Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 11383-11384 [2017-03393]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 34 / Wednesday, February 22, 2017 / Notices competitive standing in the financial markets. C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others No written comments were either solicited or received. III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for Commission Action The foregoing rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the Act.18 At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed rule change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule change if it appears to the Commission that such action is: (i) Necessary or appropriate in the public interest; (ii) for the protection of investors; or (iii) otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule should be approved or disapproved. IV. Solicitation of Comments Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods: sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES Electronic Comments • Use the Commission’s Internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/ rules/sro.shtml); or • Send an email to rulecomments@sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–BX–2017–009 on the subject line. Paper Comments • Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549–1090. All submissions should refer to File Number SR–BX–2017–009. This file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the Commission’s Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/ rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with the 18 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii). VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:05 Feb 21, 2017 Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and printing in the Commission’s Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549 on official business days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available for inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR–BX– 2017–009, and should be submitted on or before March 15, 2017. For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.19 Eduardo A. Aleman, Assistant Secretary. [FR Doc. 2017–03461 Filed 2–21–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8011–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Proposed Collection; 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: Form N–8B–4; SEC File No. 270–180, OMB Control No. 3235–0247. 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’’) is soliciting comments on the collection of information summarized below. The Commission plans to submit this existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (‘‘OMB’’) for extension and approval. Form N–8B–4 (17 CFR 274.14) is the form used by face-amount certificate companies to comply with the filing and disclosure requirements imposed by Section 8(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–8(b)). Among other items, Form N–8B–4 requires disclosure of the following information 19 17 Jkt 241001 PO 00000 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12). Frm 00048 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 11383 about the face-amount certificate company: Date and form of organization; controlling persons; current business and contemplated changes to the company’s business; investment, borrowing, and lending policies, as well as other fundamental policies; securities issued by the company; investment adviser; depositaries; management personnel; compensation paid to directors, officers, and certain employees; and financial statements. The Commission uses the information provided in the collection of information to determine compliance with Section 8(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. Form N–8B–4 and the burden of compliance have not changed since the last approval. Each registrant files Form N–8B–4 for its initial filing and does not file post-effective amendments to Form N–8B–4.1 Commission staff estimates that no respondents will file Form N– 8B–4 each year. There are currently only four existing face-amount certificate companies, and none have filed a Form N–8B–4 in many years. No new faceamount certificate companies have been established since the last OMB information collection approval for this form, which occurred in 2014. Accordingly, the staff estimates that, each year, no face-amount certificate companies will file Form N–8B–4, and that the total burden for the information collection is zero hours. Although Commission staff estimates that there is no hour burden associated with Form N–8B–4, the staff is requesting a burden of one hour for administrative purposes. Estimates of the burden hours are made solely for the purposes of the PRA and are not derived from a comprehensive or even a representative survey or study of the costs of SEC rules and forms. The information provided on Form N–8B–4 is mandatory. The information provided on Form N–8B–4 will not be kept confidential. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; 1 Pursuant to Section 30(b)(1) of the Act, each respondent keeps its registration statement current through the filing of periodic reports as required by Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder. Post-effective amendments are filed with the Commission on the face-amount certificate company’s Form S–1. Hence, respondents only file Form N–8B–4 for their initial registration statement and not for posteffective amendments. E:\FR\FM\22FEN1.SGM 22FEN1 11384 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 34 / Wednesday, February 22, 2017 / Notices (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. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted in writing within 60 days of this publication. Please direct your written comments to Pamela Dyson, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, C/O Remi Pavlik-Simon, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549; or send an email to: PRA_Mailbox@sec.gov. Dated: February 15, 2017. Eduardo A. Aleman, Assistant Secretary. [FR Doc. 2017–03393 Filed 2–21–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8011–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [SEC File No. 270–259, OMB Control No. 3235–0269] Proposed Collection; Comment Request Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549–2736. sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES Extension: Rule 17f–5. Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–3520), the Securities and Exchange Commission (‘‘Commission’’) is soliciting comments on the collection of information summarized below. The Commission plans to submit the existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget for extension and approval. Rule 17f–5 (17 CFR 270.17f–5) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 [15 U.S.C. 80a] (the ‘‘Act’’) governs the custody of the assets of registered management investment companies (‘‘funds’’) with custodians outside the United States. Under rule 17f–5, a fund or its foreign custody manager (as delegated by the fund’s board) may maintain the fund’s foreign assets in the care of an eligible fund custodian under certain conditions. If the fund’s board delegates to a foreign custody manager authority to place foreign assets, the fund’s board must find that it is VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:05 Feb 21, 2017 Jkt 241001 reasonable to rely on each delegate the board selects to act as the fund’s foreign custody manager. The delegate must agree to provide written reports that notify the board when the fund’s assets are placed with a foreign custodian and when any material change occurs in the fund’s custody arrangements. The delegate must agree to exercise reasonable care, prudence, and diligence, or to adhere to a higher standard of care. When the foreign custody manager selects an eligible foreign custodian, it must determine that the fund’s assets will be subject to reasonable care if maintained with that custodian, and that the written contract that governs each custody arrangement will provide reasonable care for fund assets. The contract must contain certain specified provisions or others that provide at least equivalent care. The foreign custody manager must establish a system to monitor the performance of the contract and the appropriateness of continuing to maintain assets with the eligible foreign custodian. The collection of information requirements in rule 17f–5 are intended to provide protection for fund assets maintained with a foreign bank custodian whose use is not authorized by statutory provisions that govern fund custody arrangements,1 and that is not subject to regulation and examination by U.S. regulators. The requirement that the fund board determine that it is reasonable to rely on each delegate is intended to ensure that the board carefully considers each delegate’s qualifications to perform its responsibilities. The requirement that the delegate provide written reports to the board is intended to ensure that the delegate notifies the board of important developments concerning custody arrangements so that the board may exercise effective oversight. The requirement that the delegate agree to exercise reasonable care is intended to provide assurances to the fund that the delegate will properly perform its duties. The requirements that the foreign custody manager determine that fund assets will be subject to reasonable care with the eligible foreign custodian and under the custody contract, and that each contract contain specified provisions or equivalent provisions, are intended to ensure that the delegate has evaluated the level of care provided by the custodian, that it weighs the adequacy of contractual provisions, and that fund assets are protected by minimal contractual safeguards. The 1 See PO 00000 section 17(f) of the Act. 15 U.S.C. 80a–17(f). Frm 00049 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 requirement that the foreign custody manager establish a monitoring system is intended to ensure that the manager periodically reviews each custody arrangement and takes appropriate action if developing custody risks may threaten fund assets.2 Commission staff estimates that each year, approximately 97 registrants 3 could be required to make an average of one response per registrant under rule 17f–5, requiring approximately 2.5 hours of board of director time per response, to make the necessary findings concerning foreign custody managers. The total annual burden associated with these requirements of the rule is up to approximately 243 hours (97 registrants × 2.5 hours per registrant). The staff further estimates that during each year, approximately 15 global custodians 4 are required to make an average of 4 responses per custodian concerning the use of foreign custodians other than depositories. The staff estimates that each response will take approximately 270 hours, requiring approximately 1080 total hours annually per custodian (270 hours × 4 responses per custodian). The total annual burden associated with these requirements of the rule is approximately 16,200 hours (15 global custodians × 1080 hours per custodian). Therefore, the total annual burden of all collection of information requirements of rule 17f–5 is estimated to be up to 16,443 hours (243 + 16,200). The total annual cost of burden hours is estimated to be $4,522,392 ((243 hours × $4,144/ hour for board of director’s time) + (16,200 hours × $217/hour for a trust administrator’s time)).5 Compliance with the collection of information requirements of the rule is necessary to obtain the benefit of relying on the 2 The staff believes that subcustodian monitoring does not involve ‘‘collection of information’’ within the meaning of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–3520) (‘‘Paperwork Reduction Act’’). 3 This figure is an estimate of the number of new funds each year, based on data reported by funds for 2014, 2015, and 2016. In practice, not all funds will use foreign custody managers. The actual figure therefore may be smaller. 4 This estimate is based on staff research. 5 Based on fund industry representations, the staff estimated in 2014 that the average cost of board of director time, for the board as a whole, was $4,000 per hour. Adjusting for inflation, the staff estimates that the current average cost of board of director time is approximately $4,144 per hour. The $217/ hour figure for a trust administrator is from SIFMA’s Management & Professional Earnings in the Securities Industry 2013, modified by Commission staff to account for an 1800-hour workyear and inflation, and multiplied by 5.35 to account for bonuses, firm size, employee benefits, and overhead. E:\FR\FM\22FEN1.SGM 22FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11383-11384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03393]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION


