2019-15312. Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated Authority and Submission to OMB

AGENCY:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

SUMMARY:

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) is adopting a proposal to extend for three years, without revision, the Semiannual Report of Derivatives Activity (FR 2436; OMB No. 7100-0286).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Federal Reserve Board Clearance Officer—Nuha Elmaghrabi—Office of the Chief Data Officer, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551, [phone].

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Desk Officer—Shagufta Ahmed—Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503, or by fax to [phone].

A copy of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) OMB submission, including the reporting form and instructions, supporting statement, and other documentation will be placed into OMB's public docket files. These documents also are available on the Federal Reserve Board's public website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/​apps/​reportforms/​review.aspx or may be requested from the agency clearance officer, whose name appears above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On June 15, 1984, OMB delegated to the Board authority under the PRA to approve and assign OMB control numbers to collection of information requests and requirements conducted or sponsored by the Board. Board-approved collections of information are incorporated into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of information. Copies of the PRA submission, supporting statements and approved collection of information instrument(s) are placed into OMB's public docket files.

Final Approval Under OMB Delegated Authority of the Extension for Three Years, Without Revision, of the Following Information Collection

Report title: Semiannual Report of Derivatives Activity.

Agency form number: FR 2436.

OMB control number: 7100-0286.

Frequency: Semiannually.

Respondents: Largest U.S. dealers of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives.

Estimated number of respondents: 8.

Estimated average hours per response: 236.

Estimated annual burden hours: 3,776.

General description of report: Derivatives dealers provide data on outstanding positions (notional, gross positive, and gross negative fair values) with breakdowns by broad market risk category, product type, counterparty type, maturity, and specific underlying market risks—the currency, equity market, or reference entity that underlie the contract. In addition, reporters provide data on the credit exposures and liabilities arising from all outstanding credit default swaps contracts, as well as from the entire portfolio.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: This report is authorized under sections 2A and 12A of the Federal Reserve Act (FRA). Section 2A of the FRA requires the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the economy's long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates (12 U.S.C. 225a). Section 12A of the FRA requires the FOMC to implement regulations relating to the open market operations conducted by Federal Reserve Banks with a view to accommodating commerce and business and with regard to their bearing upon the general credit situation of the country (12 U.S.C. 263). Because the Federal Reserve System uses the information obtained from the FR 2436 to fulfill these obligations, these statutory provisions provide the legal authorization for the collection of information on the FR 2436.

The FR 2436 is voluntary. Because the release of this information would cause substantial harm to the competitive position of the entity from whom the information was obtained, the information collected on the FR 2436 may be granted confidential treatment under exemption (b)(4) of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)), which protects from disclosure “trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person [that is] privileged or confidential.”

Current actions: On April 17, 2019, the Board published a notice in the Federal Register (84 FR 16015) requesting public comment for 60 days on the extension, without revision, of the FR 2436. The comment period for this notice expired on June 17, 2019. The Board did not receive any comments.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, July 15, 2019.

Michele Taylor Fennell,

Assistant Secretary of the Board.