95-24245. Assessments  

  • [Federal Register Volume 60, Number 189 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
    [Rules and Regulations]
    [Pages 50400-50409]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 95-24245]
    
    
    
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    FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
    
    12 CFR Part 327
    
    RIN 3064-AB65
    
    
    Assessments
    
    AGENCY: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
    
    ACTION: Final rule.
    
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    SUMMARY: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is amending 
    its regulation on assessments in several ways.
        First, the FDIC is delaying the regular payment date for the first 
    quarterly assessment payment that insured institutions must make for 
    the first semiannual period of each year (first payment). The first 
    payment has been due on December 30 of the prior year. The FDIC is 
    changing the regular payment date to the January 2 (or the first 
    business day thereafter). But at the same time, the FDIC is giving 
    insured institutions the option of making the first payment on December 
    30 (or the prior business day). The FDIC's purpose in making this pair 
    of changes is to relieve certain institutions of the regulatory burden 
    of having to make an extra assessment payment in 1995, while at the 
    same time affording flexibility to other institutions to make such a 
    payment if they should so desire.
        Second, the FDIC is giving insured institutions the option of 
    paying double the amount of any quarterly payment, when the payment is 
    made on a payment date (regular or alternate, as the case may be) that 
    comes before the start of the quarter to which the payment pertains--
    i.e., on the March, June, September, and December payment dates. The 
    FDIC is adopting this change in response to a suggestion made by a 
    commenter. The FDIC believes the change will promote greater 
    flexibility in the assessment procedures.
        Third, the FDIC is replacing the interest rate to be applied to 
    underpayments and overpayments of assessments with a new, more 
    sensitive rate derived from the 3-month Treasury bill discount rate. 
    Rates set under the prior standard have rapidly become obsolete in 
    volatile interest-rate markets; the new standard is more sensitive to 
    current market conditions.
        Finally, the FDIC is shortening the timetable for announcing a 
    change in the assessment rate from 45 days to 15 days prior to the 
    invoice date. This change enables the FDIC to use the most up-to-date 
    information available for computing assessments, thereby benefiting 
    both the FDIC and the depository institutions.
    
    EFFECTIVE DATE: This rule is effective September 29, 1995, except the 
    amendments to Sec. 327.7 are effective October 30, 1995.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allan Long, Assistant Director, 
    Treasury Branch, Division of Finance (703) 516-5559; Claude A. Rollin, 
    Senior Counsel, 
    
    [[Page 50401]]
    Legal Division (202) 898-3985; or Jules Bernard, Counsel, Legal 
    Division, (202) 898-3731; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 
    Washington, D. C. 20429.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    
    A. Background
    
    1. The payment schedule
    
        On December 20, 1994, the FDIC adopted a new quarterly-collection 
    procedure for collecting deposit insurance assessments. See 59 FR 67153 
    (December 29, 1994). The quarterly-collection procedure became 
    effective April 1, 1995: it applies to the second semiannual assessment 
    period of 1995 (beginning July 1, 1995) and thereafter.
        The quarterly-collection procedure calls for the FDIC to collect 
    assessment payments four times a year, by means of FDIC-originated 
    direct debits through the Automated Clearing House network. Prior to 
    the final rule adopted here, each payment to be made for a calendar 
    quarter was due just prior to the start of that quarter.1 The 
    payment for the first calendar quarter of a year (first payment)--the 
    initial payment for the first semiannual period of the year--was due on 
    the prior December 30. The other regular payment dates followed suit. 
    The second-quarter payment was due on March 30. The payment for the 
    third quarter--the initial payment for the second semiannual period of 
    the year--was due on June 30. And the payment for the fourth quarter 
    was due on September 30. (In every case, if the scheduled payment date 
    fell on a holiday or a weekend, the payment was to be made by the 
    previous business day.)
    
        \1\ Thirty days before each regular payment date, the FDIC 
    provides to each institution an invoice showing the amount that the 
    institution must pay. The FDIC prepares the invoice from data that 
    the institution has reported in its report of condition for the 
    previous quarter. See 12 CFR 327.3(c) & (d).
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        The FDIC published the quarterly-collection procedure as a proposed 
    rule before adopting it. See 59 FR 29965 (June 10, 1994). The FDIC 
    received 51 comment letters on the proposal.
        Two commenters pointed out that the quarterly-collection procedure 
    would produce the so-called ``5 in 95'' anomaly. That is, institutions 
    would pay their full semiannual assessment for the first semiannual 
    period in 1995 in January, in accordance with the assessment 
    regulations then in effect. Institutions would also pay both quarterly 
    payments for the second semiannual period in 1995 (one at the end of 
    June; the other at the end of September). Then institutions would make 
    one more payment in 1995: the first payment for 1996. In effect, in 
    1995 they would pay assessments for 5 quarters.
        The two commenters asked the FDIC to move the payment date for the 
    first payment for 1996 from December 30, 1995, to January, 1996. In 
    response, the FDIC looked into the issue further.
        The FDIC concluded, as a result of its inquiry, that the ``5 in 
    95'' anomaly would have an adverse effect on relatively few 
    institutions. The FDIC therefore decided to retain the December payment 
    date. The FDIC recognized that the December 1995 payment date could 
    present a one-time problem for some institutions. But the FDIC 
    concluded that this situation was simply a by-product of the shift from 
    a semiannual to a quarterly collection procedure, and would not involve 
    an ``extra'' assessment payment. The FDIC further observed that this 
    timing issue would adversely affect only institutions that use cash-
    basis accounting. Finally, the FDIC pointed out that the commenters' 
    recommended solution--moving the December payment date to January--
    would not cure the problem if adopted only for a single year: the 
    problem would recur in 1996. Curing the problem would require a 
    permanent change in the December payment date. When the FDIC adopted 
    the regulation in final form, the FDIC retained the December 30 payment 
    date. See 59 FR 67153, 67157 ( December 29, 1994).
        Shortly after adopting the quarterly-collection procedure, however, 
    the FDIC began to receive information suggesting that more institutions 
    would be adversely affected by the December payment date than was 
    initially thought. Moreover, the Independent Bankers Association of 
    America (IBAA) issued a letter to the FDIC requesting the FDIC to 
    reconsider the issue in light of the December payment date's effect on 
    cash-basis institutions. The FDIC's Board of Directors viewed the 
    IBAA's request as a ``petition for the amendment of a regulation'' 
    within the meaning of the FDIC's policy statement ``Development and 
    Review of FDIC Rules and Regulations,'' 2 FED. DEPOSIT INS. CORP. LAWS, 
    REGULATIONS, RELATED ACTS 5057 (1984). The FDIC therefore proposed the 
    rule that is here adopted in final form. 60 FR 40776 (August 10, 1995).
        The final rule moves the regular payment date for the first payment 
    from December 30 of the prior year (or the preceding business day) to 
    January 2 (or the next business day) of the current year. The final 
    rule does not change the other regular payment dates.
    
