Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request, 23276-23278 [2018-10669]
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23276
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 97 / Friday, May 18, 2018 / Notices
[Respondent] to engage in unfair
practices with respect to rates or charges
under its tariff . . .
3. 46 U.S.C. 41104(10): It is a violation
of the Shipping Act for [Respondent] to
unreasonably refuse to deal or negotiate
. . .
4. 46 U.S.C. 41102(c): [Respondent]
further violated the Shipping Act by
failing to establish and enforce just and
reasonable practices relating to the
handling and delivery of property . . .
5. 46 CFR 530.8(b)(12) and (c)(1): The
regulations governing service contracts
require that a service contract set forth
all provisions of the contract and that
terms may not be ‘uncertain, vague or
ambiguous’ . . .’’
Complainant seeks an order for
Respondent ‘‘to cease and desist from
any further violations of the shipping
Act, including any efforts to enforce the
arbitration award or to collect any
monies from Claimant . . .’’ and other
relief. The full text of the complaint can
be found in the Commission’s Electronic
Reading Room at www.fmc.gov/18-03/.
This proceeding has been assigned to
the Office of Administrative Law Judges.
The initial decision of the presiding
officer in this proceeding shall be issued
by May 15, 2019, and the final decision
of the Commission shall be issued by
November 29, 2019.
Rachel E. Dickon,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018–10662 Filed 5–17–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6731–AA–P
FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
Proposed Agency Information
Collection Activities; Comment
Request
Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System.
ACTION: Notice, request for comment.
AGENCY:
The Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System (Board) invites
comment on a proposal to extend for
three years, with revision, the Report of
Selected Money Market Rates (FR 2420;
OMB No. 7100–0357).
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before July 17, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by FR 2420, by any of the
following methods:
• Agency Website: https://
www.federalreserve.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments at
https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/
foia/proposedregs.aspx.
• Email: regs.comments@
federalreserve.gov. Include OMB
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SUMMARY:
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number in the subject line of the
message.
• Fax: (202) 452–3819 or (202) 452–
3102.
• Mail: Ann E. Misback, Secretary,
Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System, 20th Street and
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20551.
All public comments are available
from the Board’s website at https://
www.federalreserve.gov/apps/foia/
proposedregs.aspx as submitted, unless
modified for technical reasons or to
remove sensitive PII (personal
identifiable information) at the
commenter’s request. Public comments
may also be viewed electronically or in
paper form in Room 3515, 1801 K Street
NW (between 18th and 19th Streets
NW), Washington, DC 20006 between
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.
For security reasons, the Board requires
that visitors make an appointment to
inspect comments. You may do so by
calling (202) 452–3684. Upon arrival,
visitors will be required to present valid
government-issued photo identification
and to submit to security screening in
order to inspect and photocopy
comments.
Additionally, commenters may send a
copy of their comments to the OMB
Desk Officer—Shagufta Ahmed—Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget, New
Executive Office Building, Room 10235,
725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC
20503 or by fax to (202) 395–6974.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A
copy of the PRA OMB submission,
including the proposed reporting form
and instructions, supporting statement,
and other documentation will be placed
into OMB’s public docket files, once
approved. These documents will also be
made available on the Federal Reserve
Board’s public website at: https://
www.federalreserve.gov/apps/
reportforms/review.aspx or may be
requested from the agency clearance
officer, whose name appears below.
Federal Reserve Board Clearance
Officer—Nuha Elmaghrabi—Office of
the Chief Data Officer, Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, Washington, DC 20551 (202)
452–3829. Telecommunications Device
for the Deaf (TDD) users may contact
(202) 263–4869, Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System,
Washington, DC, 20551.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June
15, 1984, the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) delegated to the Board
authority under the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) to approve of and
assign OMB control numbers to
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collection of information requests and
requirements conducted or sponsored
by the Board. In exercising this
delegated authority, the Board is
directed to take every reasonable step to
solicit comment. In determining
whether to approve a collection of
information, the Board will consider all
comments received from the public and
other agencies.
