Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

ACTION:

Notice, request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) invites comment on a proposal to extend for three years, with revision, the Treasury Securities and Agency Debt and Mortgage-Backed Securities Reporting Requirements (FR 2956; OMB No. 7100-0383).

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before August 30, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by FR 2956, 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: regs.comments@federalreserve.gov. 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 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, except for Federal holidays. 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, nuha.elmaghrabi@frb.gov, (202) 452-3884.

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 (which contains more detail about the information collection and burden estimates than this notice), and other documentation, will be made available on the Board's public website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/reportingforms/home/review or may be requested from the agency clearance officer, whose name appears above. On the page displayed at the link above, you can find the supporting information by referencing the collection identifier, FR 2956. 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: Treasury Securities and Agency Debt and Mortgage-Backed Securities Reporting Requirements.

Collection identifier: FR 2956.

OMB control number: 7100-0383.

General description of collection: The FR 2956 collects detailed data on depository institutions' daily transactions trading of marketable U.S. Treasury securities and transactions trading of the debt and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) issued by U.S. federal government agencies including government-sponsored enterprises (agencies). The 2956 has two parts: Part 1 collects data on transactions in U.S. Treasury debt, and Part 2 collects transactions in debt and MBS issued by agencies. Every national bank, state member bank, state non-member bank, savings association, or U.S. branch and agency of a foreign bank filing a Notice by Financial Institutions of Government Securities Broker or Government Securities Dealer Activities (Form G-FIN; OMB No. 7100-0224) with average daily transaction volumes of over $100 million, for U.S. Treasury debt, or over $50 million, for agency-issued debt and MBS, during the prior fiscal year is subject to the these reporting requirements. Depository institutions subject to the reporting requirements of the FR 2956 electronically report transactions through the Board's data collection vendor, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), utilizing its Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (TRACE). Broker-dealers that are members of FINRA report transactions pursuant to the FINRA rules, and not the FR 2956. The Board receives data on transactions executed by FINRA members.

Proposed revisions: The Board proposes to revise Part 1 of the FR 2956 report, which pertains to the reporting of transactions in U.S. Treasury securities, by updating (i) the timeframe within which a depository institution subject to the reporting requirements of Part 1 of the FR 2956 must report transactions in U.S. Treasury securities, and (ii) for transactions executed electronically, the minimum increment of time that must be used for reporting the execution times. The Board also proposes certain technical and clarifying revisions to Part 2 of the FR 2956 report. Specifically, the revisions are intended to make the definitions clearer and to correct an error.

Frequency: Daily, event-generated.

Respondents: Depository institutions that meet the above reporting thresholds. Prime brokers or depository institutions who file Form G-FIN and are FINRA members acting as an executing broker and that therefore already are subject to TRACE reporting pursuant to FINRA rules are exempt from this reporting requirement.

Total estimated number of respondents: 22.

Total estimated change in burden: (11,000).

Total estimated annual burden hours: 22,000.