Terrorism Risk Insurance Program 2018 Data Call, 56328-56331 [2017-25402]
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56328
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 227 / Tuesday, November 28, 2017 / Notices
per month, and the use of TTB F 5250.1
to report all processed tobacco
manufactured, received, and removed
per month. TTB uses the collected
information to ensure that Federal
excise taxes have been properly paid
and that manufacturers are in
compliance with applicable Federal law
and regulations.
Form: TTB F 5210.5, TTB F 5250.1.
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profits.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 2,820.
Title: Manufacturers of Nonbeverage
Products—Records to Support Claims
for Drawback.
OMB Control Number: 1513–0073.
Type of Review: Extension without
change of a currently approved
collection.
Abstract: The Internal Revenue Code
(IRC) at 26 U.S.C. 5001 imposes a
Federal excise tax of $13.50 per proof
gallon on distilled spirits produced or
imported into the United States.
However, the IRC at 26 U.S.C. 5111–
5114, allows manufacturers of certain
nonbeverage products that are unfit for
beverage use—medicines, medicinal
preparations, food products, flavors,
flavoring extracts, or perfume—to claim
drawback (refund) of all but $1.00 per
proof gallon of the excise tax paid on
the distilled spirits used in the
production of such products. Under
these IRC authorities, TTB has issued
regulations governing nonbeverage
product drawback claims, contained in
27 CFR part 17, which includes a
requirement to keep source records
supporting such claims. The required
source records include information
about distilled spirits received, gauge
records, evidence of taxes paid, the date
spirits were used, the quantity and kind
used in each product, receipt and usage
of other ingredients (to validate formula
compliance), inventory records, records
of recovered alcohol, the quantity of
intermediate products transferred to
other plants, the disposition of each
nonbeverage product produced, and the
purchasers (except for retail sales).
These records are necessary to protect
the revenue; the required records help
prevent fraudulent claims and the
diversion to beverage use of spirits on
which nonbeverage product drawback is
claimed.
Form: None.
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profits.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 11,130.
Title: Proprietors or Claimants
Exporting Liquors.
OMB Control Number: 1513–0075.
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19:51 Nov 27, 2017
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Type of Review: Extension without
change of a currently approved
collection.
Abstract: Under the Internal Revenue
Code at 26 U.S.C. 5053, 5214, and 5362,
distilled spirits, wine, and beer may be
exported without payment of Federal
excise tax. In addition, under the IRC at
26 U.S.C. 5055 and 5062, taxpaid
distilled spirits, wine, and beer may be
exported and the exporter may claim
drawback (refund) on the excise taxes
paid. To protect the revenue, exporters
must complete various TTB and
customs forms to show that the products
were in fact exported. Under the TTB
alcohol beverage export regulations in
27 CFR part 28, proprietors and
drawback claimants are required to
maintain record copies of all pertinent
forms and commercial records that
document the exportation of nontaxpaid alcohol beverages and the
exportation of taxpaid alcohol beverages
for which drawback will be claimed,
and such records must be maintained
for not less than 3 years.
Form: None.
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profits.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 750.
Title: Administrative Remedies—
Requests for Closing Agreements.
OMB Control Number: 1513–0099.
Type of Review: Extension without
change of a currently approved
collection.
Abstract: The IRC, at 26 U.S.C. 7121,
authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury
to enter into a written agreement with
any person relating to the liability of
such person (or of the person or estate
for whom he or she acts) in respect to
any internal revenue tax for any taxable
period. That IRC section also states that
such agreements, once approved, are
final and conclusive, unless it is shown
that the taxpayer exhibited fraud or
malfeasance, or misrepresented a
material fact. Under its delegated
authority, TTB has issued regulations at
27 CFR 70.485 pertaining to such
‘‘closing agreements.’’ Specific to this
information collection, the regulation
requires a taxpayer or their agent to
submit a written request to TTB to enter
into a closing agreement to resolve
certain Federal excise tax matters. TTB
uses the information collected in such a
request and any attached supporting
documentation to determine whether
the Bureau should pursue a closing
agreement with the taxpayer. Closing
agreements allow TTB and a taxpayer to
resolve tax liability matters prior to any
adversarial legal or administrative
proceedings.
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Form: None.
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profits.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 5.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
Dated: November 22, 2017.
Spencer W. Clark,
Treasury PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017–25680 Filed 11–27–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810–31–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program
2018 Data Call
Departmental Offices, U.S.
Department of the Treasury.
ACTION: Request for comments.
