Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

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Federal RegisterMay 24, 2022
87 Fed. Reg. 31560 (May. 24, 2022)

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, without revision, the Disclosure Requirements and Recordkeeping Requirements Associated with Regulation CC (FR CC; OMB No. 7100-0235).

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before July 25, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by FR CC, 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, MailstopM-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. 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, Without Revision, the Following Information Collection

Collection title: Disclosure Requirements and Recordkeeping Requirements Associated with Regulation CC.

Collection identifier: FR CC.

OMB control number: 7100-0235.

Frequency: Event-generated.

Respondents: State member banks and uninsured state branches and agencies of foreign banks.

Estimated number of respondents: Bank burden: 686 (except for Changes in policy, 100); Consumer burden: 17,150.

Estimated average hours per response: Specific availability policy disclosures and initial disclosures, 0.02; Longer delays on a case-by-case basis—Notice in specific policy disclosure, 0.05; Notice of exceptions, 0.05; Locations where employees accept consumer deposits and ATMs, 0.25; Quinquennial inflation adjustments for disclosures, 8; Annual notice of new ATMs, 5; Changes in policy, 20; Notification of quinquennial inflation adjustments (annualized), 4; Notice of nonpayment on paying bank, 0.02; Notification to customer, 0.02; Expedited recredit for consumers, 0.25; Expedited recredit for banks, 0.25; Consumer awareness, 0.02; Expedited recredit claim notice, 0.25.

Estimated annual burden hours: Specific availability policy disclosures and initial disclosures, 6,860; Longer delays on a case-by-case basis—Notice in specific policy disclosure, 24,010; Notice of exceptions, 68,600; Locations where employees accept consumer deposits and ATMs, 172; Quinquennial inflation adjustments for disclosures, 5,488; Annual notice of new ATMs, 3,430; Changes in policy, 4,000; Notification of quinquennial inflation adjustments (annualized), 2,744; Notice of nonpayment on paying bank, 480; Notification to customer, 5,076; Expedited recredit for consumers, 6,003; Expedited recredit for banks, 2,573; Consumer awareness, 4,116; Expedited recredit claim notice, 4,288.

General description of collection: Regulation CC—Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks (12 CFR 229), which implements the Expedited Funds Availability Act of 1987 (EFA Act) and the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act of 2003 (Check 21 Act), requires banks to make funds deposited in transaction accounts available within specified time periods, disclose their availability policies to customers, and begin accruing interest on such deposits promptly. The disclosures are intended to alert customers that their ability to use deposited funds may be delayed, prevent unintentional (and potentially costly) overdrafts, and allow customers to compare the policies of different banks before deciding at which bank to deposit funds. Regulation CC also requires notice to the depositary bank and to a customer of nonpayment of a check. Model disclosure forms, clauses, and notices are appended to the regulation to ease compliance.

See 12 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.

See 12 U.S.C. 5001 et seq.

For purposes of Regulation CC, banks are commercial banks, savings associations, credit unions, and U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: Section 609 of the EFA Act, as amended by section 1086 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), states that, “the Board, jointly with the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, shall prescribe regulations—(1) to carry out the provisions of this chapter; (2) to prevent the circumvention or evasion of such provisions; and (3) to facilitate compliance with such provisions.” Additionally, section 15 of the Check 21 Act authorizes the Board to “prescribe such regulations as the Board determines to be necessary to implement, prevent circumvention or evasion of, or facilitate compliance with the provisions of this chapter.” The Board is therefore authorized by these statutory provisions to promulgate the disclosure and recordkeeping requirements contained in Regulation CC. The disclosure and recordkeeping requirements in Regulation CC are mandatory. The information that Regulation CC requires of consumers who are making an expedited recredit claim is required to obtain a benefit.

Because records required by Regulation CC are maintained at each banking organization, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) would only be implicated if the Board obtained such records as part of the examination or supervision of a banking organization. In the event the records are obtained by the Board as part of an examination or supervision of a financial institution, this information may be considered confidential pursuant to exemption 8 of the FOIA, which protects information contained in “examination, operating, or condition reports” obtained in the bank supervisory process.

Consultation outside the agency: Pursuant to sections 1086 and 1100H of the Dodd-Frank Act, the Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) assumed joint rulemaking authority with respect to subpart B of Regulation CC. Given this joint authority, the Board has communicated with the CFPB regarding this information collection.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, May 17, 2022.

Michele Taylor Fennell,

Deputy Associate Secretary of the Board.

[FR Doc. 2022-11091 Filed 5-23-22; 8:45 am]

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