Request for Comment on Information
Collection Proposal
The Board invites public comment on
the following information collection,
which is being reviewed under
authority delegated by the OMB under
the PRA. Comments are invited on the
following:
a. Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the Federal Reserve’s
functions; including whether the
information has practical utility;
b. The accuracy of the Federal
Reserve’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
c. Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected;
d. Ways to minimize the burden of
information collection on respondents,
including through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology; and
e. Estimates of capital or startup costs
and costs of operation, maintenance,
and purchase of services to provide
information.
At the end of the comment period, the
comments and recommendations
received will be analyzed to determine
the extent to which the Federal Reserve
should modify the proposal prior to
giving final approval.
Proposal To Approve Under OMB
Delegated Authority the Extension for
Three Years, With Revision, of the
Following Report
Report title: Report of Selected Money
Market Rates.
Agency form number: FR 2420.
OMB control number: 7100–0357.
Frequency: Daily.
Respondents: Commercial banks,
savings associations, U.S. branches and
agencies of foreign banks, International
Banking Facilities, and significant
banking organizations representing
entities actively participating in the
federal funds and/or other money
markets.
Estimated number of respondents: 99
commercial banks and savings
associations, 84 U.S. branches and
agencies of foreign banks, 82
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 97 / Friday, May 18, 2018 / Notices
The Board proposes adding a new
section, Part D, to the FR 2420, intended
to capture short-term wholesale
unsecured deposits that are
economically equivalent to federal
funds purchased in Part A or
Eurodollars in Part B. The primary
target for this collection would be
reporting institutions that, in recent
years, shifted deposits from branches in
the Caribbean Islands 2 to the U.S.,
which has caused this borrowing to fall
outside the scope of the current FR
2420. The proposed Part D would also
collect data from institutions that have
historically booked all or a portion of
such deposits in their U.S. offices.
Since June 2016, some Eurodollar
activity from Cayman and Nassau
branches of foreign banks has shifted to
U.S. branches of those banks, causing
Eurodollar volume reported on the FR
2420 to decline significantly, obscuring
vision into the wholesale funding
market and reducing the robustness of
the data used in calculating the OBFR.
Federal Reserve staff are aware of at
least roughly $35 billion in overnight
Eurodollar transactions that have moved
from the Cayman Islands to New York.
The motivation has been described as
the simplification of corporate structure
for the drafting of living wills.
Accordingly, the Board proposes to add
Part D to the FR 2420 to capture these
short-term, wholesale, domestic
deposits.
To capture the intended data, a
selected deposit is defined as a deposit
denominated in U.S. dollars, in an
amount of $1 million or more, that is
issued in a U.S. office of the reporting
institution on the report date. A selected
deposit is a deposit issued with an
original specified term to maturity of six
or less days such that the dollar amount
of the deposit is payable as follows:
(a) On a certain calendar date that is
six or less days after the settlement date
of the deposit, or
(b) At the end of a specified period of
time that is six or less days after the
settlement date of the deposit.
Selected deposits include deposits
issued for which the terms were
negotiated at arm’s length on the report
date, which have interest rates specified
as part of the terms that were negotiated,
with an original maturity of six or less
days and are issued to either a personal
or a non-personal counterparty.
Selected deposits exclude deposits
that do not have a specified term to
maturity and are payable immediately
on demand and deposits that are issued
as collateral for another transaction (e.g.,
a deposit issued as collateral for a loan).
The data elements collected for
Selected Deposits are identical to the
elements collected for Federal Funds
Purchased (Part A) and Eurodollars (Part
B), with the exception of ‘office
1 A selected borrowing from a non-exempt entity
is an unsecured borrowing (an unsecured primary
obligation undertaken by the reporting institution
as a means of obtaining funds) in U.S. dollars from
a counterparty that is a non-exempt entity as
derived from Regulation D, Section 204.2(a)(vii).
2 Caribbean islands includes the Cayman Islands
and Nassau, Bahamas or any other location within
the Caribbean if the majority of the responsibility
for business decisions for that FBO branch reside
at the U.S. branch of the foreign bank that reports
on the FR 2420.
International Banking Facilities, and 1
significant banking organization.
Estimated average hours per response:
1.8 commercial banks and savings
associations, 1.8 U.S. branches and
agencies of foreign banks, 1.0
International Banking Facilities, and 1.8
significant banking organization.
