2019-26484. Agency Information Collection Activities: Information Collection Revision; Submission for OMB Review; Licensing Manual

AGENCY:

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Treasury.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a revised information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and respondents are not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

The OCC is soliciting comment concerning the revision of its information collection titled “Licensing Manual.” The OCC also is giving notice that it has sent the collection to OMB for review.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before January 9, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

Commenters are encouraged to submit comments by email, if possible.

You may submit comments by any of the following methods:

• Email: [e-mail].
• Mail: Chief Counsel's Office, Attention: Comment Processing, 1557-0014, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E-218, Washington, DC 20219.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E-218, Washington, DC 20219.
• Fax: [phone].

Instructions: You must include “OCC” as the agency name and “1557-0014” in your comment. In general, the OCC will publish comments on www.reginfo.gov without change, including any business or personal information provided, such as name and address information, email addresses, or phone numbers. Comments received, including attachments and other supporting materials, are part of the public record and subject to public disclosure. Do not include any information in your comment or supporting materials that you consider confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure.

Additionally, please send a copy of your comments by mail to: OCC Desk Officer, 1557-0014, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street NW, #10235, Washington, DC 20503 or by email to [e-mail].

You may review comments and other related materials that pertain to this information collection ^[1] following the close of the 30-day comment period for this notice by any of the following methods:

• Viewing Comments Electronically: Go to www.reginfo.gov. Click on the “Information Collection Review” tab. Underneath the “Currently under Review” section heading, from the drop-down menu select “Department of Treasury” and then click “submit.” This information collection can be located by searching by OMB control number “1557-0014” or “Licensing Manual.” Upon finding the appropriate information collection, click on the related “ICR Reference Number.” On the next screen, select “View Supporting Statement and Other Documents” and then click on the link to any comment listed at the bottom of the screen.
• For assistance in navigating www.reginfo.gov,, please contact the Regulatory Information Service Center at [phone].
• Viewing Comments Personally: You may personally inspect comments at the OCC, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC. For security reasons, the OCC requires that visitors make an appointment to inspect comments. You may do so by calling [phone] or, for persons who are deaf or hearing impaired, TTY, [phone]. Upon arrival, visitors will be required to present valid government-issued photo identification and submit to security screening in order to inspect comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Shaquita Merritt, Clearance Officer, [phone] or, for persons who are deaf or hearing impaired, TTY, [phone], Chief Counsel's Office, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E-218, Washington, DC 20219.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from the OMB for each collection of information that they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) to include agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. The OCC asks that OMB approve this revision to its collection.

Title: Licensing Manual.

OMB Control No.: 1557-0014.

Description: The Licensing Manual sets forth the OCC's policies and procedures for the formation of a national bank, federal savings association, or federal branch or agency, entry into the federal banking system by other institutions, and corporate expansion and structural changes by existing national banks or federal savings associations. The Manual includes sample documents to assist the applicant in understanding the types of information the OCC needs in order to process a filing. An applicant may use the format of the sample documents or any other format that provides sufficient information for the OCC to act on a particular filing, including the OCC's electronic filing system, the Central Application Tracking System (CATS).

The OCC will no longer consider National Historic Preservation Act matters and National Environmental Policy Act matters as a part of the review of applications and is removing references to them in its branching and relocation forms.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Individuals; Businesses or other for-profit.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,715.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 12,533 hours.

Comments: On September 30, 2019, the OCC issued a notice for 60 days of comment concerning the revision to this collection, 84 FR 51711. No comments were received. Comments continue to be requested on:

(a) Whether the information collections are necessary for the proper performance of the OCC's functions, including whether the information has practical utility;

(b) The accuracy of the OCC's estimates of the burden of the information collections, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(d) Ways to minimize the burden of information collections on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Dated: December 4, 2019.

Theodore J. Dowd,

Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Footnotes

1.  On September 30, 2019, the OCC published a 60-day notice for this information collection, 84 FR 51711.