Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 18246-18248 [E7-6823]
Download as PDF
18246
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 69 / Wednesday, April 11, 2007 / Notices
[FR Doc. 07–1798 Filed 4–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6690–01–M
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
Notice of Public Information
Collection(s) being Reviewed by the
Federal Communications Commission,
Comments Requested
cprice-sewell on PRODPC61 with NOTICES
April 3, 2007.
SUMMARY: The Federal Communications
Commission, as part of its continuing
effort to reduce paperwork burden
invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on the
following information collection(s), as
required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law 104–13.
An agency 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
Paperwork Reduction Act that does not
display a valid control number.
Comments are requested concerning (a)
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Commission, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the Commission’s
burden estimate; (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 the respondents,
including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA) comments should be
submitted on or before May 11, 2007. If
you anticipate that you will be
submitting comments, but find it
difficult to do so within the period of
time allowed by this notice, you should
advise the contact listed below as soon
as possible.
ADDRESSES: You may submit your all
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)
comments by e-mail or U.S. postal mail.
To submit your comments by e-mail
send them to PRA@fcc.gov. To submit
your comments by U.S. mail, mark them
to the attention of Cathy Williams,
Federal Communications Commission,
Room 1–C823, 445 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20554 and Jasmeet
Seehra, OMB Desk Officer, Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), Room
10236 NEOB, 725 17th Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20503 or via Internet at
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:06 Apr 10, 2007
Jkt 211001
Jasmeet_K._Seehra@omb.eop.gov or via
fax at (202) 395–5167. If you would like
to obtain or view a copy of this
information collection, you may do so
by visiting the FCC’s PRA Web page at:
https://www.fcc.gov/omd/pra.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information about the
information collection(s) send an e-mail
to PRA@fcc.gov or contact Cathy
Williams at (202) 418–2918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 3060–XXXX.
Title: Children’s Television Requests
for Preemption Flexibility.
Form Number: Not applicable.
Type of Review: New collection.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities.
Number of Respondents: 15.
Estimated Time per Response: 10
hours.
Frequency of Response: Annual
reporting requirement.
Total Annual Burden: 150 hours.
Total Annual Cost: None.
Nature of Response: Required to
obtain or retain benefits.
Confidentiality: No need for
confidentiality required.
Privacy Impact Assessment: No
impact(s).
Needs and Uses: On September 26,
2006, the Commission adopted a Second
Order on Reconsideration and Second
Report and Order in MM Docket 00–
167, FCC 06–143, In the Matter of
Children’s Television Obligations of
Digital Television Broadcasters. The
Second Order addressed several matters
relating to the obligation of television
licensees to provide educational
programming for children and the
obligation of television licensees and
cable operators to protect children from
excessive and inappropriate commercial
messages. Among other things, the
Second Order adopts a children’s
programming preemption policy. This
policy requires all networks requesting
preemption flexibility to file a request
with the Media Bureau by August 1 of
each year. The request identifies the
number of preemptions the network
expects, when the program will be
rescheduled, whether the rescheduled
time is the program’s second home, and
the network’s plan to notify viewers of
the schedule change. Preemption
flexibility requests are not mandatory
filings. They are requests that may be
filed by networks seeking preemption
flexibility.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7–6624 Filed 4–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–10–P
PO 00000
Frm 00052
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
[Report No. 2810]
Petitions for Reconsideration of Action
in Rulemaking Proceeding
April 2, 2007.
Petitions for Reconsideration have
been filed in the Commission’s
Rulemaking proceeding listed in this
Public Notice and published pursuant to
47 CFR 1.429(e). The full text of these
documents is available for viewing and
copying in Room CY–B402, 445 12th
Street, SW., Washington, DC or may be
purchased from the Commission’s copy
contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc.
(BCPI) (1–800–378–3160). Oppositions
to these petitions must be filed by April
26, 2007. See Section 1.4(b)(1) of the
Commission’s rules (47 CFR 1.4(b)(1)).
Replies to an opposition must be filed
within 10 days after the time for filing
oppositions have expired.