Estimated annual burden hours:
44,550 commercial banks and savings
associations, 37,800 U.S. branches and
agencies of foreign banks, 20,500
International Banking Facilities, and
450 significant banking organization.
General description of report: The FR
2420 is a transaction-based report that
collects daily liability data on federal
funds purchased, selected borrowings
from non-exempt entities, Eurodollar
transactions, and time deposits and
certificates of deposits (CDs) from (1)
domestically chartered commercial
banks and savings associations that have
$18 billion or more in total assets as
well as those that have total assets above
$5 billion but less than $18 billion and
meet the activity threshold, (2) U.S.
branches and agencies of foreign banks
with total third-party assets of $2.5
billion or more, and (3) significant
banking organizations that are active
participants in money markets. The FR
2420 also collects daily data on
Eurodollar transactions from
International Banking Facilities (IBFs) of
the above-referenced institutions.1 The
FR 2420 data are used in the publication
of the effective federal funds rate (EFFR)
and overnight bank funding rate (OBFR)
and in analysis of current money market
conditions.
Proposed revisions: The Board
proposes to revise the FR 2420 by
adding Selected Deposits (Part D) and
removing Selected Borrowings from
Non-Exempt Entities (Part AA). Other
minor edits in the reporting instructions
are proposed to improve clarity. The
first report for the proposed revisions to
FR 2420 would be as of October 1, 2018.
Summary of Revisions
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1. Addition of Selected Deposits (Part D)
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identifier.’ The reporting deadline is the
same as the deadline for Parts A and B.
2. Removal of Selected Borrowings From
Non-Exempt Entities (Part AA)
The Board proposes deleting Selected
Borrowings from Non-Exempt Entities,
Part AA, from the FR 2420 to offset
additional reporting burden resulting
from the proposal to add Part D. There
are two additional reasons for the
Board’s proposed deletion. First, Part
AA does not capture data currently used
or expected to be used in the calculation
of reference rates. Second, Part AA
currently collects very little data and the
Part AA instructions sometimes cause
confusion among FR 2420 respondents.
Currently, respondents are instructed to
include borrowings from non-exempt
entities in Part AA, and are also
instructed to exclude deposits as
defined in Regulation D (Section
204.2(a)(1)) from Part AA. However,
borrowings from non-exempt entities
are typically defined as deposits under
Regulation D, which has caused
confusion for respondents reporting
data on Part AA and limited the amount
of useful data captured on this part of
the report form.
3. Data Elements and Reporting
Requirements Applicable to All Parts of
the FR 2420
The Board proposes some wording
changes throughout the FR 2420
instructions to help clarify reporting
expectations for respondents. As an
example, the Board proposes to amend
the definition of federal funds
purchased applicable to the FR 2420 to
explicitly exclude borrowings from a
Federal Reserve Bank. While borrowings
from Federal Reserve Banks were never
meant to be included in the definition
of federal funds purchased for the
purpose of the FR 2420, respondents
frequently reported such borrowings in
Part A of the report form. Adding
explicit instructions to exclude
borrowings from Federal Reserve Banks
from Part A of the FR 2420 should help
to clarify the type of data to be reported.
There are several other instances of
these types of clarifications in the
proposed FR 2420 instructions.
Legal authorization and
confidentiality: The FR 2420 is
authorized by section 11(a)(2) of the
Federal Reserve Act, which authorizes
the Board to require depository
institutions to make such reports of
their liabilities and assets as the Board
may determine to be necessary or
desirable to enable the Board to
discharge its responsibility to monitor
and control monetary and credit
aggregates (12 U.S.C. 248(a)(2)). The FR
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2420 is also authorized pursuant to
section 7(c)(2) of the International
Banking Act (IBA), which provides that
Federal branches and agencies of foreign
banks are subject to section 11(a) of the
Federal Reserve Act as if they were a
state member bank (12 U.S.C.
3105(c)(2)). Section 7(c)(2) of the IBA
also provides that state-licensed
branches and agencies of foreign banks
are subject to the requirement in section
9 of the Federal Reserve Act that they
file reports of condition with the
appropriate Federal Reserve Bank (12
U.S.C. 324). The obligation to comply
with the reporting requirements of FR
2420 is mandatory.
