Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated Authority and Submission to OMB

AGENCY:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

SUMMARY:

Background.

Notice is hereby given of the final approval of proposed information collections by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) under OMB delegated authority, as per 5 CFR 1320.16 (OMB Regulations on Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public). Board-approved collections of information are incorporated into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of information. Copies of the OMB 83-Is and supporting statements and approved collection of information instrument(s) are placed into OMB's public docket files. The Federal Reserve may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Federal Reserve Board Clearance Officer -Michelle Long--Division of Research and Statistics, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551 (202-452-3829).

OMB Desk Officer-Mark Menchik--Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, or e-mail to mmenchik@omb.eop.gov.

Final approval under OMB delegated authority the extension for three years, without revision, of the following reports:

1. Report title: Recordkeeping and Disclosure Requirements in Connection with Regulation B (Equal Credit Opportunity)

Agency form number: Reg B

OMB control number: 7100-0201

Frequency: Event-generated

Reporters: State member banks, branches and agencies of foreign banks (other than federal branches, federal agencies, and insured state branches of foreign banks), commercial lending companies owned or controlled by foreign banks, and Edge and agreement corporations.

Annual reporting hours: 189,540 hours

Estimated average hours per response: Notice of action, 2.5 minutes; credit history reporting, 2 minutes; recordkeeping for applications & actions, 8 hours; monitoring data, 0.50 minutes; appraisal report upon request, 5 minutes; notice of right to appraisal, 0.25 minutes; recordkeeping of self test, 2 hours; recordkeeping of corrective action, 8 hours; and disclosure of optional self-test, 1 minute.

Number of respondents: 1,341

General description of report: This information collection is mandatory (15 U.S.C. 1691(b)(a)(1)). The adverse action disclosure is confidential between the institution and the consumer involved. Since the Federal Reserve does not collect any information, no issue of confidentiality normally arises. However, the information may be protected from disclosure under the exemptions (b)(4), (6), and (8) of the Freedom of Information Act (5 USC 522(b)).

Abstract: The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (the Act) and Regulation B prohibit discrimination in any aspect of a credit transaction because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, or other specified bases. To aid in implementation of this prohibition, the statute and regulation also subject creditors to various mandatory disclosure requirements, notification provisions, credit history reporting, monitoring rules, and recordkeeping requirements. These requirements are triggered by specific events and disclosures must be provided within the time periods established by the Act and regulation.

2. Report title: Recordkeeping and Disclosure Requirements in Connection with Regulation E (Electronic Funds Transfer)

Agency form number: Reg E

OMB control number: 7100-0200

Frequency: Event-generated

Reporters: State member banks, branches and agencies of foreign banks (other than Federal branches, Federal agencies, and insured state branches of foreign banks), commercial lending companies owned or controlled by foreign banks, and Edge and agreement corporations.

Annual reporting hours: 63,047 hours

Estimated average hours per response: Initial terms disclosure, 1.5 minutes; change in terms disclosure, 1 minute; periodic disclosure, 7 hours; and error resolution rules, 30 minutes.

Number of respondents: 1,289

General description of report: This information collection is mandatory (15 U.S.C. 1693 et seq.). The disclosures required by the rule and information about error allegations and their resolution are confidential between the institution and the consumer. Since the Federal Reserve does not collect any information, no issue of confidentiality arises. However, the information, if made available to the Federal Reserve, may be protected from disclosure under exemptions (b)(4), (6), and (8) of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552 (b)(4), (6), and (8)).

Abstract: The Electronic Funds Transfer Act and Regulation E are designed to ensure adequate disclosure of basic terms, costs, and rights relating to electronic fund transfer (EFT) services provided to consumers. Institutions offering EFT services must disclose to consumers certain information, including: Initial and updated EFT terms, transaction information, periodic statements of activity, the consumer's potential liability for unauthorized transfers, and error resolution rights and procedures. EFT services include automated teller machines, telephone bill payment, point-of- sale transfers in retail stores, fund transfers initiated through the internet, and preauthorized transfers to or from a consumer's account.