    2. Doubled Payments
    
        Prior to the final rule adopted here, the FDIC's regulations did 
    not provide a standard method for institutions to pay amounts other 
    than the regular quarterly payments.
        The final rule gives each institution the option of paying double 
    the amount of a quarterly payment, if the payment is made on a payment 
    date (regular or alternate, as the case may be) that comes prior to the 
    start of the calendar quarter for which it is due. The final rule 
    specifies the methodology for making doubled payments.
    
    3. Interest on Underpaid and Overpaid Assessments
    
        The FDIC pays interest on amounts that insured institutions overpay 
    on their assessments, and charges interest on amounts by which insured 
    institutions underpay their assessments. The interest rate has been the 
    same in either case: namely, the United States Treasury Department's 
    current value of funds rate which is issued under the Treasury Fiscal 
    Requirements Manual (TFRM rate) and published in the Federal Register. 
    See 12 CFR 327.7(b).2
    
        \2\ The Treasury Fiscal Requirements Manual is now called the 
    Treasury Financial Manual.
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        The TFRM rate is based on aged data, however, and quickly becomes 
    obsolete in volatile interest-rate markets. For example, the rate set 
    for January through June, 1995, was based on the average rate data from 
    October, 1993, through September, 1994. The practical consequence is 
    that the TFRM rate for the January-to-June period in 1995 was 3% per 
    annum, when the actual market rate at that time was over 5% per annum.
        The FDIC is replacing the TFRM rate with a rate keyed to the 3-
    month Treasury bill discount rate. The new rate takes effect on January 
    1, 1996.
    
    4. The Assessment-Schedule Notice
    
        Under the FDIC's regulations, the semiannual assessment rate 
    schedule is announced in advance, along with the amount and basis for 
    any adjustment to the rate schedule. Prior to the final rule adopted 
    here, the announcement was to be made 45 days prior to the invoice 
    date--that is, the date on which the FDIC issues assessment invoice 
    notices to institutions--for the first quarter of the semiannual period 
    to which the adjusted assessment schedule applies. 12 CFR 
    327.9(b)(3)(ii).
        The final rule reduces the advance-notice period to 15 days. 
    
    [[Page 50402]]
    
    
    B. The Final Rule
    
    1. Payment Dates for First Payments
    
    a. The Regular Payment Date
        The final rule delays the first payment's regular payment date from 
    December 30 of the prior year to January 2 of the current year (or, if 
    January 2 is a holiday or weekend, the first business day thereafter). 
    Every institution will ordinarily make its first payment on that date. 
    In this regard, the final rule adopts the rule as proposed.
        The final rule is designed to protect cash-basis institutions 
    against the adverse consequences of having to make an extra assessment 
    payment during 1995. The remedy is necessarily a continuing one. 
    Accordingly, the FDIC has changed the payment date permanently.
        The FDIC believes that the delay in the payment date confers a 
    financial benefit to institutions, because they may earn additional 
    interest on the funds they retain for the additional time. The FDIC 
    does not consider that it is appropriate to give a benefit of this kind 
    to some institutions but not others, however. Accordingly, the FDIC is 
    changing the payment date for all institutions, not just for cash-basis 
    institutions.
        The FDIC further believes that most institutions have already 
    prepared to comply with the direct-debit procedures, and will suffer no 
    procedural disadvantage from the delayed payment date. The FDIC will 
    therefore follow the same procedures as before in collecting the first 
    payment.
    b. The Alternate Payment Date
        The FDIC recognizes, however, that some institutions may prefer the 
    existing payment schedule, notwithstanding the fact that they will be 
    making five payments during 1995. The final rule accommodates these 
    institutions. The final rule provides that an institution may elect to 
    pay its first payment for any year on an alternate payment date during 
    the prior December. The final rule adopts the rule as proposed in this 
    regard.
        The alternate payment date is December 30 of the prior year (or, if 
    December 30 is a holiday or a weekend, the preceding business day). The 
    FDIC will collect payments made on that date by electronically debiting 
    institutions' accounts, just as the FDIC collects other quarterly 
    assessment payments.
        In order to elect the December date, an institution must file a 
    certification to that effect by the preceding November 1. The election 
    is effective with respect to the first payment for the upcoming year, 
    and remains in effect until terminated.
        The institution must complete a pre-printed form supplied by the 
    FDIC to make the certification. The form will be available from the 
    FDIC's Division of Finance. The institution's chief financial officer, 
    or an officer designated by the institution's board of directors, must 
    sign the form. An electing institution must certify that it will pay 
    its first assessment on the alternate payment date.
        An institution may terminate its election of the December date in 
    the same way as it makes the election: By certifying that it is 
    terminating the election for an upcoming year. As in the case of the 
    original election, the institution must use a pre-printed form supplied 
    by the FDIC to make the certification, and must file the form by 
    November 1 of the prior year. The institution will then revert to the 
    regular payment schedule for the upcoming year and for all future 
    years.
        An institution that terminates an election may make a new election 
    at any time.
        The rule as proposed called for institutions to follow these 
    procedures. The final rule adopts the rule as proposed in this regard.
        The FDIC will not pay interest on payments made prior to the 
    regular payment date. If an institution elects the alternate payment 
    date, or otherwise pays an assessment before the regular payment date 
    for that payment, the FDIC will not pay interest on the amount that is 
    ordinarily to be paid on the regular payment date.
        Of course, it is possible for an institution that makes its payment 
    on the alternate payment date to pay an excess amount. The FDIC will 
    pay interest on the excess amount, but not on the amount due for the 
    quarterly payment. Furthermore, the FDIC will only pay such interest to 
    the same extent as if the institution had made the excess payment on 
    the regular payment date: That is, interest will not begin to run until 
    the day after the regular payment date. Conversely, if an institution 
    elects the alternate payment date, and underpays the amount due, the 
    FDIC will only charge interest on the amount of the underpayment 
    beginning on the day after the regular payment date.
        The proposed rule said that the FDIC would charge and pay interest 
    in the manner described here. The final rule adopts the proposed rule 
    in the regard.
        The FDIC believes that it is appropriate to allow the alternate 
    payment option for two reasons. The FDIC recognizes that institutions 
    that keep their books on an accrual basis are not materially harmed by 
    having to pay five quarters' worth of assessments in 1995. (By the same 
    token, these institutions are not materially harmed by delaying the 
    payment date from December to January.) Some of these institutions may 
    prefer to pay some or all of their first semiannual assessments on the 
    alternate payment date for their own business reasons. The FDIC further 
    recognizes that institutions may have arranged their affairs in the 
    expectation that the first payment for 1996 will be due in 1995. The 
    FDIC is providing the option of paying on the alternate payment date in 
    order to enable these institutions to avoid unnecessary disruption and 
    financial disadvantage.
    
