02-13748. Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY:

Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C., 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs, has submitted the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden; it includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before July 3, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Denise McLamb, Information Management Service (045A4), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420, [phone], FAX [phone] or e-mail: [e-mail]. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0320.”

Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the information collection to VA's OMB Desk Officer, OMB Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503 [phone]. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0320” in any correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Escrow Agreement for Postponed Exterior Onsite Improvements, VA Form 26-1849.

OMB Control Number: 2900-0320.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: VA Form 26-1849 is provided as a service to veterans, builders/sellers, and escrow agents to use in situations involving escrows. A VA loan amount cannot exceed the reasonable value of the property as determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The reasonable value is predicated on the completion of all improvements. In certain circumstances, such as adverse weather or other specified unavoidable conditions, the completion of some improvements may have to be postponed. For these situations, VA has developed escrow procedures whereby a builder/seller deposits at least one and one-half times the cost of completing the improvements into an escrow account held by a third party. The funds can only be used for the purpose of finishing the postponed improvements and are released when the improvements have been completed. These escrow procedures provide incentive to builder/sellers to complete all postponed improvements and are standard practices in both the real estate and mortgage lending fields.

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 OMB control number. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on December 19, 2001, at page 65531.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Estimated Annual Burden: 1 hour.

Estimated Average Burden Per Respondent: 30 minutes.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Estimated Number of Total Respondents: 10,000.

Dated: May 13, 2002.

By direction of the Secretary.

Genie McCully,

Acting Director, Information Management Service.