AGENCY:
Pursuant to the Terrorism
Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA),1 the
Federal Insurance Office (FIO) requests
public feedback on the proposed
consolidation of the separate federal and
state data calls regarding terrorism risk
insurance, and the proposed data
collection forms for use in the 2018 data
call. Copies of these forms and
associated explanatory materials
(including a document identifying
specific changes to the reporting
templates and instructions as previously
used by Treasury) are available for
electronic review on the Treasury Web
site at https://www.treasury.gov/
resource-center/fin-mkts/Pages/
program.aspx. State insurance
regulators, through the National
Association of Insurance Commissioners
(NAIC), will also be separately seeking
comment from stakeholders on the
proposal.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
January 29, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments
electronically through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov, or by mail to the
Federal Insurance Office, Attn: Richard
Ifft, Room 1410 MT, Department of the
Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20220. Because
postal mail may be subject to processing
delays, it is recommended that
comments be submitted electronically.
If submitting comments by mail, please
submit an original version with two
copies. Comments concerning the
proposed data collection forms and
SUMMARY:
1 Public Law 107–297, 116 Stat. 2322, codified at
15 U.S.C. 6701, note. Because the provisions of
TRIA (as amended) appear in a note, instead of
particular sections, of the United States Code, the
provisions of TRIA are identified by the sections of
the law.
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 227 / Tuesday, November 28, 2017 / Notices
collection process should be captioned
with ‘‘2018 TRIP Data Collection
Comments.’’ Please include your name,
group affiliation, address, email address,
and telephone number(s) in your
comment. Where appropriate, a
comment should include a short
Executive Summary (no more than five
single-spaced pages).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Richard Ifft, Senior Insurance
Regulatory Policy Analyst, Federal
Insurance Office, Room 1410 MT,
Department of the Treasury, 1500
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington,
DC 20220, at (202) 622–2922 (not a tollfree number), Lindsey Baldwin, Senior
Policy Analyst, Federal Insurance
Office, at (202) 622–3220 (not a toll free
number), or Kevin Meehan, Senior
Insurance Regulatory Policy Analyst,
Federal Insurance Office, at (202) 622–
7009 (not a toll-free number). Persons
who have difficulty hearing or speaking
may access these numbers via TTY by
calling the toll-free Federal Relay
Service at (800) 877–8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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I. Background and Proposed
Consolidated Approach
TRIA created the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Program (Program) within the
U.S. Department of the Treasury
(Treasury) to address disruptions in the
market for terrorism risk insurance, to
help ensure the continued availability
and affordability of commercial
property and casualty insurance for
terrorism risk, and to allow for the
private markets to stabilize and build
insurance capacity to absorb any future
losses for terrorism events. The Program
has been reauthorized on a number of
occasions, most recently in the
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program
Reauthorization Act of 2015 (2015
Reauthorization Act).2 Section 111 of
the 2015 Reauthorization Act 3 (Section
111) requires the Secretary of the
Treasury (Secretary) to perform periodic
analyses of certain matters concerning
the Program. In order to assist the
Secretary with this process, Section 111
requires insurers to submit on an annual
basis certain insurance data and
information regarding their
participation in the Program. FIO is
authorized to assist the Secretary in the
administration of the Program.4
Treasury began collecting data from
insurers in 2016 on a voluntary basis,5
Law 114–1, 129 Stat. 3.
sec. 104(h).
4 31 U.S.C. 313(c)(1)(D).
5 81 FR 11649 (March 4, 2016).
3 TRIA
19:51 Nov 27, 2017
II. Changes to Data Collection
Templates
Pursuant to Section 111 of the 2015
Reauthorization Act, Treasury has
coordinated with publicly available
sources to collect information for the
2018 data call. Information relating to
workers’ compensation exposures is
available from the workers’
6 A reporting exemption was extended to small
insurers that wrote less than $10 million in TRIPeligible lines premium in 2016. See 81 FR 95310
(December 27, 2016); 82 FR 20420 (May 1, 2017).
7 82 FR 20420 (May 1, 2017).
2 Public
VerDate Sep<11>2014
and on a mandatory basis in 2017.6
Treasury also arranged in 2017 for
workers’ compensation rating bureaus to
provide most of the workers’
compensation insurance data elements.7
31 CFR 50.51 requires insurers to
submit the specified data no later than
May 15 of each calendar year. Treasury,
through an insurance statistical
aggregator, uses a web portal through
which insurers must submit the
requested data. All information
submitted via the web portal is subject
to the confidentiality and data
protection provisions of applicable
federal law.
State insurance regulators also began
annually collecting data relating to
terrorism risk insurance in 2016. The
state insurance regulator data calls have
sought information similar to that
collected by Treasury, although in some
cases on a more detailed, granular basis.
Given the similarity of the information
sought, and the burden presented to
insurers by the existence of dual data
calls on the same subject, Treasury and
state insurance regulators have sought to
create a consolidated data call for 2018
that will satisfy each of their respective
objectives. For the 2018 data call,
Treasury and state insurance regulators
have agreed on joint reporting templates
substantially similar to those used by
Treasury in prior years, subject to minor
changes based upon experience gained
from the 2017 data call, coordination
with state insurance regulators and the
NAIC, and feedback from participating
insurers. The most significant changes
are identified below.