    2. Doubled Payments
    
        The proposed rule said that, when an institution elects the 
    alternate payment date for the first payment, the institution may 
    further elect to pay either the amount of the first payment or twice 
    that amount. The final rule retains this point.
        One commenter suggested, however, that some institutions may want 
    to make a doubled payment at the start of the second semiannual 
    assessment period as well as at the start of the first one. The final 
    rule accommodates this suggestion.
        The final rule says that, whenever an institution makes a payment 
    on a payment date (regular or alternate, as the case may be) that comes 
    before the start of the quarter for which the payment is due, the 
    institution may make a doubled payment. In other words, institutions 
    may make doubled payments on March 30, June 30, September 30, and 
    December 30.
        The doubled-payment election would remain in effect from year to 
    year until terminated, but only for the selected payment date. If an 
    institution wished to make doubled payments for a second payment date, 
    the institution would file another election with respect to the second 
    date.
        The procedure enables institutions to make doubled payments at the 
    start of either or both semiannual periods, as they choose. The 
    procedure further gives an institution with a fiscal year that starts 
    at the beginning of the second or fourth calendar quarter the option of 
    making a doubled payment prior to that calendar quarter.
        The FDIC recognizes that cash-basis institutions may have fiscal 
    years that do not coincide with the calendar year. The FDIC is adopting 
    this option to give such institutions (and others) the flexibility to 
    schedule their payments as they see fit for their own financial 
    purposes. 
    
    [[Page 50403]]
    
        A doubled payment represents an approximation of the amount due for 
    two quarterly payments. The approximation is not intended to be exact. 
    Growing institutions will ordinarily owe an additional amount on the 
    next quarterly payment date; shrinking institutions will ordinarily 
    receive a credit.
        Doubled payments are not regarded as ``overpayments.'' The FDIC 
    will not pay interest on the extra amount so paid.
        The final rule differs from the proposed rule in that the procedure 
    for electing the doubled-payment option is split off from the procedure 
    for electing the alternate payment date. But the two procedures are 
    substantially alike.
        An institution that wishes to pay a doubled amount must file a 
    certification to that effect prior to the relevant regular payment 
    date. For the first payment, the certification must be filed by the 
    preceding November 1 (the same date as that for filing the 
    certification for the alternate payment date). For the other quarterly 
    payments, the certification must be filed by the first day of the month 
    prior to the relevant regular payment date: i.e., February 1, May 1, 
    August 1, and November 1, respectively. The doubled-payment election is 
    effective with respect to the payment made on the relevant payment date 
    and to all payment dates thereafter, until terminated.
        The institution must complete a pre-printed form supplied by the 
    FDIC to make the certification. The form will be available from the 
    FDIC's Division of Finance. The institution's chief financial officer, 
    or an officer designated by the institution's board of directors, must 
    sign the form. An electing institution must certify that it will pay 
    the doubled amount on the relevant payment date.
        An institution may terminate its election of the doubled-payment 
    option by certifying that it is terminating the election as of a 
    particular payment date. The institution must use a pre-printed form 
    supplied by the FDIC to make the certification, and must file the form 
    by the prior February 1, May 1, August 1, or November 1, as 
    appropriate. The institution will then pay the regular amount on the 
    relevant payment date and thereafter.
        An institution that terminates the doubled-payment election may 
    make a new election at any time. The new election is subject to the 
    same deadline.
    
    3. Interest on Underpaid and Overpaid Assessments
    
        The FDIC is replacing the interest rate that is applied to 
    underpaid assessments and overpaid assessments. The previous rate was 
    the TFRM rate (which is now 5.00% per annum), which is compounded 
    annually. The FDIC is replacing this rate with a more market-sensitive 
    rate: the coupon equivalent rate set on the 3-month Treasury bill at 
    the last auction held by the U.S. Treasury Department before the start 
    of each quarter. Interest will be compounded as of the first day of 
    each subsequent quarter. Currently, this rate is 5.51% per annum (see 
    below). The final rule adopts the rule as proposed in this regard.
        Interest begins to run on the day after the regular payment date 
    and continues to run through the day on which the debt is paid. 12 CFR 
    327.7(a)(3). The final rule changes the regular payment date for the 
    first payment for 1996 to January 2. Accordingly, interest on any 
    overpayments or underpayments due on that date will begin to run on 
    January 3 (even if an institution has elected the alternate payment 
    date).
        The next payment date is March 29 (March 30 being a Saturday). The 
    FDIC will ordinarily collect or repay the full amount of the January 
    overpayment or underpayment (plus interest) on that date by adjusting 
    the payment then due. Accordingly, interest on the January overpayment 
    or underpayment will run through March 29.
        The initial interest rate is the rate for the quarter for which 
    (but not generally in which) the payment will be made. The payment date 
    for the first quarter of 1996 is January 2, which falls within that 
    quarter. But the payment dates for the second, third, and fourth 
    calendar quarters are March 30, June 30, and September 30, respectively 
    (and if the regular payment date falls on a weekend or holiday, the 
    payment date is the preceding business day). Each of these payment 
    dates falls in the quarter preceding the quarter for which the payment 
    is due. Nevertheless, the initial interest rates on any underpayments 
    or overpayments of payments due on these dates are the rates for the 
    second, third, and fourth quarters, respectively.
        The final rule differs slightly from the proposed rule in setting 
    the interval during which the appropriate interest rate will be 
    applied. The proposed rule reset the rate at the end of each calendar 
    quarter, thereby introducing needless complexity, especially when the 
    payment date came after the end of the calendar quarter. The final rule 
    uses the quarterly-collection cycle to set the structure for resetting 
    the rate. The FDIC is making this change in order to simplify and 
    clarify the interest-rate procedure.
        Under the final rule, the initial interest rate on an overpayment 
    or underpayment applies to the amount in question beginning on the day 
    after the regular payment date (but not the alternate payment date) and 
    ending on the next regular payment date (but not the alternate payment 
    date). The FDIC resets the rate on the day following that next regular 
    payment date. If any portion of the overpayment or underpayment 
    (including interest) remains outstanding at that time, the FDIC applies 
    the new rate to the outstanding amount through the following regular 
    payment date (or until the overpayment or underpayment is discharged, 
    whichever comes first).
        If the rate had been in effect for the third quarter in 1995, the 
    FDIC would have computed interest on an overpayment or underpayment of 
    an amount due for that quarter as follows:
    
        The FDIC would have based the rate on the average rate for the 
    3-month Treasury bill set at the June 26, 1995, auction (settling on 
    June 29, 1995). On a bank discount rate basis (360-day year with no 
    compounding), the auction resulted in a 5.35% average rate. This 
    converts to a coupon equivalent rate of 5.51% according to the 
    United States Treasury Department.
        June 30 is the payment date. On the following day (July 1) the 
    FDIC would have begun to apply the 5.51% rate to overpayments or 
    underpayments collected on June 30. The outstanding amount would 
    ordinarily be repaid on the next collection day, which falls on 
    September 29 (September 30 being a Saturday).
        A $1 million overpayment collected on June 30 and refunded on 
    September 29 would have generated 91 days of interest: (91/366) X 
    .0551 X $1,000,000 = $13,699.73.3
    
        \3\ The third calendar quarter in 1995 falls within the leap-
    year cycle that begins on March 1, 1995, and ends on February 29, 
    1996.
    
