-1, resulting in an aggregate external cost 
of approximately $23,200 per year ($20,790 + $2,410).
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    The public may view background documentation for this information 
collection at the following website: www.reginfo.gov. Find this 
particular information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day 
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent by September 5, 2023 to (i) www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain and (ii) David Bottom, Director/Chief Information 
Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o John Pezzullo, 100 F 
Street NE, Washington, DC 20549, or by sending an email to: 
[email protected].

    Dated: July 31, 2023.
Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-16546 Filed 8-2-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P