Insurers subject to the consolidated
data call will report on a group basis, if
part of a group, and otherwise will
report on an individual company basis.
Insurers with property exposures will
also be required to submit to state
insurance regulators, on an individual
company basis, an additional
supplement focusing on the property
lines of insurance subject to the
Program. This supplement calls for data
with respect to geographic exposures by
ZIP Code.
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56329
compensation rating bureaus, and those
entities have agreed to provide that
information on behalf of participating
insurers. Treasury has determined,
however, that all other data components
remain unavailable from other sources.
Accordingly, Treasury will continue to
request this remaining data and
information directly from insurers.
However, Treasury’s analysis indicates
that the proposed consolidated
approach for the 2018 data call will
result in a significant reduction in
overall data collection burdens for
participating insurers.
After coordinating with state
insurance regulators, Treasury again
proposes to use four different data
collection templates (see 31 CFR
50.51(c)), depending upon the type of
insurer involved. Insurers will fill out
the template identified ‘‘Insurer (NonSmall) Groups or Companies,’’ unless
the insurer meets the definition of a
small insurer, captive insurer, or alien
surplus lines insurer as set forth in 31
CFR 50.4. Such small insurers, captive
insurers, and alien surplus lines
insurers are required to complete
separate tailored templates. Each
template will be accompanied by
separate instructions providing
guidance on each data element.
There are four global changes to the
proposed reporting templates for 2018.
First, all reporting templates will now
include a standalone cyber insurance
worksheet. Second, the reinsurance
worksheet that is required for non-small
insurers, alien surplus lines insurers,
and captive insurers will include a new
modeled loss question.8 Third, the
exposures worksheet (required for all
insurers) will request information
concerning policyholder deductibles
and retention amounts, in addition to
insurer exposure under policies subject
to the Program. Fourth, the reporting
templates no longer seek premium
information on terrorism risk insurance
for years prior to the reporting period.9
In addition to these four changes, the
instructions for each reporting template
will contain clarifications on how to
report specific data elements.
There are also a number of changes
for specific insurer categories. For the
2018 data call (requesting insurer data
for calendar year 2017), an insurer will
qualify as a small insurer if it had both
2016 policyholder surplus and 2016
direct earned premium in the TRIP8 Small insurers complete a separate reinsurance
worksheet that does not contain a modeled loss
question.
9 For purposes of future reports, Treasury will use
the information received during the 2017 data call,
and continue to update this information over time
as subsequent data calls are completed.
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eligible lines of insurance of less than
$700 million.10 Small insurers that had
TRIP-eligible direct earned premium of
less than $10 million in 2017 will be
exempt from the 2018 consolidated
TRIP data call.11 Neither captive
insurers nor alien surplus lines insurers
are eligible for this reporting exemption.
In addition to the global changes
identified above, small insurers will be
required to report additional
information on standalone terrorism
policies (in addition to the new
standalone cyber insurance policy
worksheet). In addition, small insurers
will now report their largest estimated
probable maximum loss at a single
location, and the ZIP code of that
location, on the reinsurance worksheet.
Insurers defined as small insurers for
the 2018 data call will report the same
information to Treasury (on a group
basis) and state insurance regulators
(also on a group basis), except with
respect to property coverages, for which
insurers will also provide additional
reporting on an individual company
basis in the property supplement
submitted solely to state insurance
regulators. State insurance regulators
will provide their own guidance
regarding the submission of data for the
state property supplement.
In addition to the global changes
identified above, non-small insurers
will no longer be required to complete
a separate worksheet on package/multiline policies. The non-small insurer
template should be completed by
insurance groups (or individual insurers
not affiliated with a group) that had
either a 2016 policyholder surplus or
2016 direct earned premium in the
TRIP-eligible lines of insurance equal to
or greater than $700 million, and are not
otherwise captive insurers or alien
surplus lines insurers. Insurers defined
as non-small insurers for the 2018 data
call will report the same information to
Treasury (on a group basis) and state
insurance regulators (also on a group
10 Small insurers are defined in 31 CFR 50.4(z) as
insurers (or an affiliated group of insurers) whose
policyholder surplus for the immediately preceding
year is less than five times the Program Trigger for
the current year, and whose TRIP-eligible lines
direct earned premium for the previous year is also
five times less than the Program Trigger.
Accordingly, for the 2018 data call, an insurer
qualifies as a small insurer if its 2016 policyholder
surplus and 2016 direct earned premium are less
than five times the 2017 Program Trigger of $140
million.
11 To the extent an insurer with less than this
level of TRIP-eligible lines direct earned premium
is part of a larger group that is required to report,
the insurer must report as part of the group as a
whole, even if it is under the $10,000,000 direct
earned premium threshold on an individual basis.