        The FDIC is adopting the three-month Treasury rate because it is a 
    published rate that more closely (but not necessarily exactly) 
    approximates the market value of funds both for the institution and for 
    the FDIC. If an institution overpays its assessment, the FDIC will 
    return to the institution the benefit that the institution would have 
    been able to obtain by investing the excess amount. Conversely, if an 
    institution underpays its assessment, the institution will have to 
    restore to its fund--the Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) or the Savings 
    Association Insurance Fund (SAIF)--the economic value of the interest 
    that the fund would otherwise have earned.
        The FDIC will apply the new rate (and the quarterly compounding) 
    prospectively, not retroactively. The FDIC will apply the new rate to 
    quarterly payments due for the first quarter of 1996 and thereafter, 
    and to 
    
    [[Page 50404]]
    any outstanding amounts owed to or by the FDIC on and after January 1, 
    1996. For amounts owed to or by the FDIC during intervals prior to 
    January 1, 1996, the FDIC will continue to apply the then-current TFRM 
    rate (and the annual compounding) for those intervals.
    
    4. The Assessment-Schedule Notice
    
        The FDIC's assessment regulation specifies that the FDIC must 
    announce in advance the semiannual assessment rate schedule for BIF 
    members, together with the amount and basis for any adjustment to the 
    rate schedule. The FDIC must make the announcement 45 days before the 
    invoice date for the first payment of the semiannual period. 12 CFR 
    327.9(b)(3)(ii).
        The FDIC is amending this provision by reducing the advance-notice 
    period to 15 days. The amendment was not proposed for comment, and is 
    unrelated to the other amendments made by the final rule. The primary 
    reason for this technical amendment is to enable the FDIC to use more 
    current financial information to determine the assessment rate schedule 
    for the upcoming semiannual period.
        Under the final rule, the announcement date for the first 
    semiannual period moves from October 16 to November 15. The 
    announcement date for the second semiannual period moves from April 15 
    to May 15.
        When the FDIC adopted the 45-day advance notice period, the FDIC's 
    primary concern was to assure that there would be ample time after the 
    time the Board established an assessment rate schedule for the staff to 
    provide and issue assessment invoices to insured institutions. When the 
    Board issued the proposed and final rules on the BIF assessment 
    regulation it assumed the invoice preparation process would take up to 
    45 days.
        The FDIC's operating systems have improved, however. The FDIC now 
    believes that the invoice preparation process can be completed within a 
    15-day period. Reducing the advance-notice period from 45 days to 15 
    days would create an opportunity for the FDIC to utilize additional 
    information as it becomes available during the intervening 30 days. 
    This information would include, but would not be limited to, the 
    following:
         Updated fund balance information, which is calculated 
    monthly.
         Updated market information, including financial-market 
    data and economic conditions.
         Call Report data that reflect current revisions and 
    corrections and, therefore, are more complete.
        A shortening of the timetable for announcing a change in assessment 
    rates from 45 days to 15 days would provide the FDIC with additional 
    information that could be used to determine the appropriate assessment 
    rates for the upcoming semiannual assessment period. The FDIC could 
    utilize the relevant information to arrive at a more informed judgment 
    of the assessment rates necessary to maintain the BIF reserve ratio at 
    the statutorily mandated Designated Reserve Ratio, and to set the 
    ``adjustment factor'' for changes in the assessment rate schedule.
        It must be recognized that the institutions themselves will still 
    have 45 days' notice from the time the FDIC notifies them of the 
    assessment rate schedule to the time the payment is due. 12 CFR 327.3. 
    For example, the announcement notice for the payment due on January 1, 
    will be provided no later than November 15.
    
    C. Summary of Comments
    
        The FDIC's Board of Directors received comments for a period of 30 
    days. The Board considered that the shorter comment period was 
    necessary in order to implement the proposal within the available time-
    frame.
        The FDIC received 15 comments on the proposed rule: eight from 
    banks; five from bankers' associations; and two from bank holding 
    companies.
    
    1. Payment Dates for First Payments
    
    a. The Regular Payment Date
        Seven banks, all five bankers' associations, and one holding 
    company explicitly supported the January payment date.
        The remaining bank supported it implicitly. The bank did not 
    address the January payment date. Instead, the bank called for 
    equivalent changes to be made to the other payment dates: it said that 
    the payment dates for the second, third, and fourth calendar quarters 
    should each be moved to the start of those quarters. The FDIC believes 
    that a change of this kind raises questions of its own that would need 
    to be the subject of public comment. Accordingly, the FDIC is not 
    adopting the suggestion at this time, but is taking the issue under 
    advisement.
        The other holding company did not expressly comment on this matter. 
    The holding company did not object to the January payment date. The 
    holding company merely noted that it would probably elect the alternate 
    payment date for its subsidiaries.
    b. The Alternate Payment Date
        Five banks, all five bankers' associations, and one bank holding 
    company explicitly supported the proposal to allow institutions to make 
    their first payments on the alternate payment date.
        The bank holding company observed that it would have to file a 
    certification for each of its insured institutions. The holding company 
    did not ask the FDIC to alter the proposal on this point, and the FDIC 
    has not done so. Nevertheless, the FDIC will take under advisement the 
    issue of allowing bank holding companies to file the necessary 
    certifications on behalf of their banking subsidiaries.
        One bankers' association remarked that the term ``prepayment''--
    which was used in the proposed rule--might lead to adverse tax 
    consequences, and suggested labeling the earlier payment as an 
    ``alternate payment.'' The FDIC has adopted this suggestion.
        One bank objected to the alternate payment date. The bank said it 
    could not see why any financial institution would avail itself of the 
    option. The bank further declared that banks would be required to 
    choose the option, and the FDIC would be required to keep track of the 
    choices, as well as contend with two payment schedules. The bank 
    declared that the option would thereby create unnecessary work for both 
    regulators and regulated institutions--and could even lead to the 
    alternate payment date eventually becoming required once more. The FDIC 
    does not consider, however, that the alternate payment date creates 
    excessive work either for itself or for insured institutions. The FDIC 
    further believes that many institutions may well take advantage of the 
    alternate payment date, and that the benefits of this option far 
    outweigh its costs.
        Two banks and one holding company did not address this issue.
        One bank and one bank holding company said the election should 
    remain in effect until revoked. The rule as proposed so provided; the 
    final rule does so as well.
    
    2. Doubled Payments
    
        Four banks, three bankers' associations, and one bank holding 
    company expressly supported the doubled-payment option.
        One bankers' association asked the FDIC to make the doubled-payment 
    option available to institutions that make their first quarterly 
    payment on the regular January payment date, and not merely to those 
    that elect the alternate December payment date. The FDIC has considered 
    this matter and has concluded that few or no institutions would want to 
    make a doubled payment after the beginning of a calendar quarter. 
    
    [[Page 50405]]
    Accordingly, the FDIC believes that it is sufficient to offer the 
    doubled-payment option for the December payment date.
        The same bankers' association suggested that the FDIC should offer 
    the doubled-payment option for payments due in the second semiannual 
    period too. The FDIC has adopted and expanded upon this suggestion, by 
    making the doubled-payment option available on all payment dates 
    (including the alternate payment date) that occur before the start of 
    the quarter to which the payment applies.
        The other commenters did not focus on the doubled-payment issue.
    
