2023-22734. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Extension: Rule 10b-17

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549–2736

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (“PRA”) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) a request for approval of extension of the previously approved collection of information provided for in Rule 10b–17 (17 CFR 240.10b–17), under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.).

Rule 10b–17 requires any issuer of a class of securities publicly traded by the use of any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce or of the mails or of any facility of any national securities exchange to give notice of the following specific distributions relating to such class of securities: (1) a dividend or other distribution in cash or in kind other than interest payments on debt securities; (2) a stock split or reverse stock split; or (3) a rights or other subscription offering. Notice shall be either given to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. as successor to the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or in accordance with the procedures of the national securities exchange upon which the securities are registered. The Commission may exempt an issuer of over-the-counter (but not listed) securities from the notice requirement. The requirements of Rule 10b–17 do not apply to redeemable securities of registered open-end investment companies or unit investment trusts.

The information required by Rule 10b–17 is necessary for the execution of the Commission's mandate under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prevent fraudulent, manipulative, and deceptive acts and practices. The Commission has found that not requiring formal notices of the types of distributions covered by Rule 10b–17 has led to a number of abuses including purchasers not being aware of their rights to such distributions. It is only through formal notice of the distribution, including the date of the distribution, that current holders, potential buyers, or potential sellers of the securities at issue will know their rights to the distribution and make an informed decision as to whether to buy or sell a security.

There are approximately 7,588 respondents per year. These respondents make approximately 29,952 responses per year. Each response takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Thus, the total hour burden per year is approximately 4,992 hours. The total internal labor cost of compliance for respondents associated with providing notice under Rule 10b–17 is approximately $431,258.88.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information under the PRA unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The public may view background documentation for this information collection at the following website: www.reginfo.gov. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent by November 15, 2023 to (i) www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain and (ii) David Bottom, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o John Pezzullo, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549, or by sending an email to: [e-mail].

Dated: October 10, 2023.

Sherry R. Haywood,

Assistant Secretary.