E6-14125. Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Upon written request, copies available from: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Filings and Information Services, Washington, DC 20549.

Extension:

Rule 17i-8, SEC File No. 270-533, OMB Control No. 3235-0591.

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 ^[1] the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) intends to submit to the Office of Management and Budget a request for extension of the previously approved collection of information discussed below. The Code of Federal Regulation citation to this collection of information is the following rule: 17 CFR 240.17i-8.

Section 231 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 ^[2] (the “GLBA”) amended Section 17 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to create a regulatory framework under which a holding company of a broker-dealer (“investment bank holding company” or “IBHC”) may voluntarily be supervised by the Commission as a supervised investment bank holding company (or “SIBHC”).^[3] In 2004, the Commission promulgated rules, including Rule 17i-8, to create a framework for the Commission to supervise SIBHCs.^[4] This framework includes qualification criteria for SIBHCs, as well as recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Among other things, this regulatory framework for SIBHCs is intended to provide a basis for non-U.S. financial regulators to treat the Commission as the principal U.S. consolidated, home-country supervisor for SIBHCs and their affiliated broker-dealers.^[5]

Pursuant to Section 17(i)(3)(A) of the Exchange Act, an SIBHC must make and keep records, furnish copies thereof, and make such reports as the Commission may require by rule.^[6] Rule 17i-8 requires that an SIBHC to notify the Commission upon the occurrence of certain events that would indicate a decline in the financial and operational well-being of the firm. The notices required to be filed pursuant to Rule 17i-8 must be preserved for a period of not less than three years.^[7]

The collections of information included in Rule 17i-8 are necessary to allow the Commission to effectively determine whether supervision of an IBHC as an SIBHC is necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of section 17 of the Act and allow the Commission to supervise the activities of these SIBHCs. Rule 17i-8 also enhances the Commission's supervision of the SIBHCs' subsidiary broker-dealers through collection of additional information and inspections of affiliates of those broker-dealers. Without these notices, the Commission would be unable to adequately supervise an SIBHC, nor would it be able to determine whether continued supervision of an IBHC as an SIBHC were necessary and appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of section 17 of the Act.

We estimate that three IBHCs will file Notices of Intention with the Commission to be supervised by the Commission as SIBHCs. An SIBHC will require about one hour to create a notice required to be submitted to the Commission pursuant to Rule 17i-8. However, as these notices only need be filed in certain situations indicative of financial or operational difficulty, only one SIBHC may be required to file notice pursuant to the Rule every other year. Thus, we estimate that the annual burden of Rule 17i-8 for all SIBHCs would be about 30 minutes.

Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments should be directed to: 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 within 60 days of this notice.

Dated: August 15, 2006.

Nancy M. Morris,

Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

2.  Pub. L. No. 106-102, 113 Stat. 1338 (1999).

3.  See 15 U.S.C. 78q(i).

4.  See Exchange Act Release No. 49831 (Jun. 8, 2004), 69 FR 34472 (Jun. 21, 2004).

5.  

See H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 106-434, 165 (1999). See also Exchange Act Release No. 49831, at 6 (Jun. 8, 2004), 69 FR 34472, at 34473 (Jun. 21, 2004).

6.  15 U.S.C. 78q(i)(3)(A).

7.  17 CFR 240.17i-5(b)(4).