    3. Interest on Underpaid and Overpaid Assessments
    
        None of the commenters objected to the FDIC's proposal to cease 
    using the TFRM rate.
        Five banks, two bankers' associations, and one bank holding company 
    supported the FDIC's proposal to use the coupon equivalent rate on the 
    3-month Treasury bill.
        Two banks, two bankers' associations, and one bank holding company 
    did not address this point.
        One banker's association said that an appropriate interest rate 
    should meet three criteria:
    
    --The rate should have a neutral impact on business decisions;
    --The rate should be reasonably stable; and
    --The rate should be publicly available.
    
        The FDIC considers that the rate adopted in this final rule--
    namely, the coupon equivalent rate set on the 3-month Treasury bill at 
    the last auction held by the U.S. Treasury Department before the start 
    of each quarter--meets these criteria.
        The bankers' association called upon the FDIC to use the Federal 
    Funds rate averaged over the quarter of the overpayments and 
    underpayments; one bank also called on the FDIC to adopt the Federal 
    Funds rate. The bank said that the Federal Funds rate was the rate it 
    would have received on the funds but for the overcharge. The bankers' 
    association likewise said that the Federal Funds rate represents the 
    true alternative cost of funds to insured institutions. The FDIC 
    considers, however, that it is more appropriate to use the rate set at 
    the Treasury auction because the FDIC invests its funds with the 
    Treasury Department, and not in the Federal Funds market.
        The bankers' association pointed out that any mechanism for 
    selecting a rate that is based on a single date can be subject to 
    volatility. The bankers' association suggested that, as an alternative, 
    the FDIC should consider using an average of the rates set in the last 
    four weekly Treasury auctions prior to the start of a quarter. The 
    bankers' association said the one-month average would produce a more 
    stable, yet still current, market rate. The FDIC considers, however, 
    that it is more appropriate to use the rate generated in the most 
    recent Treasury auction because that rate more closely represents the 
    rate in effect at the time the FDIC collects the overpayment or 
    underpayment.
    
    4. The Assessment-Schedule Notice
    
        The FDIC did not ask for comments on this amendment.
    
    D. Effect on the Insurance Funds
    
    1. Payment Dates for First Payments
    
    a. The Regular Payment Date
        The shift in the payment date for first payments is not expected to 
    have any substantial adverse impact on the insurance funds.
        In the case of the BIF, the maximum amount of the interest foregone 
    as a result of delaying the collection is not expected to exceed 
    $600,000. The actual amount of the foregone interest is likely to be 
    considerably less, as many BIF members can be expected to take 
    advantage of the alternate payment date. Accordingly, the FDIC 
    considers that the BIF will not suffer any material harm by the loss of 
    this revenue.
        In the case of the SAIF, the foregone interest is not expected to 
    exceed $108,000. Here again, the actual amount is likely to be 
    considerably less. While this sum is not insubstantial, the FDIC 
    believes that its loss will not materially harm the SAIF under current 
    conditions, and will not impede the SAIF's progress toward 
    recapitalization.
    b. The Alternate Payment Date
        The alternate payment date would benefit the funds. The funds would 
    receive payments from institutions that elect this option several days 
    before the funds would otherwise do so. The funds would therefore have 
    the use of the money, without being obliged to pay interest.
    
    2. Doubled Payments
    
        The doubled-payment option, like the alternate payment date, would 
    benefit the funds. The funds would receive payments in advance, and 
    would not be required to pay interest on them.
    
    3. Interest on Underpaid and Overpaid Assessments
    
        The change from the TFRM rate to the new rate is not expected to 
    have any material adverse impact on either the BIF or the SAIF. The net 
    yearly amount routinely subject to the interest rate--that is, the net 
    of the amounts that institutions routinely overpay, minus the amounts 
    they routinely underpay--is approximately $2,000,000 per year in the 
    aggregate for both funds.
        This amount represents a net overpayment. It is outstanding for 60 
    days on average; accordingly, at the TFRM rate, the FDIC has ordinarily 
    paid out a net annual amount of approximately $16,000 in interest. 
    Under the new rate, the FDIC will pay out approximately $18,000 
    yearly--for a net change to the funds of just $2,000.
    
    4. The Assessment-Schedule Notice
    
        The change in the assessment-schedule notice would not affect the 
    funds.
    
    E. Assessment of the Reporting or Record-Keeping Requirements
    
    1. Payment Dates for First Payments
    
    a. The Regular Payment Date
        The final rule delays the payment date for the first payment of 
    each year, without changing the procedures that institutions must 
    follow in order to make that payment. The FDIC considers that, in this 
    regard, the final rule's reporting or record-keeping requirements will 
    be minimal.
    b. The Alternate Payment Date
        The FDIC further believes that the burden of the one-time filing to 
    elect the alternate payment date will be so small as to be immaterial. 
    The final rule does not require the institution to retain the 
    certification form, or to file a new certification each year, or to 
    keep any other new records.
    
    2. Doubled Payments
    
        In the same vein, the FDIC believes that the burden of the one-time 
    filing to elect the doubled-payment option will be so small as to be 
    immaterial. The final rule does not require the institution to retain 
    the certification form, or to file a new certification each year, or to 
    keep any other new records.
    
    3. Interest on Underpaid and Overpaid Assessments
    
        The changes in the interest rate will have no effect on the 
    reporting or record-keeping requirements of insured institutions.
    
    4. The Assessment-Schedule Notice
    
        The change in the assessment-schedule notice would not affect the 
    reporting or record-keeping requirements of insured institutions. 
    
    [[Page 50406]]
    
    
    F. Effect on Competition
    
        The regulation is not expected to have any effect on competition 
    among insured depository institutions.
    
    G. Relationship of the Regulation to Other Government Regulations
    
        The regulation is not expected to have any impact on other 
    government regulations.
    
    H. Cost-Benefit Analysis
    
    1. Payment Dates for First Payments
    
    a. The Regular Payment Date
        The FDIC believes that the January payment date will not impose any 
    new costs on institutions. On the contrary, it will benefit them by 
    allowing them to retain the use of their funds for an extra interval. 
    The final rule will provide a special benefit to cash-basis 
    institutions by eliminating an expense they will otherwise have 
    sustained in 1995.
    b. The Alternate Payment Date
        The alternate payment date will provide significant benefits. The 
    FDIC believes that institutions will elect the alternate payment date 
    only if doing so is advantageous to them. On the other hand, the only 
    costs incurred by electing institutions are the costs of signing and 
    submitting the certification. The FDIC considers that those costs are 
    not likely to be material.
    
    2. Doubled Payments
    
        In the same vein, institutions will elect the doubled-payment 
    option only if doing so will provide a significant benefit to them. The 
    only costs incurred by electing institutions are the costs of signing 
    and submitting the certification, which are not likely to be material.
    
    3. Interest on Underpaid and Overpaid Assessments
    
        The change from the TFRM rate to the new rate will likewise impose 
    minimal costs on institutions. The net amount at issue will not be 
    material in the aggregate. For any particular institution, the net 
    effect of the change will be impossible to predict, because the 
    relationship between the TFRM rate and the new rate varies from one 
    interval to another.
        Accordingly, the FDIC believes that the benefits of the final rule 
    will likely outweigh any costs it might impose.
    