Subject: In the Matter of Amendment
of Part 97 of the Commission’s Rules To
Implement WRC–03 Regulations
Applicable to Requirements for
Operator Licenses in the Amateur Radio
Service (WT Docket No. 05–235).
Number of Petitions Filed: 2.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7–6623 Filed 4–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE BOARD
[No. 2007–N–06]
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request
AGENCY:
Federal Housing Finance
Board.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal
Housing Finance Board (Finance Board)
is seeking public comments concerning
a 3-year extension by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) of the
information collection entitled
‘‘Monthly Survey of Rates and Terms on
Conventional, 1-Family, Nonfarm
Loans,’’ commonly known as the
Monthly Interest Rate Survey or MIRS.
OMB has been assigned control 3069–
0001, which is due to expire on July 31,
2007.
DATES: Interested persons may submit
comments on or before June 11, 2007.
Comments: Submit comments only
once by any of the following methods:
E:\FR\FM\11APN1.SGM
11APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 69 / Wednesday, April 11, 2007 / Notices
E-mail: comments@fhfb.gov.
Fax: 202–408–2580.
Mail/Hand Delivery: Federal Housing
Finance Board, 1625 Eye Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20006, ATTENTION:
Public Comments.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Include the following information in the
subject line of your submission: Federal
Housing Finance Board. Proposed
Collection; Comment Request: Monthly
Interest Rate Survey. 2007–N–06.
We will post all public comments we
receive on this notice without change,
including any personal information you
provide, such as your name and
address, on the Finance Board Web site
at https://www.fhfb.gov/
Default.aspx?Page=93&Top=93.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Roderer, Senior Financial
Analyst, Risk Monitoring Division,
Office of Supervision, by e-mail at
rodererj@fhfb.gov, by telephone at 202–
408–2540, or by regular mail at the
Federal Housing Finance Board, 1625
Eye Street, NW., Washington DC 20006.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
cprice-sewell on PRODPC61 with NOTICES
A. Need For and Use of Information
Collection
The Finance Board’s predecessor, the
former Federal Home Loan Bank Board
(FHLBB), first provided data concerning
a survey of mortgage interest rates in
1963. No statutory or regulatory
provision explicitly required the FHLBB
to conduct the MIRS although
references to the MIRS did appear in
several federal and state statutes.
Responsibility for conducting the MIRS
was transferred to the Finance Board
upon dissolution of the FHLBB in 1989.
See Financial Institutions Reform,
Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989
(FIRREA), Public Law 101–73, tit. IV,
sec. 402(e)(3)–(4), 103 Stat. 183, codified
at 12 U.S.C. 1437 note, and tit. VII, sec.
731(f)(1), (f)(2)(B), 103 Stat. 433 (Aug. 9,
1989). In 1993, the Finance Board
promulgated a final rule describing the
method by which it conducts the MIRS.
See 58 FR 19195 (Apr. 13, 1993),
codified at 12 CFR 906.3. Since its
inception, the MIRS has provided the
only consistent source of information on
mortgage interest rates and terms and
house prices for areas smaller than the
entire country.
Statutory references to the MIRS
include the following:
• Pursuant to their respective organic
statutes, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
use the MIRS results as the basis for the
annual adjustments to the maximum
dollar limits for their purchase of
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:09 Apr 10, 2007
Jkt 211001
conventional mortgages. See 12 U.S.C.
1454(a)(2) and 1717(b)(2). The Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac limits were first
tied to the MIRS by the Housing and
Community Development Act of 1980.
See Public Law 96–399, tit. III, sec.
313(a)–(b), 94 Stat. 1644–1645 (Oct. 8,
1980). At that time, the nearly identical
statutes required Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac to base the dollar limit
adjustments on ‘‘the national average
one-family house price in the monthly
survey of all major lenders conducted
by the [FHLBB].’’ See 12 U.S.C.
1454(a)(2) and 1717(b)(2) (1989). When
Congress abolished the FHLBB in 1989,
it replaced the reference to the FHLBB
in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
statutes with a reference to the Finance
Board. See FIRREA, tit. VII, sec.
731(f)(1), (f)(2)(B), 103 Stat. 433.
