E8-4624. 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, “(MA)—Management Official Interlocks—12 CFR 26.”

DATES:

You should submit written comments by May 9, 2008.

ADDRESSES:

Communications Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Public Information Room, Mail Stop 1-5, Attention: 1557-0196, 250 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20219. 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, 1557-0196, 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: (MA)—Management Official Interlocks—12 CFR 26.

OMB Control Number: 1557-0196.

Description: Under the Interlocks Act, two competing depository institutions generally may not share management officials. However, the OCC has legal authority to implement exemptions to this general prohibition. One such prohibition prohibits a management official of a depository organization from serving at the same time as a management official of an unaffiliated depository organization if the depository organizations in question (or a depository institution affiliate thereof) have offices in the same relevant metropolitan statistical area and each depository organization has total assets of $20 million or more. Section 610 of the Financial Services Regulatory Relief Act of 2006 (12 U.S.C. 3202(1)) raises the total asset threshold of the depository organization to $50 million. The change was effective as of October 13, 2006 and adopted by the OCC on January 11, 2007. This submission covers this change.

The information is needed to prevent any management official interlock that would result in a monopoly or substantial lessening of competition. The OCC needs the information to grant exemptions that foster competition between unaffiliated institutions.

The OCC uses the information to ensure that a proposed management interlock is permitted under statute, is eligible for an exemption under section 2210(c) of the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996 (12 U.S.C. 3207), and does not have an anticompetitive effect.

Type of Review: Regular Review.

Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 2.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2.

Estimated Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Estimated Time per Respondent: 2 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 4 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 information.

Dated: March 4, 2008.

Michele Meyer,

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