    4. The Assessment-Schedule Notice
    
        The change in the assessment-schedule notice does not impose any 
    direct costs on insured institutions. Indirectly, the change is 
    expected to provide a benefit to them, by reducing the likelihood of 
    errors in the assessment process.
    
    I. Other Approaches Considered
    
    1. Retaining the Status Quo
    
    a. The Payment Schedule
        The FDIC considered retaining the current schedule without change. 
    As noted above, however, the FDIC recognizes that it was responsible 
    for establishing the original December 1995 payment date. The FDIC 
    further recognizes that cash-basis institutions--ones that keep their 
    financial records and make their financial reports on a cash basis--
    might be adversely affected if they were required to make a payment on 
    that date. The FDIC believes that, if it can mitigate harm of this kind 
    by modifying its regulations, it should make every effort to do so.
    b. Interest on Underpaid and Overpaid Assessments
        The FDIC also considered retaining the TFRM rate without change. 
    The FDIC believed, however, that the rigidities and delays inherent in 
    the TFRM rate militate against retaining this interest-rate standard.
    
    2. Alternative Proposal
    
    a. The Payment Schedule
        The FDIC considered retaining the current payment schedule, while 
    giving cash-basis institutions the option of electing to defer their 
    first payment until January.
        This alternative proposal focused narrowly on the one-time 
    disadvantage that cash-basis institutions will suffer in 1995, and 
    aimed at protecting those institutions against that disadvantage. 
    Accordingly, the alternative proposal did not offer the deferred-
    payment option to non-cash-basis institutions, and did not offer the 
    option to any institutions after 1995.
        Under the alternative proposal, institutions that exercised the 
    option by November 1, 1995, would have made their first payment for 
    1996 on the first business day following January 1, 1996, and would 
    have continued thereafter to make the first payment on the first 
    business day of the year. Institutions that failed to exercise the 
    option by November 1, 1995, would have had to make all their payments 
    according to the regular payment schedule.
        After an institution had made the election, the institution could 
    have terminated the election--thereby reverting to the regular payment 
    schedule--by so certifying to the FDIC in writing. For the termination 
    to be effective for a given year, the institution would have had to 
    provide the certification to that effect to the FDIC no later than 
    November 1 of the prior year. The termination would have been 
    permanent. The FDIC would not have charged interest on the delayed 
    payments.
        The FDIC has chosen to issue the final rule, rather than the 
    alternative proposal, for two reasons. The approach set forth in the 
    final rule is more evenhanded: all institutions will have the benefit 
    of the later payment date, and all will have an equal opportunity to 
    earn additional interest on their funds. The final rule also provides 
    greater flexibility to all institutions to plan the timing of their 
    expenses.
    b. Interest on Underpaid and Overpaid Assessments
        The FDIC also considered replacing the single TFRM rate with a pair 
    of rates: namely, the composite yield at market of the BIF and SAIF 
    portfolios, respectively. These rates would have been determined 
    retrospectively, because they are generated by looking at the interest 
    that the portfolios actually earned. For the second quarter of 1995, 
    the rates would have been 5.70% for the BIF and 5.61% for the SAIF.
        The FDIC would have adopted the ``composite yield at market'' rate 
    on the theory that such a rate would represent the FDIC's actual 
    benefits (or costs) from the overcollection (or undercollection) of 
    assessments. If an institution overpaid its assessment, the FDIC would 
    have returned to the institution the full benefit that the FDIC had 
    received from the overpayment. Conversely, if an institution underpaid 
    its assessment, the institution would have restored to its fund the 
    economic value of the interest the fund will otherwise have earned, 
    making the fund whole.
        The FDIC has adopted the new rate, rather than the ``composite 
    yield at market'' rate, for two reasons. First, the new rate is based 
    on a published rate, not on proprietary information, and is easier for 
    people in the private sector to determine. Second, the new rate is 
    intended to approximate the market value of the funds--that is, the 
    interest that an institution earned or may have earned by investing the 
    funds--rather than the vagaries of the investment portfolios of the BIF 
    and the SAIF.
    
    J. Effective Dates
    
    1. Payment Dates for First Payments
    
    a. The Regular Payment Date
        The FDIC is making the change in the payment date for the first 
    payment effective upon publication in the Federal Register. The Board 
    of Directors 
    
    [[Page 50407]]
    has determined that the new payment schedule ``relieves a restriction'' 
    within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(1), because it delays the date on 
    which the FDIC regularly collects the first payments, and thereby 
    allows institutions to retain their funds for an extra interval. The 
    Board of Directors has further determined that there is ``good cause'' 
    to make this aspect of the final rule effective upon adoption because 
    institutions should have as much time as possible to adjust to the new 
    collection schedule and to decide whether to take advantage of the 
    election options provided by the final rule.
        The FDIC is making this revision to the payment schedule effective 
    at once, rather than delaying the effective date for 30 days, see 5 
    U.S.C. 553(d).
    b. The Alternate Payment Date
        The Board of Directors has likewise determined that there is ``good 
    cause'' to make the final rule effective upon adoption with respect to 
    the availability of the alternate payment date because institutions 
    should have as much time as possible to decide whether to take 
    advantage of this option.
        The FDIC is also making this revision to the payment schedule 
    effective at once, rather than delaying the effective date for 30 days, 
    see 5 U.S.C. 553(d).
    
    2. Doubled Payments
    
        The Board of Directors has determined that the doubled-payment 
    option ``relieves a restriction'' within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 
    553(d)(1), because it gives institutions additional flexibility to 
    arrange their financial affairs. In addition, the Board of Directors 
    has determined that there is ``good cause'' to make the final rule 
    effective upon adoption with respect to the doubled-payment option 
    because institutions should have as much time as possible to decide 
    whether to take advantage of this option.
        The FDIC is making this revision to the payment schedule effective 
    at once, rather than delaying the effective date for 30 days, see 5 
    U.S.C. 553(d).
    
    3. Interest on Underpaid and Overpaid Assessments
    
        The FDIC is making the revision of the interest rate effective 30 
    days after publication of the final rule in the Federal Register, in 
    accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(d).
    
    4. The Assessment-Schedule Notice
    
        The FDIC considers that the decision to establish an advance-notice 
    period--and, accordingly, the decision to shorten the period--is a rule 
    of ``agency * * * practice'' within the meaning of the Administrative 
    Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), and that notice and comment are therefore 
    not required. The advance-notice period is not required by statute. The 
    FDIC has adopted the advance-notice period sua sponte, reflecting ``the 
    FDIC's intent promptly to make public the basis for any Board decision 
    to adjust the rate schedule.'' See 60 FR 42680, 42740.
        The FDIC designed the original advance-notice period with its own 
    internal constraints in mind, and those constraints have changed. 
    Accordingly, the Board of Directors has determined that there is good 
    cause to shorten the advance-notice period without the notice and 
    public participation that are ordinarily required by the Administrative 
    Procedure Act.
        Furthermore, the Board of Directors has determined that good cause 
    exists for waiving the customary 30-day delayed effective date. The 
    FDIC has only recently made the determination that the BIF has 
    recapitalized. The Board considers that it is particularly important 
    that the revenue to be generated in the current assessment cycle will 
    accurately reflect the current status of the BIF and the assessment 
    bases of the institutions.
        The FDIC is therefore making this revision to the payment schedule 
    effective at once, rather than delaying the effective date for 30 days, 
    see 5 U.S.C. 553(d).
    