Individual company information for such entities
must also be reported to state insurance regulators.
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19:51 Nov 27, 2017
Jkt 244001
basis), except with respect to property
coverages. For property coverages,
insurers will also provide additional
reporting on an individual company
basis in a property supplement
submitted solely to state insurance
regulators. As noted above, state
insurance regulators will provide their
own guidance regarding the submission
of data for the state property
supplement.
In addition to the global changes
identified above, captive insurers will
no longer be required to complete a
separate worksheet for workers’
compensation deductible policies, as
this information will now be collected
on the general premium worksheet.
Captive insurers are defined in 31 CFR
50.4(g) as insurers licensed under the
captive insurance laws or regulations of
any state. As in 2017, captive insurers
that write policies in TRIP-eligible lines
of insurance are required to report in
2018, unless they do not provide their
insureds with any terrorism risk
insurance subject to the Program.
The reporting template for alien
surplus lines insurers does not contain
changes, other than the global changes
identified above. Alien surplus lines
insurers are defined in 31 CFR
50.4(o)(1)(i)(B) as insurers not licensed
or admitted to engage in the business of
providing primary or excess insurance
in any state, but that are eligible surplus
line insurers listed on the NAIC
Quarterly Listing of Alien Insurers.
Alien surplus lines insurers that are part
of a larger group classified as a nonsmall insurer or a small insurer should
report as part of the group, using the
appropriate template. Therefore, the
alien surplus lines insurer template
should only be used by an alien surplus
lines insurer that is not part of a larger
group subject to the 2018 data call.
Insurers defined as alien surplus lines
insurers for the 2018 data call will
report their information to Treasury and
provide an identical copy to state
insurance regulators.12
III. Submission of Data
Following registration with the data
aggregator, all insurers will be provided
with the appropriate reporting templates
for completion. Insurers will be required
to submit the completed reporting
templates through a secure web portal
provided by the data aggregator. All data
must be provided no later than May 15,
2018, which will also be the reporting
deadline for state insurance regulators.
12 For 2017, state insurance regulators collected
terrorism risk insurance data from alien surplus
lines insurers through the NAIC’s International
Insurers Department (IID).
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Treasury intends to provide training and
provide additional resources throughout
the data collection period to facilitate
the proper completion of reporting
templates.
To permit greater flexibility in the
submission of data, Treasury will permit
the submission of completed reporting
templates in .csv file format, consistent
with the format currently used by state
insurance regulators. Treasury will
provide further guidance on how this
can be accomplished in a later notice or
web posting. Responding companies
may also continue to report using the
templates (in Excel format) used in prior
years.
Reporting under the 2018 data call
will be mandatory for all commercial
property and casualty insurers writing
insurance in lines subject to TRIA,
unless the insurer falls within the
exceptions for certain small insurers
and captive insurers identified above.
IV. Request for Comments
To ensure efficient and accurate
completion of the forms, Treasury is
requesting public feedback on the
content of the 2018 data call reporting
templates, and the consolidated
approach to the separate federal and
state reporting outlined in this Request
for Comments. The proposed forms are
available for review at https://
www.treasury.gov/resource-center/finmkts/Pages/program.aspx.
V. Procedural Requirements
Paperwork Reduction Act. The
collection of information contained in
this notice will be submitted to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review under the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3507(d).
Comments should be sent to Treasury in
the form discussed in the ADDRESSES
section of this notice. Comments on the
collection of information should be
received by January 29, 2018.
Comments are being sought with
respect to the collection of information
in the proposed Terrorism Risk
Insurance Program 2018 data call.
Treasury specifically invites comments
on: (a) Whether the proposed collection
is responsive to the statutory
requirement; (b) the accuracy of the
estimate of the burden of the collections
of information (see below); (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the information collection; (d) ways
to use automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology; and (e) estimates of capital
or start-up costs and costs of operation,
maintenance, and purchase of services
to maintain the information.
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Treasury previously analyzed the
potential burdens associated with the
2017 data call. See 81 FR 95310, 95312
(December 27, 2016). The information
sought by Treasury comprises data
elements that insurers currently collect
or generate, although not necessarily
grouped together the way in which
insurers currently collect and evaluate
the data. Based upon insurer
submissions to the 2017 data call,
Treasury estimates that for purposes of
the 2018 data call, approximately 100
Program participants will be required to
submit the ‘‘Insurer (Non-Small) Groups
or Companies’’ data collection form, 200
Program participants will be required to
submit the ‘‘Small Insurer’’ form, 400
Program participants will be required to
submit the ‘‘Captive Insurer’’ form, and
25 Program participants will be required
to submit the ‘‘Alien Surplus Lines
Insurers’’ form.
Each set of reporting templates is
expected to incur a different level of
burden. The changes to the proposed
data reporting elements in 2018 are not
anticipated to have a material impact on
Treasury’s prior burden estimates.