• Also in 1989, Congress required the
Chairperson of the Finance Board to
take necessary actions to ensure that
indices used to calculate the interest
rate on adjustable rate mortgages
(ARMs) remain available. See FIRREA,
tit. IV, sec. 402(e)(3)–(4), 103 Stat. 183,
codified at 12 U.S.C. 1437 note. At least
one ARM index, known as the National
Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the
Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes
by Combined Lenders, is derived from
the MIRS data. The statute permits the
Finance Board to substitute a
substantially similar ARM index after
notice and comment only if the new
ARM index is based upon data
substantially similar to that of the
original ARM index and substitution of
the new ARM index will result in an
interest rate substantially similar to the
rate in effect at the time the new ARM
index replaces the existing ARM index.
See 12 U.S.C. 1437 note.
• Congress indirectly connected the
high cost area limits for mortgages
insured by the Federal Housing
Administration (FHA) of the
Department of Housing and Urban
Development to the MIRS in 1994 when
it statutorily linked these FHA
insurance limits to the purchase price
limitations for Fannie Mae. See Public
Law 103–327, 108 Stat. 2314 (Sept. 28,
1994), codified at 12 U.S.C.
1709(b)(2)(A)(ii).
• The Internal Revenue Service uses
the MIRS data in establishing ‘‘safeharbor’’ limitations for mortgages
purchased with the proceeds of
mortgage revenue bond issues. See 26
CFR 6a.103A–2(f)(5).
• Statutes in several states and U.S.
territories, including California,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey,
Wisconsin and the Virgin Islands, refer
to, or rely upon, the MIRS. See, e.g., Cal.
Civ. Code 1916.7 and 1916.8 (mortgage
PO 00000
Frm 00053
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
18247
rates); Iowa Code 534.205 (1995) (real
estate loan practices); Mich. Comp.
Laws 445.1621(d) (mortgage index
rates); Minn. Stat. 92.06 (payments for
state land sales); N.J. Rev. Stat. 31:1–1
(interest rates); Wis. Stat. 138.056
(variable loan rates); V.I. Code Ann. tit.
11, sec. 951 (legal rate of interest).
The Finance Board uses the
information collection to produce the
MIRS and for general statistical
purposes and program evaluation.
Economic policy makers use the MIRS
data to determine trends in the mortgage
markets, including interest rates, down
payments, terms to maturity, terms on
ARMs and initial fees and charges on
mortgage loans. Other federal banking
agencies use the MIRS results for
research purposes. Information
concerning the MIRS is regularly
published on the Finance Board’s Web
site (https://www.fhfb.gov/mirs) and in
press releases, in the popular trade
press, and in publications of other
Federal agencies.
The likely respondents include a
sample of savings associations, mortgage
companies, commercial banks, and
savings banks. The information
collection requires each respondent to
complete FHFB Form 10–91 on a
monthly basis.
The OMB number for the information
collection is 3069–0001. The OMB
clearance for the information collection
expires on July 31, 2007.
B. Burden Estimate
The Finance Board estimates the total
annual number of respondents at 200
with 6 responses per respondent. The
estimate for the average hours per
response is 30 minutes. The estimate for
the total annual hour burden is 600
hours (200 respondents × 6 responses ×
0.5 hours).
C. Comment Request
The Finance Board requests written
comments on the following: (1) Whether
the collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of
Finance Board functions, including
whether the information has practical
utility; (2) the accuracy of the Finance
Board’s estimates of the burdens of the
collection of information; (3) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the information collected; and (4)
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.
Dated: April 5, 2007.
E:\FR\FM\11APN1.SGM
11APN1
18248
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 69 / Wednesday, April 11, 2007 / Notices
By the Federal Housing Finance Board.
Neil R. Crowley,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E7–6823 Filed 4–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6725–01–P
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION
Notice of Agreements Filed
The Commission hereby gives notice
of the filing of the following agreements
under the Shipping Act of 1984.
Interested parties may submit comments
on agreements to the Secretary, Federal
Maritime Commission, Washington, DC
20573, within ten days of the date this
notice appears in the Federal Register.