Proposed Collection; 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:
    Form N-8B-4; SEC File No. 270-180, OMB Control No. 3235-0247.

    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'') is soliciting comments on the collection of 
information summarized below. The Commission plans to submit this 
existing collection of information to the Office of Management and 
Budget (``OMB'') for extension and approval.
    Form N-8B-4 (17 CFR 274.14) is the form used by face-amount 
certificate companies to comply with the filing and disclosure 
requirements imposed by Section 8(b) of the Investment Company Act of 
1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8(b)). Among other items, Form N-8B-4 requires 
disclosure of the following information about the face-amount 
certificate company: Date and form of organization; controlling 
persons; current business and contemplated changes to the company's 
business; investment, borrowing, and lending policies, as well as other 
fundamental policies; securities issued by the company; investment 
adviser; depositaries; management personnel; compensation paid to 
directors, officers, and certain employees; and financial statements. 
The Commission uses the information provided in the collection of 
information to determine compliance with Section 8(b) of the Investment 
Company Act of 1940.
    Form N-8B-4 and the burden of compliance have not changed since the 
last approval. Each registrant files Form N-8B-4 for its initial filing 
and does not file post-effective amendments to Form N-8B-4.\1\ 
Commission staff estimates that no respondents will file Form N-8B-4 
each year. There are currently only four existing face-amount 
certificate companies, and none have filed a Form N-8B-4 in many years. 
No new face-amount certificate companies have been established since 
the last OMB information collection approval for this form, which 
occurred in 2014. Accordingly, the staff estimates that, each year, no 
face-amount certificate companies will file Form N-8B-4, and that the 
total burden for the information collection is zero hours. Although 
Commission staff estimates that there is no hour burden associated with 
Form N-8B-4, the staff is requesting a burden of one hour for 
administrative purposes. Estimates of the burden hours are made solely 
for the purposes of the PRA and are not derived from a comprehensive or 
even a representative survey or study of the costs of SEC rules and 
forms.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Pursuant to Section 30(b)(1) of the Act, each respondent 
keeps its registration statement current through the filing of 
periodic reports as required by Section 13 of the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder. Post-effective 
amendments are filed with the Commission on the face-amount 
certificate company's Form S-1. Hence, respondents only file Form N-
8B-4 for their initial registration statement and not for post-
effective amendments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The information provided on Form N-8B-4 is mandatory. The 
information provided on Form N-8B-4 will not be kept confidential. An 
agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility;

[[Page 11384]]

(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. Consideration will be given to comments and 
suggestions submitted in writing within 60 days of this publication.
    Please direct your written comments to Pamela Dyson, Director/Chief 
Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, C/O Remi 
Pavlik-Simon, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549; or send an email 
to: PRA_Mailbox@sec.gov.

    Dated: February 15, 2017.
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-03393 Filed 2-21-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.