E8-2844. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

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 comment on a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is 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 its information collection titled, “Community Reinvestment Act Regulation—12 CFR part 25.”

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before April 15, 2008.

ADDRESSES:

Communications Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Public Information Room, Mail Stop 1-5, Attention: 1557-0160, 250 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 202. In addition, comments may be sent by fax to [phone], or by electronic mail to [e-mail]. You may personally inspect and photocopy comments at the OCC's Public Information Room, 250 E 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]. Upon arrival, visitors will be required to present valid government-issued photo identification and submit to security screening in order to inspect and photocopy comments.

Additionally, you should send a copy of your comments to OCC Desk Officer, 1557-0160, by mail to U.S. Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., #10235, Washington, DC 20503, or by fax to [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

You can request additional information or a copy of the collection from Mary Gottlieb, [phone], Legislative and Regulatory Activities Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, 250 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20219.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The OCC is proposing to extend OMB approval of the following information collection:

Title: Community Reinvestment Act Regulation—12 CFR part 25.

OMB Control Number: 1557-0160.

Description: The CRA requires the Federal banking agencies (Agencies) to assess the record of banks and savings associations in helping to meet the credit needs of their entire communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound operations; and to take this record into account in evaluating applications for mergers, branches, and certain other corporate activities. The CRA statute requires the Agencies to issue regulations to carry out its purposes.

Each Agency must provide written CRA evaluations of the institutions they supervise. The public portion of each written evaluation must present the agency's conclusions with respect to the CRA performance standards identified in its regulations; include the facts and data supporting those conclusions; and contain the institution's CRA rating and the basis for that rating.

The data collection requirements in the CRA regulations are necessary for the Agencies to examine, assess, and assign a rating to an institution's CRA performance and to prepare the public section of the written CRA performance evaluation.

Type of Review: Regular review.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,712.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 1,712.

Estimated Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Estimated Time per Respondent: 70.84 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 121,282 hours.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless the information collection displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. Comments are invited on:

(a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information has practical utility;

(b) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information;

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

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

(e) Estimates of capital or startup costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide the information to the OCC.

Dated: February 8, 2008.

Stuart Feldstein,

Assistant Director, Legislative and Regulatory Activities Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.