2018-10147. 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 12f-3

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 12f-3 (17 CFR 240.12f-3), under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act”) (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.).

Rule 12f-3 (“Rule”), which was originally adopted in 1955 pursuant to Sections 12(f) and 23(a) of the Act, and as further modified in 1995, sets forth the requirements to submit an application to the Commission for termination or suspension of unlisted trading privileges in a security, as contemplated under Section 12(f)(4) of the Act. In addition to requiring that one copy of the application be filed with the Commission, the Rule requires that the application contain specified information. Under the Rule, an application to suspend or terminate unlisted trading privileges must provide, among other things, the name of the applicant; a brief statement of the applicant's interest in the question of termination or suspension of such unlisted trading privileges; the title of the security; the name of the issuer; certain information regarding the size of the class of security, the public trading volume and price history in the security for specified time periods on the subject exchange and a statement indicating that the applicant has provided a copy of such application to the exchange from which the suspension or termination of unlisted trading privileges are sought, and to any other exchange on which the security is listed or admitted to unlisted trading privileges.

The information required to be included in applications submitted pursuant to Rule 12f-3, is intended to provide the Commission with sufficient information to make the necessary findings under the Act to terminate or suspend by order the unlisted trading privileges granted a security on a national securities exchange. Without the Rule, the Commission would be unable to fulfill these statutory responsibilities.

The burden of complying with Rule 12f-3 arises when a potential respondent, having a demonstrable bona fide interest in the question of termination or suspension of the unlisted trading privileges of a security, determines to seek such termination or suspension. The staff estimates that each such application to terminate or suspend unlisted trading privileges requires approximately one hour to complete. Thus each potential respondent would incur on average one burden hour in complying with the Rule.

The Commission staff estimates that there could be as many as 18 responses annually for an aggregate burden for all respondents of 18 hours. Each respondent's related internal cost of compliance for Rule 12f-3 would be $221.00, or, the cost of one hour of professional work of a paralegal needed to complete the application. The total annual cost of compliance for all potential respondents, therefore, is $3,978.00 (18 responses × $221.00/response).

Compliance with the application requirements of Rule 12f-3 is mandatory, though the filing of such applications is undertaken voluntarily. Rule 12f-3 does not have a record retention requirement per se. However, responses made pursuant to Rule 12f-3 are subject to the recordkeeping requirements of Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4 of the Act. Information received in response to Rule 12f-3 shall not be kept confidential; the information collected is public 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) Pamela Dyson, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Remi Pavlik-Simon, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549 or send an email to: [e-mail]. Comments must be submitted to OMB within 30 days of this notice.

Dated: May 8, 2018.

Eduardo A. Aleman,

Assistant Secretary.