Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 19136-19137 [E5-1673]

Download as PDF 19136 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 69 / Tuesday, April 12, 2005 / Notices from registration by filing with the ARA a written notice of withdrawal and by agreeing to such terms and conditions as the ARA deems necessary or appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or in the furtherance of the purposes of Section 17A. In order to implement Section 17A(c)(4)(B) of the Exchange Act the Commission, on September 1, 1977, promulgated Rule 17Ac3–1(a) and accompanying Form TA–W. Rule 17Ac3–1(a) provides that notice of withdrawal from registration as a transfer agent with the Commission shall be filed on Form TA–W. Form TA– W requires the withdrawing transfer agent to provide the Commission with certain information, including: (1) The locations where transfer agent activities are or were performed; (2) the reasons for ceasing the performance of such activities; (3) disclosure of unsatisfied judgments or liens; and (4) information regarding successor transfer agents. The Commission uses the information disclosed on Form TA–W to determine whether the registered transfer agent applying for withdrawal from registration as a transfer agent should be allowed to deregister and, if so, whether the Commission should attach to the granting of the application any terms or conditions necessary or appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or in furtherance of the purposes of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. Without Rule 17Ac3–1(a) and Form TA–W, transfer agents registered with the Commission would not have a means for voluntary deregistration when necessary or appropriate to do so. Respondents file approximately 50 TA–Ws with the Commission annually. A Form TA–W filing occurs only once, when a transfer agent is seeking deregistration. Since the form is simple and straightforward, the Commission estimates that a transfer agent need spend no more than 30 minutes to complete a Form TA–W. Therefore, the total average annual burden to covered entities is approximately 25 hours of preparation and maintenance time. In view of the ready availability of the information requested by TA–W, its short and simple presentation, and the Commission’s experience with the form, we estimate that approximately 30 minutes is required to complete Form TA–W, including clerical time. The Commission estimates a cost of approximately $35 for each 30 minutes. Therefore, the total average annual cost burden is approximately $1,750. Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of VerDate jul<14>2003 16:48 Apr 11, 2005 Jkt 205001 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. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted in writing within 60 days of this publication. Please direct your written comments to R. Corey Booth, Director/Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 5th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549. Dated: March 31, 2005. Margaret H. McFarland, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. E5–1671 Filed 4–11–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8010–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 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 17f–2(e); SEC File No. 270–37; OMB Control No. 3235–0031. 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 for extension and approval. Rule 17f–2(e) requires members of national securities exchanges, brokers, dealers, registered transfer agents, and registered clearing agencies claiming exemption from the fingerprinting requirements of Rule 17f–2 to prepare and maintain a statement supporting their claim exemption. Notices prepared pursuant to Rule 17f–2(e) must be maintained for as long as the covered entity claims an exemption from the fingerprinting requirements of Rule 17f–2. The PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 recordkeeping requirement under Rule 17f–2(e) is mandatory to assist the Commission and other regulatory agencies with ensuring compliance with Rule 17f–2. This rule does not involve the collection of confidential information. It is estimated that approximately 75 respondents will incur an average burden of 30 minutes per year to comply with this rule, for a total approximate burden of 38 hours. 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; (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 R. Corey Booth, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 5th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549. Dated: March 31, 2005. Margaret H. McFarland, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. E5–1672 Filed 4–11–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8010–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 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 15g–2; SEC File No. 270–381; OMB Control No. 3235–0434. 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 for extension and approval. E:\FR\FM\12APN1.SGM 12APN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 69 / Tuesday, April 12, 2005 / Notices The ‘‘Penny Stock Disclosure Rules’’ (Rule 15g–2, 17 CFR 240.15g–2) require broker-dealers to provide their customers with a risk disclosure document, as set forth in Schedule 15G, prior to their first non-exempt transaction in a ‘‘penny stock’’. As amended, the rule requires brokerdealers to obtain written acknowledgement from the customer that he or she has received the required risk disclosure document. The amended rule also requires broker-dealers to maintain a copy of the customer’s written acknowledgement for at least three years following the date on which the risk disclosure document was provided to the customer, the first two years in an accessible place. The risk disclosure documents are for the benefit of the customers, to assure that they are aware of the risks of trading in ‘‘penny stocks’’ before they enter into a transaction. The risk disclosure documents are maintained by the broker-dealers and may be reviewed during the course of an examination by the Commission. The Commission estimates that there are approximately 270 broker-dealers subject to Rule 15g– 2, and that each one of these firms will process an average of three new customers for ‘‘penny stocks’’ per week. Thus each respondent will process approximately 156 risk disclosure documents per year. The staff calculates that (a) the copying and mailing of the risk disclosure document should take no more than two minutes per customer, and (b) each customer should take no more than eight minutes to review, sign, and return the risk disclosure document. Thus, the total ongoing respondent burden is approximately 10 minutes per response, or an aggregate total of 1,560 minutes per respondent. Since there are 270 respondents, the annual burden is 421,200 minutes (1,560 minutes per each of the 270 respondents), or 7,020 hours. In addition, broker-dealers will incur a recordkeeping burden of approximately two minutes per response. Thus each respondent will incur a recordkeeping burden of 312 (156 × 2) minutes per year, and respondents as a group will incur an aggregate annual recordkeeping burden of 1,404 hours (270 × 312/60). Accordingly, the aggregate annual hour burden associated with Rule 15g–2 is 8,424 hours (7,020 + 1,404). 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; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the collection of VerDate jul<14>2003 16:48 Apr 11, 2005 Jkt 205001 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 R. Corey Booth, Director/CIO, Office of Information Technology, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 5th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549. Dated: March 31, 2005. Margaret F. McFarland, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. E5–1673 Filed 4–11–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8010–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 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 102; SEC File No. 270–409; OMB Control No. 3235–0467. 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 these existing collections of information to the Office of Management and Budget for extension and approval. Rule 102 prohibits distribution participants, issuers, and selling security holders from purchasing activities at specified times during a distribution of securities. Persons otherwise covered by these rules may seek to use several applicable exceptions such as a calculation of the average daily trading volume of the securities in distribution, the maintenance of policies regarding information barriers between their affiliates, and the maintenance a written policy regarding general compliance with Regulation M for de minimus transactions. The Commission estimates that 669 respondents collect information under Rule 102 and that approximately 1,569 hours in the aggregate are required annually for these collections. PO 00000 Frm 00085 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 19137 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 shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimates of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 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 R. Corey Booth, Director/Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 5th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549. Dated: March 31, 2005. Margaret H. McFarland, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. E5–1695 Filed 4–11–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8010–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [File No. 500–1] In the Matter of Bio-Heal Laboratories, Inc.; Order of Suspension of Trading April 8, 2005. It appears to the Securities and Exchange Commission that the public interest and the protection of investors require a suspension of trading in the securities of Bio-Heal Laboratories, Inc. (‘‘Bio-Heal’’). The Commission is concerned that Bio-Heal may have unlawfully issued approximately 12 million shares of common stock in purported reliance on Rule 504 of Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933. Bio-Heal, a company that is delinquent in its periodic filing obligations under Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Exchange Act’’), is quoted on the Pink Sheets under the ticker symbol BHLL. The Commission is of the opinion that the public interest and the protection of investors require a suspension of trading in the securities of the above-listed company. Therefore, it is ordered, pursuant to Section 12(k) of the Exchange Act, that trading in the above-listed company is suspended for the period from 9:30 a.m. E:\FR\FM\12APN1.SGM 12APN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 12, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19136-19137]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-1673]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION


