2011-7151. Submission for OMB Review; Comments Requested

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, Washington, DC 20549.

Extension:

Rule 17a-3, SEC File No. 270-026, OMB Control No. 3235-0033.

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (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 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 240.17a-3.

Rule 17a-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 establishes minimum standards with respect to business records that broker-dealers registered with the Commission must make and keep current. These records are maintained by the broker-dealer (in accordance with a separate rule), so they can be used by the broker-dealer and reviewed by Commission examiners, as well as other regulatory authority examiners, during inspections of the broker-dealer.

The collections of information included in Rule 17a-3 is necessary to provide Commission, self-regulatory organization and State examiners to conduct effective and efficient examinations to determine whether broker-dealers are complying with relevant laws, rules, and regulations. If broker-dealers were not required to create these baseline, standardized records, Commission, self-regulatory organization and State examiners could be unable to determine whether broker-dealers are in compliance with the Commission's antifraud and anti-manipulation rules, financial responsibility program, and other Commission, SRO, and State laws, rules, and regulations.

As of October 1, 2010, there were 5,057 broker-dealers registered with the Commission. The Commission estimates that these broker-dealer respondents incur a total burden of 2,723,970 hours per year to comply with Rule 17a-3. Approximately 1,464,777 of those hours are attributable to paragraph 17a-3(a)(17), and about 1,259,193 hours are attributable to the rest of Rule 17a-3.

In addition, Rule 17a-3 contains ongoing operation and maintenance costs for broker-dealers including the cost of postage to provide customers with account information, and costs for equipment and systems development. The Commission estimates that under Rule 17a-3(a)(17), approximately 35,627,958 customers will need to be provided with information regarding their account on a yearly basis. The Commission estimates that the postage costs associated with providing those customers with copies of their account record information would be approximately $10,688,387 per year (35,627,958 × $0.30). The staff believes that the ongoing equipment and systems development costs relating to Rule 17a-3 for the industry would be about $23,514,452 per year. Consequently, the total cost burden associated with Rule 17a-3 would be approximately $34,202,839 per year.

Rule 17a-3 does not contain record retention requirements. Compliance with the rule is mandatory. The required records are available only to the staffs of the Commission, self-regulatory organizations of which the broker-dealer is a member, and the States during examination, inspections and investigations.

The Commission may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the PRA that does not display a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

The public may view the background documentation for this information collection at the following Web site, http://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 e-mail to: [e-mail]; and (ii) Thomas Bayer, Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Remi Pavlik-Simon, 6432 General Green Way, Alexandria, VA 22312 or send an e-mail to: [e-mail]. Comments must be submitted to OMB within thirty days of this notice.

Dated: March 22, 2011.

Cathy H. Ahn,

Deputy Secretary.