2017-19071. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-2736.

Extension:

Rule 17Ad-3(b),

SEC File No. 270-424, OMB Control No. 3235-0473.

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (“PRA”) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) a request for approval of extension of the previously approved collection of information provided for in Rule 17Ad-3(b) (17 CFR 240.17Ad-3(b)), under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.).

Rule 17Ad-3(b) requires registered transfer agents to send a copy of the written notice required under Rules 17Ad-2(c), (d), and (h) to the chief executive officer of each issuer for which the transfer agent acts when it has failed to turnaround at least 75% of all routine items in accordance with the requirements of Rule 17Ad-2(a), or to process at least 75% of all items in accordance with the requirements of Rule 17Ad-2(b), for two consecutive months. The issuer may use the information contained in the notices: (1) As an early warning of the transfer agent's non-compliance with the Commission's minimum performance standards regarding registered transfer agents; and (2) to become aware of certain problems and poor performances with respect to the transfer agents that are servicing the issuer's issues. If the issuer does not receive notice of a registered transfer agent's failure to comply with the Commission's minimum performance standards then the issuer will be unable to take remedial action to correct the problem or to find another registered transfer agent. Pursuant to Rule 17Ad-3(b), a transfer agent that has already filed a Notice of Non-Compliance with the Commission pursuant to Rule 17Ad-2 will only be required to send a copy of that notice to issuers for which it acts when that transfer agent fails to turnaround 75% of all routine items or to process 75% of all items.

The Commission estimates that only one transfer agent will meet the requirements of Rule 17Ad-3(b) each year. If a transfer agent fails to meet those turnaround and processing performance requirements under 17Ad-3(b), it would simply send a copy of the notice to its issuer-clients that had already been produced for the Commission pursuant to Rule 17Ad-2(c) or (d). The Commission estimates the requirement will take each respondent approximately four hours to complete. The Commission staff estimates that compliance staff work at registered transfer agents to comply with the third party disclosure requirement will result in an internal cost of compliance, at an estimated hourly wage of $283, of $1,128 per year per transfer agent (4 hours × $283 per hour = $1,128 per year). Therefore, the aggregate annual internal cost of compliance for the approximately one registered transfer agent each year to comply with Rule 17Ad-3(b) is also $1,128. There are no external labor costs associated with sending the notice to issuers.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information under the PRA unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The public may view background documentation for this information collection at the following Web site: www.reginfo.gov. Comments should be directed to: (i) Desk Officer for the Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10102, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, or by sending an email to: [e-mail]; and (ii) Pamela Dyson, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Remi Pavlik-Simon, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549, or by sending an email to: [e-mail]. Comments must be submitted to OMB within 30 days of this notice.

Dated: September 5, 2017.

Eduardo A. Aleman,

Assistant Secretary.