E8-5435. Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) Website Complaint Questionnaire

AGENCY:

Office of the Chief Information Officer, HUD.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (RESPA), 12 U.S.C. 2601 et seq., and the implementing Regulation, codified at 24 CFR 3500, insure that consumers throughout the Nation are provided with greater and more timely information on the nature and costs of the settlement process and are protected from unnecessarily high settlement charges caused by certain abusive practices. The RESPA Website Complaint Questionnaire will provide a common website for consumers and settlement service providers to assist in the enforcement of RESPA, and will create efficiencies in processing complaints.

DATES:

Comments Due Date: April 17, 2008.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB approval Number (2502-NEW) and should be sent to: HUD Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503; fax: [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lillian Deitzer, Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410; e-mail Lillian Deitzer at [e-mail] or telephone [phone]. This is not a toll-free number. Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Ms. Deitzer.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This notice informs the public that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has submitted to OMB a request for approval of the Information collection described below. This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affecting agencies concerning the proposed collection of information to: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond; including through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

This notice also lists the following information:

Title of Proposal: Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) Website Complaint Questionnaire.

OMB Approval Number: 2502-NEW.

Form Numbers: HUD-1974.

Description of the Need for the Information and Its Proposed Use: The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (RESPA), 12 U.S.C. 2601 et seq., and the implementing Regulation, codified at 24 CFR 3500, insure that consumers throughout the Nation are provided with greater and more timely information on the nature and costs of the settlement process and are protected from unnecessarily high settlement charges caused by certain abusive practices. The RESPA Website Complaint Questionnaire will provide a common website for consumers and settlement service providers to assist in the enforcement of RESPA, and will create efficiencies in processing complaints.

Frequency of Submission: On occasion.

	Number of respondents	Annual responses	×	Hours per response	=	Burden hours
Reporting Burden	1,246	1.5		0.33		617

Total Estimated Burden Hours: 617.

Status: New Collection.

Authority:

Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 35, as amended.

Dated: March 12, 2008.

Lillian L. Deitzer,

Departmental Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.