Copies of agreements are available
through the Commission’s Office of
Agreements (202–523–5793 or
tradeanalysis@fmc.gov).
Agreement No.: 011223–038.
Title: Transpacific Stabilization
Agreement.
Parties: APL Co. PTE Ltd./American
President Lines, Ltd.; CMA–CGM S.A.;
COSCO Container Lines Co., Ltd.;
Evergreen Line Joint Service Agreement;
Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd.; Hapag-Lloyd
AG; Hyundai Merchant Marine Co.,
Ltd.; Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.;
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.; Nippon Yusen
Kaisha; Orient Overseas Container Line
Limited; and Yangming Marine
Transport Corp.
Filing Party: David F. Smith, Esq.;
Sher & Blackwell LLP; 1850 M Street,
NW., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036.
Synopsis: The amendment would add
Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.
as a party to the agreement.
Agreement No.: 011928–002.
Title: Maersk Line/HLAG Slot Charter
Agreement.
Parties: A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S
trading under the name of Maersk Line
and Hapag-Lloyd AG (HLAG).
Filing Party: Wayne R. Rohde, Esq.,
Sher & Blackwell LLP, 1850 M Street,
NW., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036.
Synopsis: The amendment deletes
North Europe and Jamaica from the
geographic scope and would increase
the amount of space being sold to HLAG
from 150 TEUs to 340 TEUs.
Dated: April 6, 2007.
By Order of the Federal Maritime
Commission.
Bryant L. VanBrakle,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7–6857 Filed 4–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6730–01–P
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION
Ocean Transportation Intermediary
License Reissuance
Notice is hereby given that the
following Ocean Transportation
Intermediary license has been reissued
by the Federal Maritime Commission
pursuant to section 19 of the Shipping
Act of 1984 (46 U.S.C. Chapter 409), and
the regulations of the Commission
pertaining to the licensing of Ocean
Transportation Intermediaries, 46 CFR
Part 515.
License No.
Name/address
Date reissued
019355NF ..........
ABAD Air, Inc., 10411 NW., 28th Street, Suite C–101, Doral, FL 33172 ..................................................
December 8, 2006.
Sandra L. Kusumoto,
Director, Bureau of Certification and
Licensing.
[FR Doc. E7–6858 Filed 4–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6730–01–P
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION
Ocean Transportation Intermediary
Licenses Correction
In the OTI Applicant Notice
published in the Federal Register on
March 8, 2007 (72 FR 10532) reference
to the name of the ASBCO Container
Sevices Inc. is corrected to read:
‘‘ASECO Container Services Inc.’’
Dated: April 6, 2007.
Bryant L. VanBrakle,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7–6859 Filed 4–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6730–01–P
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION
cprice-sewell on PRODPC61 with NOTICES
Ocean Transportation Intermediary
License Revocations
The Federal Maritime Commission
hereby gives notice that the following
Ocean Transportation Intermediary
licenses have been revoked pursuant to
section 19 of the Shipping Act of 1984
(46 U.S.C. chapter 409) and the
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:09 Apr 10, 2007
Jkt 211001
regulations of the Commission
pertaining to the licensing of Ocean
Transportation Intermediaries, 46 CFR
Part 515, effective on the corresponding
date shown below:
License Number: 016704F.
Name: Candice K. Blankenship.
Address: 1025 Wynngate Drive,
Chesapeake, VA 23320.
Date Revoked: March 15, 2007.
Reason: Failed to maintain a valid
bond.
License Number: 004664F.
Name: Cornerstone Logistics
Incorporated.
Address: 1017 Grandview Drive, So.
San Francisco, CA 94080.
Date Revoked: March 12, 2007.
Reason: Failed to maintain a valid
bond.
License Number: 018482N.
Name: Dolphin Shipping, Inc.
Address: 600 E. Ocean Blvd., Ste. 802,
Long Beach, CA 90802.
Date Revoked: March 17, 2007.
Reason: Failed to maintain a valid
bond.
License Number: 019816F.
Name: Eastern Mercantile, Inc.
Address: 5232 Settlers Park Drive,
Virginia Beach, VA 23464.
Date Revoked: March 17, 2007.