Treasury anticipates approximately 75
hours will be required to collect,
process, and report the data for each
non-small insurer, approximately 25
hours will be required to collect,
process, and report data for each small
insurer, and 50 hours will be required
to collect, process, and report data for
each captive insurer and alien surplus
lines insurer. Due to the proposed
consolidation of the separate federal and
state data calls, however, the total
burden upon reporting insurers overall
(once state and federal obligations are
accounted for) will be materially
reduced for most insurers.
Assuming this breakdown, and when
applied to the number of reporting
insurers anticipated in light of the
experience of the 2017 data call, the
estimated annual burden would be
33,750 hours ((100 insurers × 75 hours)
+ (200 insurers × 25 hours) + (400
insurers × 50 hours) + (25 insurers × 50
hours)). At a blended, fully loaded
hourly rate of $85, the cost would be
$2,868,750 across the industry as a
whole, or $6,375 per non-small insurer,
$2,125 per small insurer, and $4,250
each per captive insurer or alien surplus
lines insurer.
Steven E. Seitz,
Deputy Director, Federal Insurance Office.
[FR Doc. 2017–25402 Filed 11–27–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810–25–P
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS
[OMB Control No. 2900–0658]
Agency Information Collection Activity
Under OMB Review: Lender’s Staff
Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) Application
Loan Guaranty Service,
Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of
1995, this notice announces that the
Loan Guaranty Service, Department of
Veterans Affairs, will submit the
collection of information abstracted
below to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for review and comment.
The PRA submission describes the
nature of the information collection and
its expected cost and burden and it
includes the actual data collection
instrument.
SUMMARY:
Comments must be submitted on
or before December 28, 2017.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments
on the collection of information through
www.Regulations.gov, or to Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget, Attn:
VA Desk Officer; 725 17th St. NW.,
Washington, DC 20503 or sent through
electronic mail to oira_submission@
omb.eop.gov. Please refer to ‘‘OMB
Control No. 2900–0658’’ in any
correspondence.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cynthia Harvey-Pryor, Office of Quality,
Privacy and Risk (OQPR), Department of
Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 461–
5870 or email cynthia.harvey-pryor@
va.gov.
Please refer to ‘‘OMB Control No.
2900–0658’’ in any correspondence.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: Public Law 104–13; 44 U.S.C.
3501–3521.
Committee name
Title: VA FORM 26–0785, Lender’s
Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR)
Application.
OMB Control Number: 2900–0658.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Abstract: Title 38 U.S.C. 3702(d)
authorizes VA to establish standards for
lenders making automatically
guaranteed loans and 38 CFR 36.4344
establishes requirements and
procedures for lenders in being
approved to perform the functions
under the Lender Appraisal Processing
Program (LAPP).
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. The Federal Register
Notice with a 60-day comment period
soliciting comments on this collection
of information was published at 82 FR
38759 on August 15, 2017, pages 38759–
38760.
Affected Public: Individuals
(employees of lenders making
applications).
Estimated Annual Burden: 200 hours.
Estimated Average Burden per
Respondent: 5 minutes.
Frequency of Response: On occasion.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
2,400 per year.
By direction of the Secretary.
Cynthia Harvey-Pryor,
Department Clearance Officer, Office of
Quality, Privacy and Risk, Department of
Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2017–25593 Filed 11–27–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS
Advisory Committee Charter Renewals
Department of Veterans Affairs.
Notice of advisory committee
charter renewals.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In accordance with the
provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA) and after
consultation with the General Services
Administration, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs has renewed the charter
for the following statutorily authorized
Federal advisory committee for a twoyear period, beginning on the date listed
below:
SUMMARY:
Committee description
Charter renewed on
Advisory Committee on
Provides advice to the Secretary on the administration of national cemeteries, Soldiers’
Cemeteries and Memorials.
lots and plots, the selection of cemetery sites, the erection of appropriate memorials,
and the adequacy of Federal burial benefits.
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19:51 Nov 27, 2017
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August 16, 2017.
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 227 (Tuesday, November 28, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56328-56331]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25402]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program 2018 Data Call
AGENCY: Departmental Offices, U.S. Department of the Treasury.
ACTION: Request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002
(TRIA),\1\ the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) requests public feedback
on the proposed consolidation of the separate federal and state data
calls regarding terrorism risk insurance, and the proposed data
collection forms for use in the 2018 data call. Copies of these forms
and associated explanatory materials (including a document identifying
specific changes to the reporting templates and instructions as
previously used by Treasury) are available for electronic review on the
Treasury Web site at https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/fin-mkts/Pages/program.aspx. State insurance regulators, through the National
Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), will also be separately
seeking comment from stakeholders on the proposal.
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\1\ Public Law 107-297, 116 Stat. 2322, codified at 15 U.S.C.
