2019-08042. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-2736.

Extension:

Rule 15a-6. SEC File No. 270-0329, OMB Control No. 3235-0371.

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (“PRA”) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) a request for approval of extension of the previously approved collection of information provided for in Rule 15a-6 (17 CFR 240.15a-6) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.).

Rule 15a-6 provides conditional exemptions from the requirement to register as a broker-dealer pursuant to Section 15 of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78o) for foreign broker-dealers that engage in certain specified activities involving U.S. persons. In particular, Rule 15a-6(a)(3) provides an exemption from broker-dealer registration for foreign broker-dealers that solicit and effect transactions with or for U.S. institutional investors or major U.S. institutional investors through a registered broker-dealer, provided that the U.S. broker-dealer, among other things, obtains certain information about, and consents to service of process from, the personnel of the foreign broker-dealer involved in such transactions, and maintains certain records in connection therewith.

These requirements are intended to ensure (a) that the registered broker-dealer will receive notice of the identity of, and has reviewed the background of, foreign personnel who will contact U.S. investors, (b) that the foreign broker-dealer and its personnel effectively may be served with process in the event enforcement action is necessary, and (c) that the Commission has ready access to information concerning these persons and their U.S. securities activities. Commission staff estimates that approximately 2,000 U.S. registered broker-dealers will spend an average of two hours of clerical staff time and one hour of managerial staff time per year obtaining the information required by the rule, resulting in a total aggregate burden of 6,000 hours per year for complying with the rule. Assuming an hourly cost of $63 ^[1] for a compliance clerk and $269 ^[2] for a compliance manager, the resultant total internal labor cost of compliance for the respondents is $818,000 per year (2,000 entities × ((2 hours/entity × $63/hour) + (1 hour per entity × $283/hour)) = $818,000).

In general, the records to be maintained under Rule 15a-6 must be kept for the applicable time periods as set forth in Rule 17a-4 (17 CFR 240.17a-4) under the Exchange Act or, with respect to the consents to service of process, for a period of not less than six years after the applicable person ceases engaging in U.S. securities activities. Reliance on the exemption set forth in Rule 15a-6 is voluntary, but if a foreign broker-dealer elects to rely on such exemption, the collection of information described therein is mandatory. The collection does not involve confidential information.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information under the PRA unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The public may view background documentation for this information collection at the following website: www.reginfo.gov. Comments should be directed to: (i) Desk Officer for the Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10102, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, or by sending an email to: [e-mail]; and (ii) Charles Riddle, Acting Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Candace Kenner,100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549, or by sending an email to: [e-mail]. Comments must be submitted to OMB within 30 days of this notice.

Dated: April 17, 2019.

Jill M. Peterson,

Assistant Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  The hourly rate used for a compliance clerk was from SIFMA's Office Salaries in the Securities Industry 2013, modified by Commission staff to account for an 1,800 hour work-year and multiplied by 2.93 to account for bonuses, firm size, employee benefits and overhead.

2.  The hourly rate used for a compliance manager was from SIFMA's Management & Professional Earnings in the Securities Industry 2013, modified by Commission staff to account for an 1,800 hour work-year and multiplied by 5.35 to account for bonuses, firm size, employee benefits and overhead.