Reason: Failed to maintain a valid
bond.
License Number: 019662NF.
PO 00000
Frm 00054
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Name: Hemisphere Cargo Corp. dba H
Cargo Lines
Address: 10850 Northwest 21st Street,
Ste. 100, Miami, FL 33172.
Date Revoked: March 17, 2007.
Reason: Failed to maintain valid
bonds.
License Number: 018339NF.
Name: International Freight Logistics
LLC.
Address: 28803 Flower Park Drive,
Inglewood, CA 90301.
Date Revoked: April 2, 2007.
Reason: Surrendered license
voluntarily.
License Number: 020480NF.
Name: New Horizon Shipping, Inc.
Address: 30251 Golden Lantern, Ste.
E–#207, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677.
Date Revoked: March 13, 2007.
Reason: Surrendered license
voluntarily.
License Number: 018818N.
Name: Ramses Logistics USA, Inc.
Address: 18726 S. Western Ave., Ste.
317, Gardena, CA 90248.
Date Revoked: March 17, 2007.
Reason: Failed to maintain a valid
bond.
License Number: 015262N.
Name: Triton Forwarding, Inc.
Address: 3080 Bristol Street, Ste. 610,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
Date Revoked: March 14, 2007.
Reason: Failed to maintain a valid
bond.
E:\FR\FM\11APN1.SGM
11APN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18246-18248]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6823]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE BOARD
[No. 2007-N-06]
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Federal Housing Finance Board.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, the Federal Housing Finance Board (Finance Board) is
seeking public comments concerning a 3-year extension by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) of the information collection entitled
``Monthly Survey of Rates and Terms on Conventional, 1-Family, Nonfarm
Loans,'' commonly known as the Monthly Interest Rate Survey or MIRS.
OMB has been assigned control 3069-0001, which is due to expire on July
31, 2007.
DATES: Interested persons may submit comments on or before June 11,
2007.
Comments: Submit comments only once by any of the following
methods:
[[Page 18247]]
E-mail: comments@fhfb.gov.
Fax: 202-408-2580.
Mail/Hand Delivery: Federal Housing Finance Board, 1625 Eye Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20006, ATTENTION: Public Comments.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments. Include the following information
in the subject line of your submission: Federal Housing Finance Board.
Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Monthly Interest Rate Survey.
2007-N-06.
We will post all public comments we receive on this notice without
change, including any personal information you provide, such as your
name and address, on the Finance Board Web site at https://www.fhfb.gov/
Default.aspx?Page=93&Top=93.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Roderer, Senior Financial
Analyst, Risk Monitoring Division, Office of Supervision, by e-mail at
rodererj@fhfb.gov, by telephone at 202-408-2540, or by regular mail at
the Federal Housing Finance Board, 1625 Eye Street, NW., Washington DC
20006.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Need For and Use of Information Collection
The Finance Board's predecessor, the former Federal Home Loan Bank
Board (FHLBB), first provided data concerning a survey of mortgage
interest rates in 1963. No statutory or regulatory provision explicitly
required the FHLBB to conduct the MIRS although references to the MIRS
did appear in several federal and state statutes. Responsibility for
conducting the MIRS was transferred to the Finance Board upon
dissolution of the FHLBB in 1989. See Financial Institutions Reform,
Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA), Public Law 101-73, tit.
IV, sec. 402(e)(3)-(4), 103 Stat. 183, codified at 12 U.S.C. 1437 note,
and tit. VII, sec. 731(f)(1), (f)(2)(B), 103 Stat. 433 (Aug. 9, 1989).
In 1993, the Finance Board promulgated a final rule describing the
method by which it conducts the MIRS. See 58 FR 19195 (Apr. 13, 1993),
codified at 12 CFR 906.3. Since its inception, the MIRS has provided
the only consistent source of information on mortgage interest rates
and terms and house prices for areas smaller than the entire country.