6701, note. Because the provisions of TRIA (as amended) appear in a
note, instead of particular sections, of the United States Code, the
provisions of TRIA are identified by the sections of the law.
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DATES: Submit comments on or before January 29, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments electronically through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov, or by mail to the
Federal Insurance Office, Attn: Richard Ifft, Room 1410 MT, Department
of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20220.
Because postal mail may be subject to processing delays, it is
recommended that comments be submitted electronically. If submitting
comments by mail, please submit an original version with two copies.
Comments concerning the proposed data collection forms and
[[Page 56329]]
collection process should be captioned with ``2018 TRIP Data Collection
Comments.'' Please include your name, group affiliation, address, email
address, and telephone number(s) in your comment. Where appropriate, a
comment should include a short Executive Summary (no more than five
single-spaced pages).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Ifft, Senior Insurance
Regulatory Policy Analyst, Federal Insurance Office, Room 1410 MT,
Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington,
DC 20220, at (202) 622-2922 (not a toll-free number), Lindsey Baldwin,
Senior Policy Analyst, Federal Insurance Office, at (202) 622-3220 (not
a toll free number), or Kevin Meehan, Senior Insurance Regulatory
Policy Analyst, Federal Insurance Office, at (202) 622-7009 (not a
toll-free number). Persons who have difficulty hearing or speaking may
access these numbers via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay
Service at (800) 877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background and Proposed Consolidated Approach
TRIA created the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (Program) within
the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to address disruptions
in the market for terrorism risk insurance, to help ensure the
continued availability and affordability of commercial property and
casualty insurance for terrorism risk, and to allow for the private
markets to stabilize and build insurance capacity to absorb any future
losses for terrorism events. The Program has been reauthorized on a
number of occasions, most recently in the Terrorism Risk Insurance
Program Reauthorization Act of 2015 (2015 Reauthorization Act).\2\
Section 111 of the 2015 Reauthorization Act \3\ (Section 111) requires
the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to perform periodic analyses
of certain matters concerning the Program. In order to assist the
Secretary with this process, Section 111 requires insurers to submit on
an annual basis certain insurance data and information regarding their
participation in the Program. FIO is authorized to assist the Secretary
in the administration of the Program.\4\
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\2\ Public Law 114-1, 129 Stat. 3.
\3\ TRIA sec. 104(h).
\4\ 31 U.S.C. 313(c)(1)(D).
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Treasury began collecting data from insurers in 2016 on a voluntary
basis,\5\ and on a mandatory basis in 2017.\6\ Treasury also arranged
in 2017 for workers' compensation rating bureaus to provide most of the
workers' compensation insurance data elements.\7\ 31 CFR 50.51 requires
insurers to submit the specified data no later than May 15 of each
calendar year. Treasury, through an insurance statistical aggregator,
uses a web portal through which insurers must submit the requested
data. All information submitted via the web portal is subject to the
confidentiality and data protection provisions of applicable federal
law.
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\5\ 81 FR 11649 (March 4, 2016).
\6\ A reporting exemption was extended to small insurers that
wrote less than $10 million in TRIP-eligible lines premium in 2016.
See 81 FR 95310 (December 27, 2016); 82 FR 20420 (May 1, 2017).
\7\ 82 FR 20420 (May 1, 2017).
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State insurance regulators also began annually collecting data
relating to terrorism risk insurance in 2016. The state insurance
regulator data calls have sought information similar to that collected
by Treasury, although in some cases on a more detailed, granular basis.
Given the similarity of the information sought, and the burden
presented to insurers by the existence of dual data calls on the same
subject, Treasury and state insurance regulators have sought to create
a consolidated data call for 2018 that will satisfy each of their
respective objectives. For the 2018 data call, Treasury and state
insurance regulators have agreed on joint reporting templates
substantially similar to those used by Treasury in prior years, subject
to minor changes based upon experience gained from the 2017 data call,
coordination with state insurance regulators and the NAIC, and feedback
from participating insurers. The most significant changes are
identified below.
Insurers subject to the consolidated data call will report on a
group basis, if part of a group, and otherwise will report on an
individual company basis. Insurers with property exposures will also be
required to submit to state insurance regulators, on an individual
company basis, an additional supplement focusing on the property lines
of insurance subject to the Program. This supplement calls for data
with respect to geographic exposures by ZIP Code.
II. Changes to Data Collection Templates
Pursuant to Section 111 of the 2015 Reauthorization Act, Treasury
has coordinated with publicly available sources to collect information
for the 2018 data call. Information relating to workers' compensation
exposures is available from the workers' compensation rating bureaus,
and those entities have agreed to provide that information on behalf of
participating insurers. Treasury has determined, however, that all
other data components remain unavailable from other sources.
Accordingly, Treasury will continue to request this remaining data and
information directly from insurers. However, Treasury's analysis
indicates that the proposed consolidated approach for the 2018 data
call will result in a significant reduction in overall data collection
burdens for participating insurers.
