2021-24129. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

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

Extension:

Rules 17Ad-15

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 17Ad-15 (17 CFR 240.17Ad-15) (“Rule 17Ad-15”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq. ) (“Exchange Act”).

Rule 17Ad-15 requires every registered transfer agent to establish written standards for the acceptance of guarantees of securities transfers from eligible guarantor institutions. Every registered transfer agent is also required to establish procedures, including written guidelines where appropriate, to ensure that the transfer agent uses those standards to determine whether to accept or reject guarantees from eligible guarantor institutions. In implementing these requirements, the Commission's purpose is to ensure that registered transfer agents treat eligible guarantor institutions equitably.

Additionally, Rule 17Ad-15 requires every registered transfer agent to make and maintain records in the event the transfer agent determines to reject signature guarantees from eligible guarantor institutions. Registered transfer agents' records must include, following the date of rejection, a record of the rejected transfer, along with the reason for rejection, the identification of the guarantor, and an indication whether the guarantor failed to meet the transfer agent's guarantee standards.

Rule 17Ad-15 requires registered transfer agents to maintain these records for a period of three years. The Commission designed these mandatory recordkeeping requirements to assist the Commission and other regulatory agencies with monitoring registered transfer agents and ensuring compliance with the rule. This rule does not involve the collection of confidential information.

The Commission estimates that approximately 366 registered transfer agents will spend a total of approximately 14,640 hours per year complying with recordkeeping requirements of Rules 17Ad-15 (40 hours per year per registered transfer agent).

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 within 30 days of publication of this notice to

(i) www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain and (ii) David Bottom, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o John R. Pezzullo, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549, or by sending an email to: [e-mail].

Dated: November 1, 2021.

J. Matthew DeLesDernier,

Assistant Secretary.