Statutory references to the MIRS include the following:
Pursuant to their respective organic statutes, Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac use the MIRS results as the basis for the annual
adjustments to the maximum dollar limits for their purchase of
conventional mortgages. See 12 U.S.C. 1454(a)(2) and 1717(b)(2). The
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac limits were first tied to the MIRS by the
Housing and Community Development Act of 1980. See Public Law 96-399,
tit. III, sec. 313(a)-(b), 94 Stat. 1644-1645 (Oct. 8, 1980). At that
time, the nearly identical statutes required Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
to base the dollar limit adjustments on ``the national average one-
family house price in the monthly survey of all major lenders conducted
by the [FHLBB].'' See 12 U.S.C. 1454(a)(2) and 1717(b)(2) (1989). When
Congress abolished the FHLBB in 1989, it replaced the reference to the
FHLBB in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac statutes with a reference to
the Finance Board. See FIRREA, tit. VII, sec. 731(f)(1), (f)(2)(B), 103
Stat. 433.
Also in 1989, Congress required the Chairperson of the
Finance Board to take necessary actions to ensure that indices used to
calculate the interest rate on adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) remain
available. See FIRREA, tit. IV, sec. 402(e)(3)-(4), 103 Stat. 183,
codified at 12 U.S.C. 1437 note. At least one ARM index, known as the
National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously
Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, is derived from the MIRS data. The
statute permits the Finance Board to substitute a substantially similar
ARM index after notice and comment only if the new ARM index is based
upon data substantially similar to that of the original ARM index and
substitution of the new ARM index will result in an interest rate
substantially similar to the rate in effect at the time the new ARM
index replaces the existing ARM index. See 12 U.S.C. 1437 note.
Congress indirectly connected the high cost area limits
for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) of
the Department of Housing and Urban Development to the MIRS in 1994
when it statutorily linked these FHA insurance limits to the purchase
price limitations for Fannie Mae. See Public Law 103-327, 108 Stat.
2314 (Sept. 28, 1994), codified at 12 U.S.C. 1709(b)(2)(A)(ii).
The Internal Revenue Service uses the MIRS data in
establishing ``safe-harbor'' limitations for mortgages purchased with
the proceeds of mortgage revenue bond issues. See 26 CFR 6a.103A-
2(f)(5).
Statutes in several states and U.S. territories, including
California, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Wisconsin and the Virgin
Islands, refer to, or rely upon, the MIRS. See, e.g., Cal. Civ. Code
1916.7 and 1916.8 (mortgage rates); Iowa Code 534.205 (1995) (real
estate loan practices); Mich. Comp. Laws 445.1621(d) (mortgage index
rates); Minn. Stat. 92.06 (payments for state land sales); N.J. Rev.
Stat. 31:1-1 (interest rates); Wis. Stat. 138.056 (variable loan
rates); V.I. Code Ann. tit. 11, sec. 951 (legal rate of interest).
The Finance Board uses the information collection to produce the
MIRS and for general statistical purposes and program evaluation.
Economic policy makers use the MIRS data to determine trends in the
mortgage markets, including interest rates, down payments, terms to
maturity, terms on ARMs and initial fees and charges on mortgage loans.
Other federal banking agencies use the MIRS results for research
purposes. Information concerning the MIRS is regularly published on the
Finance Board's Web site (https://www.fhfb.gov/mirs) and in press
releases, in the popular trade press, and in publications of other
Federal agencies.
The likely respondents include a sample of savings associations,
mortgage companies, commercial banks, and savings banks. The
information collection requires each respondent to complete FHFB Form
10-91 on a monthly basis.
The OMB number for the information collection is 3069-0001. The OMB
clearance for the information collection expires on July 31, 2007.
B. Burden Estimate
The Finance Board estimates the total annual number of respondents
at 200 with 6 responses per respondent. The estimate for the average
hours per response is 30 minutes. The estimate for the total annual
hour burden is 600 hours (200 respondents x 6 responses x 0.5 hours).
C. Comment Request
The Finance Board requests written comments on the following: (1)
Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of Finance Board functions, including whether the
information has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the Finance
Board's estimates of the burdens of the collection of information; (3)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
collected; and (4) 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.
Dated: April 5, 2007.
[[Page 18248]]
By the Federal Housing Finance Board.
Neil R. Crowley,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E7-6823 Filed 4-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6725-01-P