After coordinating with state insurance regulators, Treasury again
proposes to use four different data collection templates (see 31 CFR
50.51(c)), depending upon the type of insurer involved. Insurers will
fill out the template identified ``Insurer (Non-Small) Groups or
Companies,'' unless the insurer meets the definition of a small
insurer, captive insurer, or alien surplus lines insurer as set forth
in 31 CFR 50.4. Such small insurers, captive insurers, and alien
surplus lines insurers are required to complete separate tailored
templates. Each template will be accompanied by separate instructions
providing guidance on each data element.
There are four global changes to the proposed reporting templates
for 2018. First, all reporting templates will now include a standalone
cyber insurance worksheet. Second, the reinsurance worksheet that is
required for non-small insurers, alien surplus lines insurers, and
captive insurers will include a new modeled loss question.\8\ Third,
the exposures worksheet (required for all insurers) will request
information concerning policyholder deductibles and retention amounts,
in addition to insurer exposure under policies subject to the Program.
Fourth, the reporting templates no longer seek premium information on
terrorism risk insurance for years prior to the reporting period.\9\ In
addition to these four changes, the instructions for each reporting
template will contain clarifications on how to report specific data
elements.
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\8\ Small insurers complete a separate reinsurance worksheet
that does not contain a modeled loss question.
\9\ For purposes of future reports, Treasury will use the
information received during the 2017 data call, and continue to
update this information over time as subsequent data calls are
completed.
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There are also a number of changes for specific insurer categories.
For the 2018 data call (requesting insurer data for calendar year
2017), an insurer will qualify as a small insurer if it had both 2016
policyholder surplus and 2016 direct earned premium in the TRIP-
[[Page 56330]]
eligible lines of insurance of less than $700 million.\10\ Small
insurers that had TRIP-eligible direct earned premium of less than $10
million in 2017 will be exempt from the 2018 consolidated TRIP data
call.\11\ Neither captive insurers nor alien surplus lines insurers are
eligible for this reporting exemption.
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\10\ Small insurers are defined in 31 CFR 50.4(z) as insurers
(or an affiliated group of insurers) whose policyholder surplus for
the immediately preceding year is less than five times the Program
Trigger for the current year, and whose TRIP-eligible lines direct
earned premium for the previous year is also five times less than
the Program Trigger. Accordingly, for the 2018 data call, an insurer
qualifies as a small insurer if its 2016 policyholder surplus and
2016 direct earned premium are less than five times the 2017 Program
Trigger of $140 million.
\11\ To the extent an insurer with less than this level of TRIP-
eligible lines direct earned premium is part of a larger group that
is required to report, the insurer must report as part of the group
as a whole, even if it is under the $10,000,000 direct earned
premium threshold on an individual basis. Individual company
information for such entities must also be reported to state
insurance regulators.
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In addition to the global changes identified above, small insurers
will be required to report additional information on standalone
terrorism policies (in addition to the new standalone cyber insurance
policy worksheet). In addition, small insurers will now report their
largest estimated probable maximum loss at a single location, and the
ZIP code of that location, on the reinsurance worksheet. Insurers
defined as small insurers for the 2018 data call will report the same
information to Treasury (on a group basis) and state insurance
regulators (also on a group basis), except with respect to property
coverages, for which insurers will also provide additional reporting on
an individual company basis in the property supplement submitted solely
to state insurance regulators. State insurance regulators will provide
their own guidance regarding the submission of data for the state
property supplement.
In addition to the global changes identified above, non-small
insurers will no longer be required to complete a separate worksheet on
package/multi-line policies. The non-small insurer template should be
completed by insurance groups (or individual insurers not affiliated
with a group) that had either a 2016 policyholder surplus or 2016
direct earned premium in the TRIP-eligible lines of insurance equal to
or greater than $700 million, and are not otherwise captive insurers or
alien surplus lines insurers. Insurers defined as non-small insurers
for the 2018 data call will report the same information to Treasury (on
a group basis) and state insurance regulators (also on a group basis),
except with respect to property coverages. For property coverages,
insurers will also provide additional reporting on an individual
company basis in a property supplement submitted solely to state
insurance regulators. As noted above, state insurance regulators will
provide their own guidance regarding the submission of data for the
state property supplement.
In addition to the global changes identified above, captive
insurers will no longer be required to complete a separate worksheet
for workers' compensation deductible policies, as this information will
now be collected on the general premium worksheet. Captive insurers are
defined in 31 CFR 50.4(g) as insurers licensed under the captive
insurance laws or regulations of any state. As in 2017, captive
insurers that write policies in TRIP-eligible lines of insurance are
required to report in 2018, unless they do not provide their insureds
with any terrorism risk insurance subject to the Program.
