E6-9152. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Filings and Information Services, Washington, DC 20549.

Extension:

Regulation S-P; OMB Control No. 3235-0537; and SEC File No. 270-480.

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) requests for extension of the previously approved collection of information discussed below.

• Regulation S-P—Privacy of Consumer Financial Information.

The Commission adopted Regulation S-P (17 CFR part 248) under the authority set forth in section 504 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (15 U.S.C. 6804), sections 17 and 23 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78q, 78w), sections 31 and 38 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-30(a), 80a-37), and sections 204 and 211 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80b-4, 80b-11). Regulation S-P implements the requirements of Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“Act”), which include the requirement that at the time of establishing a customer relationship with a consumer and not less than annually during the continuation of such relationship, a financial institution shall provide a clear and conspicuous disclosure to such consumer of such financial institution's policies and practices with respect to disclosing nonpublic personal information to affiliates and nonaffiliated third parties (“privacy notice”). Title V of the Act also provides that, unless an exception applies, a financial institution may not disclose nonpublic personal information of a consumer to a nonaffiliated third party unless the financial institution clearly and conspicuously discloses to the consumer that such information may be disclosed to such third party; the consumer is given the opportunity, before the time that such information is initially disclosed, to direct that such information not be disclosed to such third party; and the consumer is given an explanation of how the consumer can exercise that nondisclosure option (“opt out notice”). The privacy notices required by the Act are mandatory. The opt out notices are not mandatory for financial institutions that do not share nonpublic personal information with nonaffiliated third parties except as permitted under an exception to the statute's opt out provisions. Regulation S-P implements the statute's requirements with respect to broker-dealers, investment companies, and registered investment advisers (“covered entities”). The Act and Regulation S-P also contain consumer reporting requirements. In order for consumers to opt out, they must respond to opt out notices. At any time during their continued relationship, consumers have the right to change or update their opt out status. Most covered entities do not share nonpublic personal information with nonaffiliated third parties and therefore are not required to provide opt out notices to consumers under Regulation S-P. Therefore, few consumers are required to respond to opt out notices under the rule.

Currently, there are approximately 20,434 covered entities (approximately 6,280 registered broker-dealers, 4,939 investment companies, and, out of a total of 10,210 registered investment advisers, 9,215 registered investment advisers that are not also registered broker-dealers) that must prepare or revise the annual and initial privacy notices they provide to their customers. To prepare or revise their privacy notices, each of the approximately 11,219 covered entities that is a broker-dealer or investment company requires an estimated 40 hours at a cost of $2,424 (32 hours of professional time at $70 per hour plus 8 hours of clerical or administrative time at $23 per hour) and each of the approximately 9,215 covered entities that is an investment adviser but not also a broker-dealer requires an estimated 5 hours at a cost of $303 (4 hours of professional time at $70 per hour plus 1 hour of clerical or administrative time at $23 per hour). Thus, the total compliance burden per year is 494,835 hours (40 hours for 11,219 broker-dealers and investment companies, and 5 hours for 9,215 investment advisers that are not also broker-dealers × 11,219 = 448,760, 5 × 9,215 × 46,075, and 448,760 + 46,075 × 494,835), and $29,987,001 ($2,424 × 11,219 = $27,194,856, $303 × 9,215 = $2,792,145, and $27,194,856 + $2,792,145 = $29,987,001).

The wage estimates of $70 per hour for professional time and $23 per hour for clerical or administrative time used in the foregoing calculations are based on estimated mean hourly wages of $68.23 for lawyers and $22.56 for all other legal support workers in the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics' November 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimate, NAICS 523100—Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (available online, as of March 2, 2006, at http://www.bls.gov/​oes/​current/​naics4_​523100.htm) adjusted upward for inflation by 2.5% based on the percentage increase in the employment cost indexes for white collar workers and for administrative support, including clerical, workers from December 2004 to December 2005, as reported in the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries for private industry workers by industry and occupational group (not seasonally adjusted) (available online, as of March 2, 2006, at http://www.bls.gov/​news.release/​eci.t06.htm).

Compliance with Regulation S-P is necessary for covered entities to achieve compliance with the consumer financial privacy notice requirements of Title V of the Act. The required consumer notices are not submitted to the Commission. Because the notices do not involve a collection of information by the Commission, Regulation S-P does not involve the collection of confidential information. Regulation S-P does not have a record retention requirement per se, although the notices to consumers it requires are subject to the recordkeeping requirements of Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number.

Comments should be directed to (1) the Desk Officer for the SEC, 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 e-mail to: [e-mail]; and (ii) R. Corey Booth, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, C/O Shirley Martinson, 6432 General Green Way, Alexandria, Virginia 22312 or send an e-mail to: [e-mail]. Comments must be submitted to OMB within 30 days of this notice.

Dated: June 5, 2006.

Jill M. Peterson,

Assistant Secretary.