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 15g-2; SEC File No. 270-381; OMB Control No. 3235-0434.

    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 for extension and approval.

[[Page 19137]]

    The ``Penny Stock Disclosure Rules'' (Rule 15g-2, 17 CFR 240.15g-2) 
require broker-dealers to provide their customers with a risk 
disclosure document, as set forth in Schedule 15G, prior to their first 
non-exempt transaction in a ``penny stock''. As amended, the rule 
requires broker-dealers to obtain written acknowledgement from the 
customer that he or she has received the required risk disclosure 
document. The amended rule also requires broker-dealers to maintain a 
copy of the customer's written acknowledgement for at least three years 
following the date on which the risk disclosure document was provided 
to the customer, the first two years in an accessible place.
    The risk disclosure documents are for the benefit of the customers, 
to assure that they are aware of the risks of trading in ``penny 
stocks'' before they enter into a transaction. The risk disclosure 
documents are maintained by the broker-dealers and may be reviewed 
during the course of an examination by the Commission. The Commission 
estimates that there are approximately 270 broker-dealers subject to 
Rule 15g-2, and that each one of these firms will process an average of 
three new customers for ``penny stocks'' per week. Thus each respondent 
will process approximately 156 risk disclosure documents per year. The 
staff calculates that (a) the copying and mailing of the risk 
disclosure document should take no more than two minutes per customer, 
and (b) each customer should take no more than eight minutes to review, 
sign, and return the risk disclosure document. Thus, the total ongoing 
respondent burden is approximately 10 minutes per response, or an 
aggregate total of 1,560 minutes per respondent. Since there are 270 
respondents, the annual burden is 421,200 minutes (1,560 minutes per 
each of the 270 respondents), or 7,020 hours. In addition, broker-
dealers will incur a recordkeeping burden of approximately two minutes 
per response. Thus each respondent will incur a recordkeeping burden of 
312 (156 x 2) minutes per year, and respondents as a group will incur 
an aggregate annual recordkeeping burden of 1,404 hours (270 x 312/60). 
Accordingly, the aggregate annual hour burden associated with Rule 15g-
2 is 8,424 hours (7,020 + 1,404).
    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; (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 R. Corey Booth, Director/
CIO, Office of Information Technology, Securities and Exchange 
Commission, 450 5th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549.

    Dated: March 31, 2005.
Margaret F. McFarland,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-1673 Filed 4-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-P
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