98-17584. Statement of Notice to Bidders Concerning Disclosure of Bids From Past HUD Mortgage Loan Sales

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 127 (Thursday, July 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36255-36256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17584]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4322-N-02]


Statement of Notice to Bidders Concerning Disclosure of Bids From 
Past HUD Mortgage Loan Sales

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HUD.

ACTION: Business Submitter Notice to Bidders Concerning Release by HUD 
of Their Bids Under the Freedom of Information Act.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the business submitter notice by the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development to bidders regarding 
release under the Freedom of Information Act of the bids they submitted 
on past HUD Mortgage Loan Sales.

EFFECTIVE DATES: July 2, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Barth, Managing Attorney, FOIA 
Division, Room 10250, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 
Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410; telephone [202] 708-3866 
(this is not a toll free number). Speech or hearing impaired 
individuals

[[Page 36256]]

may access this number via TTY by calling the toll free Federal 
Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 27, 1998, the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development published a statement of policy regarding 
disclosure of mortgage loan sales information (63 FR 10031). The 
February, 1998, notice set forth the Department's policy pertaining to 
the release of records regarding those bids that the Department or its 
contractors had received to date under its mortgage loan sale program. 
The notice stated that, when requested to provide records pursuant to 
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Department would produce 
relevant records in its files including, where available: (1) All 
potential bidders receiving bid materials; (2) all successful bidders 
and their successful bids and the mortgage loans attributable to such 
bids; (3) all unsuccessful bidders and their unsuccessful bids and the 
mortgage loans attributable to such bids; (4) the aggregate proceeds 
the Department received from the sale; and (5) the aggregate number of 
bidders.
    This notice serves as the business submitter notice authorized by 
24 CFR 15.54 of the Department's FOIA regulations. The purpose of this 
notice is to provide bidders the opportunity to object to disclosure of 
their bids under the FOIA. Bidders shall have 10 working days from the 
date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register to provide 
the Department a detailed written statement of their objections to 
disclosure of the bid information under the FOIA. Such statement shall 
specify all grounds for withholding the information and shall 
demonstrate why the bid information is a trade secret or commercial or 
financial information that is privileged or confidential. Conclusory 
statements that the information would be useful to competitors or 
similarly conclusory statements generally will not be considered 
sufficient to justify confidential treatment. Bidders should submit 
their statements to the agency contact identified in this notice.
    The Department will carefully consider a submitter's objections 
before determining whether to disclose the information. If the 
Department decides to disclose the information over the objections of 
the submitters, the Department will advise the submitter in a written 
notice its intent to disclose the information 10 working days before 
the specified disclosure date.

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552; 24 CFR 15.54; E.O. 12600, 52 FR 23781, 
3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 235.

    Dated: June 22, 1998.
Ira Peppercorn,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing--Deputy Federal Housing 
Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 98-17584 Filed 7-1-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-32-M