04-4027. Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request-Purchase of Branch Office(s) and/or Transfer of Assets/Liabilities

AGENCY:

Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), Treasury.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507. The Office of Thrift Supervision within the Department of the Treasury will submit the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. Today, OTS is soliciting public comments on the proposal.

DATES:

Submit written comments on or before April 26, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments, referring to the collection by title of the proposal or by OMB approval number, to Information Collection Comments, Chief Counsel's Office, Office of Thrift Supervision, 1700 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20552; send a facsimile transmission to [phone]; or send an e-mail to [e-mail]. OTS will post comments and the related index on the OTS Internet site at http://www.ots.treas.gov. In addition, interested persons may inspect comments at the Public Reading Room, 1700 G Street, NW., by appointment. To make an appointment, call [phone], send an e-mail to [e-mail], or send a facsimile transmission to [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

You can request additional information about this proposed information collection from Nadine Washington, Information Systems, Administration & Finance, [phone], Office of Thrift Supervision, 1700 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20552.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OTS may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and respondents are not required to respond to an information collection, unless the information collection displays a currently valid OMB control number. As part of the approval process, we invite comments on the following information collection.

Comments should address one or more of the following points:

a. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of OTS;

b. The accuracy of OTS's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection;

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

d. Ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use information technology.

We will summarize the comments that we receive and include them in the OTS request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. In this notice, OTS is soliciting comments concerning the following information collection.

Title of Proposal: Purchase of Branch Office(s) and/or Transfer of Assets/Liabilities.

OMB Number: 1550-0025.

Form Number: OTS Forms 1584, 1585, and 1589.

Regulation requirement: 12 CFR 552.13 and 563.22.

Description: Information provided to OTS is evaluated to determine whether the proposed assumption of liabilities and/or transfer of assets transactions complies with applicable laws, regulations, and policy, and will not have an adverse effect on the risk exposure to the insurance fund.

Type of Review: Renewal.

Affected Public: Savings Associations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 77.

Estimated Frequency of Response: Event-generated.

Estimated Burden Hours per Response: 24 hours.

Estimated Total Burden: 1,848 hours.

Clearance Officer: Marilyn K. Burton, [phone], Office of Thrift Supervision, 1700 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20552.

OMB Reviewer: Joseph F. Lackey, Jr., [phone], Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: February 17, 2004.

By the Office of Thrift Supervision.

James E. Gilleran,

Director.