    K. Paperwork Reduction Act
    
        The proposed rule would have provided that, if an institution 
    selected the alternate payment date, the institution could then select 
    the doubled-payment option as well. Because the two elections were 
    linked, the FDIC developed a single form for them: the form for 
    electing the alternate payment date also asked institutions to specify 
    the amount they would pay.
        The FDIC was concerned that, by asking for this additional piece of 
    information, the FDIC was engaging in the ``collection of information'' 
    within the meaning of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44 U.S.C. 
    3501 et seq.). Accordingly, the FDIC asked the Office of Management and 
    Budget (OMB) to review the proposal and submitted the proposed form to 
    OMB for approval. OMB has approved the collection of information and 
    the form.
        The final rule does away with the need for OMB's review and 
    approval, however. The final differs from the proposed rule by 
    separating the procedure for selecting the alternate payment date from 
    the procedure for selecting the doubled-payment option. Each procedure 
    has its own form. Each form contains the appropriate certification and 
    specifies the initial payment with respect to which the institution is 
    making the election.
        An institution that signs a form does no more than identify itself. 
    Self-identification in this manner does not constitute ``information'' 
    within the meaning of the Paperwork Reduction Act.
    
    L. Regulatory Flexibility Act
    
        The Board hereby certifies that the final rule will not have a 
    significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities 
    within the meaning of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et 
    seq.) The final rule mitigates a cost incurred by certain smaller 
    entities--namely, cash-basis depository institutions--that arises from 
    the one-time shift from the semiannual assessment process to the new 
    quarterly assessment schedule. The final rule further confers a benefit 
    on all institutions (including smaller institutions) by allowing them 
    to earn interest on their funds for an additional interval.
        To the extent that an institution might incur a cost in connection 
    with preparing and submitting the paperwork necessary to make the 
    election, the FDIC believes that the cost will be minimal, and will be 
    far outweighed by the resulting benefit. In any case, each 
    institution's decision to make the election is purely voluntary: The 
    final rule does not compel an institution to accept any cost of this 
    kind.
    
    List of Subjects in 12 CFR Part 327
    
        Bank deposit insurance, Banks, Banking, Freedom of information, 
    Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Savings associations.
    
        For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Board of Directors of 
    the FDIC is amending 12 CFR Part 327 as follows:
    
    PART 327--ASSESSMENTS
    
        1. The authority citation for part 327 continues to read as 
    follows:
    
        Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1441, 1441b, 1817-1819.
        2. Section 327.3 is amended by revising paragraphs (c)(2), (d)(2), 
    (e), and (f) and by adding paragraphs (c)(3) and (j) to read as 
    follows:
    
    
    Sec. 327.3  Payment of semiannual assessments.
    
    * * * * *
        (c) * * *
        (2) Payment date and manner. Except as provided in paragraphs 
    (c)(3) and (j) 
    
    [[Page 50408]]
    of this section, the Corporation will cause the amount stated in the 
    applicable invoice to be directly debited on the appropriate regular 
    payment date from the deposit account designated by the insured 
    depository institution for that purpose, as follows:
        (i) In the case of the first quarterly payment for a semiannual 
    period that begins on January 1, the regular payment date is January 2; 
    and
        (ii) In the case of the first quarterly payment for a semiannual 
    period that begins on July 1, the regular payment date is the preceding 
    June 30.
        (3) Alternate payment date.--(i) Election. An insured depository 
    institution may elect to pay the first quarterly payment for a 
    semiannual period that begins on January 1 of a current year on the 
    alternate payment date. The alternate payment date is December 30 of 
    the prior year.
        (ii) Certification. (A) In order to elect the alternate payment 
    date with respect to a current semiannual period, an institution must 
    so certify in writing in advance. In order for the election to be 
    effective with respect to the current semiannual period, the 
    Corporation must receive the certification no later than the prior 
    November 1.
        (B) The certification shall be made on a pre-printed form provided 
    by the Corporation. The form shall be signed by the institution's chief 
    financial officer or such other officer as the institution's board of 
    directors may designate for that purpose. The form shall be sent to the 
    attention of the Chief of the Assessment Operations Section of the 
    Corporation's Division of Finance. An institution may obtain the form 
    from the Corporation's Division of Finance.
        (C) The election of the alternate payment date shall be effective 
    with respect to the semiannual period specified in the certification 
    and thereafter, until terminated.
        (iii) Termination. (A) An insured depository institution may 
    terminate its election of the alternate payment date, and thereby 
    revert to the regular payment date, by so certifying in writing to the 
    Corporation in advance. In order for the termination to be effective 
    for a current semiannual period, the Corporation must receive the 
    termination certification no later than the prior November 1.
        (B) The termination certification shall be made on a pre-printed 
    form provided by the Corporation. The form shall be signed by the 
    institution's chief financial officer or such other officer as the 
    institution's board of directors may designate for that purpose. The 
    form shall be sent to the attention of the Chief of the Assessment 
    Operations Section of the Corporation's Division of Finance. An 
    institution may obtain the form from the Corporation's Division of 
    Finance.
        (C) The termination shall be permanent, except that an institution 
    that has terminated an election may make a new election under paragraph 
    (c)(3)(i) of this section.
        (iv) Manner of payment. Except as provided in paragraph (j) of this 
    section, if an insured depository institution elects the alternate 
    payment date, the Corporation will cause the amount stated in the 
    applicable invoice to be directly debited on the alternate payment date 
    from the deposit account designated by the insured depository 
    institution for that purpose.
        (d) Second-quarterly payment. * * *
        (2) Except as provided in paragraph (j) of this section, the 
    Corporation will cause the amount stated in the applicable invoice to 
    be directly debited on the appropriate regular payment date from the 
    deposit account designated by the insured depository institution for 
    that purpose, as follows:
        (i) In the case of the second quarterly payment for a semiannual 
    period that begins on January 1, the regular payment date is March 30; 
    and
        (ii) In the case of the second quarterly payment for a semiannual 
    period that begins on July 1, the regular payment date is September 30.
        (e) Necessary action, sufficient funding by institution. Each 
    insured depository institution shall take all actions necessary to 
    allow the Corporation to debit assessments from the insured depository 
    institution's designated deposit account. Each insured depository 
    institution shall, prior to each payment date indicated in paragraphs 
    (c)(2), (c)(3)(i), and (d)(2) of this section, ensure that funds in an 
    amount at least equal to the invoiced amount (or twice the invoiced 
    amount if the insured depository institution has elected the doubled-
    payment option pursuant to paragraph (j) of this section) are available 
    in the designated account for direct debit by the Corporation. Failure 
    to take any such action or to provide such funding of the account shall 
    be deemed to constitute nonpayment of the assessment.
        (f) Business days. If a payment date specified in paragraph 
    (c)(2)(i) falls on a date that is not a business day, the applicable 
    date shall be the following business day. If a payment date specified 
    in paragraph (c)(1), (c)(2)(ii), (c)(3)(i), or (d)(2) of this section 
    falls on a date that is not a business day, the applicable date shall 
    be the previous business day.
    * * * * *
        (j) Doubled-payment option.--(1) Election. In the case of a 
    quarterly payment to be made on March 30, on June 30, on September 30, 
    or on the alternate payment date, an insured depository institution may 
    elect to pay twice the amount of such quarterly payment.
        (2) Certification. (i) In order to elect the doubled-payment option 
    with respect to a selected payment date, an institution must so certify 
    in writing to the Corporation in advance. In order for the election to 
    be effective, the Corporation must receive the certification by the 
    following dates: in the case of a quarterly payment to be made on March 
    30, June 30, or September 30, the Corporation must receive the 
    certification no later than the prior February 1, May 1, or August 1, 
    respectively; in the case of a quarterly payment to be made on the 
    alternate payment date, the Corporation must receive the certification 
    by the prior November 1.
        (ii) The certification shall be made on a pre-printed form provided 
    by the Corporation. The form shall be signed by the institution's chief 
    financial officer or such other officer as the institution's board of 
    directors may designate for that purpose. The form shall be sent to the 
    attention of the Chief of the Assessment Operations Section of the 
    Corporation's Division of Finance. An institution may obtain the form 
    from the Corporation's Division of Finance.
        (iii) The election shall be effective with respect to the selected 
    quarterly payment for the year specified in the certification and with 
    respect to subsequent quarterly payments made on the selected payment 
    date in subsequent years, until the election is terminated.
        (3) Termination. (i) An insured depository institution may 
    terminate its election of the doubled-payment option for a selected 
    payment date by so certifying in writing to the Corporation in advance. 
    In order for the termination to be effective, the Corporation must 
    receive the termination certification by the following dates: In the 
    case of a quarterly payment to be made on March 30, June 30, or 
    September 30, the Corporation must receive the termination 
    certification no later than the prior February 1, May 1, or August 1, 
    respectively; in the case of a quarterly payment to be made on the 
    alternate payment date, the Corporation must receive the termination 
    certification by the prior November 1.
        (ii) The termination certification shall be made on a pre-printed 
    form provided by the Corporation. The form shall be signed by the 
    institution's chief financial officer or such other officer as 
    
