Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board).

ACTION:

Notice and request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) (collectively, the “agencies”) may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. On April 27, 2018, the Board, under the auspices of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), requested public comment for 60 days on a proposal to extend for three years, without revision, the Country Exposure Report for U.S. Branches and Agencies of Foreign Banks (FFIEC 019), which is currently an approved collection of information. The Board is publishing this proposal on behalf of the agencies. The comment period for this proposal ended on June 26, 2018, and no comments were received. The Board is giving notice that it is sending the collection to OMB for review.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before August 29, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Interested parties are invited to submit written comments to the agency listed below. All comments, which should refer to the OMB control number, will be shared among the agencies.

You may submit comments, which should refer to “FFIEC 019,” by any of the following methods:

• Agency Website: http://www.federalreserve.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments at: http://www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/foia/ProposedRegs.cfm.
• Email: regs.comments@federalreserve.gov. Include the reporting form number in the subject line of the message.
• Fax: (202) 452-3819 or (202) 452-3102.
• Mail: Ann E. Misback, Secretary, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20551.

All public comments are available from the Board's website at www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/ foia/ProposedRegs.cfm as submitted, unless modified for technical reasons. Accordingly, your comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact information. Public comments may also be viewed electronically or in paper form in Room 3515, 1801 K Street NW (between 18th and 19th Streets NW), Washington, DC 20006, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.

Additionally, commenters may send a copy of their comments to the OMB desk officer for the agencies by mail to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503; by fax to (202) 395-6974; or by email to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For further information about the proposed extension without revision of the FFIEC 019 discussed in this notice, please contact the agency staff member whose name appears below. In addition, a copy of the FFIEC 019 form can be obtained at the FFIEC's website ( https://www.ffiec.gov/ffiec_report_forms.htm ).

Nuha Elmaghrabi, Federal Reserve Board Clearance Officer, (202) 452-3884, Office of the Chief Data Officer, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th and C Streets NW, Washington, DC 20551. Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) users may call (202) 263-4869.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Board is proposing to extend for three years, without revision, the FFIEC 019.

Report Title: Country Exposure Report for U.S. Branches and Agencies of Foreign Banks.

Form Number: FFIEC 019.

OMB Control Number: 7100-0213.

Frequency of Response: Quarterly.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.

Respondents: All branches and agencies of foreign banks domiciled in the United States with total direct claims on foreign residents in excess of $30 million.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 156.

Estimated Average Burden per Response: 10 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 6,240 hours.

Type of Review: Extension of currently approved collection.

I. General Description of Report

This information collection is required pursuant to sections 7 and 13 of the International Banking Act (12 U.S.C. 3105 and 3108) for the Board, sections 7 and 10 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1817 and 1820) for the FDIC, and the National Bank Act (12 U.S.C. 161) as applied through section 4 of the International Banking Act (12 U.S.C. 3102) for the OCC. The FFIEC 019 is given confidential treatment consistent with 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4) and (b)(8).

Abstract

The FFIEC 019 report must be filed by each U.S. branch or agency of a foreign bank that has total direct claims on foreign residents in excess of $30 million. The branch or agency reports its total exposure (1) to residents of its home country, and (2) to the other five foreign nations to which its exposure is largest and is at least $20 million. The home country exposure must be reported regardless of the size of the total claims for that nation.

Each respondent must report by country, as appropriate, the information on its direct claims (assets such as deposit balances with banks, loans, or securities), indirect claims (which include guarantees), and total adjusted claims on foreign residents, as well as information on commitments. The respondent also must report information on claims on related non-U.S. offices that are included in total adjusted claims on the home country, as well as a breakdown for the home country and each other reported country of adjusted claims on unrelated foreign residents by the sector of borrower or guarantor, and by maturity (in two categories: One year or less, and over one year). The Federal Reserve System collects and processes this report on behalf of all three agencies.

II. Current Actions

On April 27, 2018, the Board requested comment for 60 days on a proposal to extend for three years, without revision, the FFIEC 019 report (83 FR 18564). The Board did not receive any comments on the proposal and is now submitting a request to OMB for review and approval to extend for three years, without revision, the FFIEC 019 report.

III. Request for Comment

The FFIEC 019 has remained substantially the same, including with respect to the reporting scope and thresholds, since its original adoption in May 1997. Although the agencies are not proposing any revisions to the FFIEC 019, they are interested in respondents' views on potential revisions they should consider in future proposals. This includes views on whether and how to adjust the $20 million minimum threshold for reporting a non-home foreign country exposure and whether to change the number of non-home foreign countries over that threshold that are reported.

Public comment is requested on all aspects of this notice. Comment is also specifically invited on:

a. Whether the information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the agencies' functions, including whether the information has practical utility;

b. The accuracy of the agencies' estimate of the burden of the 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 the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and

e. Estimates of capital or start up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

Comments submitted to the Board in response to this notice will be shared with the other agencies. All comments will become a matter of public record.