The reporting template for alien surplus lines insurers does not
contain changes, other than the global changes identified above. Alien
surplus lines insurers are defined in 31 CFR 50.4(o)(1)(i)(B) as
insurers not licensed or admitted to engage in the business of
providing primary or excess insurance in any state, but that are
eligible surplus line insurers listed on the NAIC Quarterly Listing of
Alien Insurers. Alien surplus lines insurers that are part of a larger
group classified as a non-small insurer or a small insurer should
report as part of the group, using the appropriate template. Therefore,
the alien surplus lines insurer template should only be used by an
alien surplus lines insurer that is not part of a larger group subject
to the 2018 data call. Insurers defined as alien surplus lines insurers
for the 2018 data call will report their information to Treasury and
provide an identical copy to state insurance regulators.\12\
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\12\ For 2017, state insurance regulators collected terrorism
risk insurance data from alien surplus lines insurers through the
NAIC's International Insurers Department (IID).
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III. Submission of Data
Following registration with the data aggregator, all insurers will
be provided with the appropriate reporting templates for completion.
Insurers will be required to submit the completed reporting templates
through a secure web portal provided by the data aggregator. All data
must be provided no later than May 15, 2018, which will also be the
reporting deadline for state insurance regulators. Treasury intends to
provide training and provide additional resources throughout the data
collection period to facilitate the proper completion of reporting
templates.
To permit greater flexibility in the submission of data, Treasury
will permit the submission of completed reporting templates in .csv
file format, consistent with the format currently used by state
insurance regulators. Treasury will provide further guidance on how
this can be accomplished in a later notice or web posting. Responding
companies may also continue to report using the templates (in Excel
format) used in prior years.
Reporting under the 2018 data call will be mandatory for all
commercial property and casualty insurers writing insurance in lines
subject to TRIA, unless the insurer falls within the exceptions for
certain small insurers and captive insurers identified above.
IV. Request for Comments
To ensure efficient and accurate completion of the forms, Treasury
is requesting public feedback on the content of the 2018 data call
reporting templates, and the consolidated approach to the separate
federal and state reporting outlined in this Request for Comments. The
proposed forms are available for review at https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/fin-mkts/Pages/program.aspx.
V. Procedural Requirements
Paperwork Reduction Act. The collection of information contained in
this notice will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review under the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act,
44 U.S.C. 3507(d). Comments should be sent to Treasury in the form
discussed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Comments on the
collection of information should be received by January 29, 2018.
Comments are being sought with respect to the collection of
information in the proposed Terrorism Risk Insurance Program 2018 data
call. Treasury specifically invites comments on: (a) Whether the
proposed collection is responsive to the statutory requirement; (b) the
accuracy of the estimate of the burden of the collections of
information (see below); (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information collection; (d) ways to use automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e)
estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation,
maintenance, and purchase of services to maintain the information.
[[Page 56331]]
Treasury previously analyzed the potential burdens associated with
the 2017 data call. See 81 FR 95310, 95312 (December 27, 2016). The
information sought by Treasury comprises data elements that insurers
currently collect or generate, although not necessarily grouped
together the way in which insurers currently collect and evaluate the
data. Based upon insurer submissions to the 2017 data call, Treasury
estimates that for purposes of the 2018 data call, approximately 100
Program participants will be required to submit the ``Insurer (Non-
Small) Groups or Companies'' data collection form, 200 Program
participants will be required to submit the ``Small Insurer'' form, 400
Program participants will be required to submit the ``Captive Insurer''
form, and 25 Program participants will be required to submit the
``Alien Surplus Lines Insurers'' form.
Each set of reporting templates is expected to incur a different
level of burden. The changes to the proposed data reporting elements in
2018 are not anticipated to have a material impact on Treasury's prior
burden estimates. Treasury anticipates approximately 75 hours will be
required to collect, process, and report the data for each non-small
insurer, approximately 25 hours will be required to collect, process,
and report data for each small insurer, and 50 hours will be required
to collect, process, and report data for each captive insurer and alien
surplus lines insurer. Due to the proposed consolidation of the
separate federal and state data calls, however, the total burden upon
reporting insurers overall (once state and federal obligations are
accounted for) will be materially reduced for most insurers.
Assuming this breakdown, and when applied to the number of
reporting insurers anticipated in light of the experience of the 2017
data call, the estimated annual burden would be 33,750 hours ((100
insurers x 75 hours) + (200 insurers x 25 hours) + (400 insurers x 50
hours) + (25 insurers x 50 hours)). At a blended, fully loaded hourly
rate of $85, the cost would be $2,868,750 across the industry as a
whole, or $6,375 per non-small insurer, $2,125 per small insurer, and
$4,250 each per captive insurer or alien surplus lines insurer.
Steven E. Seitz,
Deputy Director, Federal Insurance Office.
[FR Doc. 2017-25402 Filed 11-27-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-25-P