    [[Page 50409]]
    the institution's board of directors may designate for that purpose. 
    The form shall be sent to the attention of the Chief of the Assessment 
    Operations Section of the Corporation's Division of Finance. An 
    institution may obtain the form from the Corporation's Division of 
    Finance.
        (iii) The termination shall be permanent, except that an 
    institution that has terminated its election of the doubled-payment 
    option for a selected payment date may make a new election.
        (4) Manner of payment. If an insured depository institution elects 
    the doubled-payment option for a selected payment date, the Corporation 
    will cause an amount equal to twice the amount stated in the applicable 
    invoice to be directly debited on the selected payment date from the 
    deposit account designated by the insured depository institution for 
    that purpose.
        3. Section 327.7 is amended by revising paragraphs (a)(2), (a)(3), 
    and (b) and adding paragraph (c) to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 327.7  Payment of interest on assessment underpayments and 
    overpayments.
    
        (a) * * *
        (2) Payment by Corporation. (i) The Corporation will pay interest 
    on any overpayment by the institution of its assessment.
        (ii) When an institution elects the alternate payment date pursuant 
    to Sec. 327.3(c)(3), or otherwise pays an amount due on a regular 
    payment date before that date, the payment of the invoiced amount prior 
    to the regular payment date shall not be regarded as an overpayment of 
    an assessment.
        (iii) When an institution elects the doubled-payment option 
    pursuant to Sec. 327.3(j), the payment of any amount in excess of the 
    invoiced amount shall not be regarded as an overpayment of an 
    assessment.
        (3) Accrual of interest. (i) Interest on an amount owed to or by 
    the Corporation for the underpayment or overpayment of an assessment 
    shall accrue interest at the relevant interest rate.
        (ii) Interest on an amount specified in paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this 
    section shall begin to accrue on the day following the regular payment 
    date, as provided for in Sec. 327.3(c)(2) and (d)(2), for the amount so 
    overpaid or underpaid, provided, however, that interest shall not begin 
    to accrue on any overpayment until the day following the date such 
    overpayment was received by the Corporation. Interest shall continue to 
    accrue through the date on which the overpayment or underpayment 
    (together with any interest thereon) is discharged.
        (iii) The relevant interest rate shall be redetermined for each 
    quarterly assessment interval. A quarterly assessment interval begins 
    on the day following a regular payment date, as specified in 
    Sec. 327.3(c)(2) and (d)(2), and ends on the immediately following 
    regular payment date.
        (b) Rates after the first payment date in 1996. (1) On and after 
    January 3, 1996, the relevant interest rate for a quarterly assessment 
    interval that includes the month of January, April, July, and October, 
    respectively, is the coupon equivalent yield of the average discount 
    rate set on the 3-month Treasury bill at the last auction held by the 
    United States Treasury Department during the preceding December, March, 
    June, and September, respectively.
        (2) The relevant interest rate for a quarterly assessment interval 
    will apply to any amounts overpaid or underpaid on the payment date 
    (whether regular or alternate) immediately prior to the beginning of 
    the quarterly assessment interval. The relevant interest rate will also 
    apply to any amounts owed for previous overpayments or underpayments 
    (including any interest thereon) that remain outstanding, after any 
    adjustments to such overpayments or underpayments have been made 
    thereon, at the end of the regular payment date immediately prior to 
    the beginning of the quarterly assessment interval.
        (c) Rates prior to the first payment date in 1996. Through January 
    3, 1996--
        (1) The interest rate will be the United States Treasury 
    Department's current value of funds rate which is issued under the 
    Treasury Fiscal Requirements Manual (TFRM rate) and published in the 
    Federal Register;
        (2) The interest will be calculated based on the rate issued under 
    the TFRM for each applicable period and compounded annually;
        (3) For the initial year, the rate will be applied to the gross 
    amount of the underpayment or overpayment; and
        (4) For each additional year or portion thereof, the rate will be 
    applied to the net amount of the underpayment or overpayment after that 
    amount has been reduced by the assessment credit, if any, for the year.
        4. Section 327.9 is amended by removing the number ``45'' in 
    paragraph (b)(3)(ii) and adding in lieu thereof the number ``15''.
    
        By order of the Board of Directors.
    
        Dated at Washington, D.C. this 26th day of September, 1995.
    
    Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
    Jerry L. Langley,
    Executive Secretary.
    [FR Doc. 95-24245 Filed 9-28-95; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 6714-01-P
    
    

Document Information

Effective Date:
9/29/1995
Published:
09/29/1995
Department:
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Entry Type:
Rule
Action:
Final rule.
Document Number:
95-24245
Dates:
This rule is effective September 29, 1995, except the amendments to Sec. 327.7 are effective October 30, 1995.
Pages:
50400-50409 (10 pages)
RINs:
3064-AB65
PDF File:
95-24245.pdf
CFR: (3)
12 CFR 327.3(c)(2)
12 CFR 327.3
12 CFR 327.7