E9-19684. Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request-Loan Application Register (HMDA)

AGENCY:

Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), Treasury.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507. The Office of Thrift Supervision within the Department of the Treasury will submit the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. Today, OTS is soliciting public comments on its proposal to extend this information collection.

DATES:

Submit written comments on or before October 16, 2009.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments, referring to the collection by title of the proposal or by OMB approval number, to Information Collection Comments, Chief Counsel's Office, Office of Thrift Supervision, 1700 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20552; send a facsimile transmission to [phone]; or send an e-mail to [e-mail]. OTS will post comments and the related index on the OTS Internet Site at http://www.ots.treas.gov. In addition, interested persons may inspect comments at the Public Reading Room, 1700 G Street, NW., by appointment. To make an appointment, call [phone], send an e-mail to [e-mail], or send a facsimile transmission to [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

You can request additional information about this proposed information collection from Stacy E. Messett, Senior Project Manger [phone], Office of Thrift Supervision, 1700 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20552.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OTS may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and respondents are not required to respond to an information collection, unless the information collection displays a currently valid OMB control number. As part of the approval process, we invite comments on the following information collection.

Comments should address one or more of the following points:

a. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of OTS;

b. The accuracy of OTS's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection;

c. Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

d. Ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of information technology.

We will summarize the comments that we receive and include them in the OTS request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. In this notice, OTS is soliciting comments concerning the following information collection.

Title of Proposal: Loan Application Register (HMDA).

OMB Number: 1550-0021.

Form Numbers: N/A.

Regulation requirement: 12 CFR Part 203.

Description: The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), 12 U.S.C. 2801, requires this collection of information. In accordance with the HMDA, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB) promulgates and administers HMDA regulations, which are prescribed as part of the FRB's Regulation C (12 CFR Part 203), implementing the HMDA (12 U.S.C. 2801-2810). HMDA forms as well as collection and recordkeeping requirements are approved under OMB Control No. 7100-0247. The FRB supporting statement forms the decisional basis for the OMB action. This submission discusses the burden imposed by Regulation C on the institutions OTS regulates.

The data on loan applications collected under HMDA assist OTS in analyzing lending patterns for possible discrimination. OTS examiners use the data to scope for compliance with the fair lending laws (Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Housing Act, and OTS's Non-discrimination regulation), as well as for compliance with HMDA itself. Examiners also use HMDA data to determine whether associations are helping to meet the credit needs of their communities as required by the Community Reinvestment Act.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 588.

Estimated Number of Responses: 0.03 hours per application (approximately 8,361 applications per LAR).

Estimated Frequency of Response: Annually.

Estimated Total Burden: 147,488 hours.

Dated: August 12, 2009.

Ira L. Mills,

Paperwork Clearance Officer, Office of Thrift Supervision.