The individual financial institution
information provided by each
respondent would not be otherwise
available to the public. The proposed
revisions, as well as information
currently collected, would be accorded
confidential treatment under the
authority of exemption 4 of the Freedom
of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)).
Exemption 4 protects from disclosure
trade secrets and privileged or
confidential commercial or financial
information.
Consultation outside the agency: A
representative group of large FR 2420
respondents was consulted in December
2016 to better understand the reasons
banks were shifting Eurodollar deposits
from Caribbean Islands to deposits at
their U.S. branches. Additionally, large
commercial banks were also consulted
in late 2017 about the proposed changes
to the FR 2420. The comments from the
large FR 2420 respondents and the
representative group were considered
and incorporated into this proposal.
Outreach was also done to the major
federal funds and Eurodollar deposit
brokers to better understand the extent
to which new institutions would be
required to report in the FR 2420. These
brokers reported that there may be a few
additional institutions, but that
institutions actively negotiating deposits
in their U.S. offices are the same
institutions actively funding through
Eurodollar deposits, or those that
formerly were actively funding through
Eurodollars. The banks consulted
confirmed that the deposits intended to
be captured in the new Part D could be
an important wholesale funding source
for reporting institutions. To ensure that
the instructions have captured the key
potential elements of transactions in
this wholesale funding source, the
characteristics listed for deposits
reportable in the new Part D will be
available for public comment.
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Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, May 15, 2018.
Ann Misback,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2018–10669 Filed 5–17–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[OMB Control No. 9000–0154; Docket 2018–
0053; Sequence 2]
Information Collection; Construction
Wage Rate Requirements-Price
Adjustment (Actual Method)
Department of Defense (DOD),
General Services Administration (GSA),
and National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) regulations, the FAR Council
invites the public to comment upon a
renewal for the Construction Wage Rate
Requirements-Price Adjustment (Actual
Method). There are no changes to the
existing information collection.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
July 17, 2018.
ADDRESSES: The FAR Council invites
interested persons to submit comments
on this collection by either of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: This
website provides the ability to type
short comments directly into the
comment field or attach a file for
lengthier comments. Go to https://
www.regulations.gov and follow the
instructions on the site.
• Mail: General Services
Administration, Regulatory Secretariat
Division (MVCB), 1800 F Street NW,
Washington, DC 20405. ATTN: Ms.
Mandell/IC 9000–0154, Construction
Wage Rate Requirements-Price
Adjustment (Actual Method).
Instructions: All items submitted
must cite Information Collection 9000–
0154, Construction Wage Rate
Requirements-Price Adjustment (Actual
Method). Comments received generally
will be posted without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal and/or business confidential
information provided. To confirm
receipt of your comment(s), please
SUMMARY:
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check www.regulations.gov,
approximately two to three days after
submission to verify posting (except
allow 30 days for posting of comments
submitted by mail). This information
collection is pending at the FAR
Council. The Council will submit it to
OMB within 60 days from the date of
this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Zenaida Delgado, Procurement Analyst,
at telephone 202–969–7207, or email
zenaida.delgado@gsa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Overview of Information Collection
Description of the Information
Collection
1. Type of Information Collection:
Revision/Renewal of a currently
approved collection.
2. Title of the Collection—
Construction Wage Rate RequirementsPrice Adjustment (Actual Method).
3. Agency form number, if any:—N/A.
Solicitation of Public Comment
Written comments and suggestions
from the public should address one or
more of the following four points:
(1) Evaluate whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
(4) Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submission of
responses.
B. Purpose
Government contracting officers may
include Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR) clause 52.222–32, Construction
Wage Rate Requirements-Price
Adjustment (Actual Method), in fixedprice solicitations and contracts subject
to the Construction Wage Rate
Requirements statute under certain
conditions. The conditions are that the
solicitation or contract contains option
provisions to extend the term of the
contract and the contracting officer
determines that the most appropriate
method to adjust the contract price at
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 97 (Friday, May 18, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23276-23278]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10669]
=======================================================================
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FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment
Request
AGENCY: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
ACTION: Notice, request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board)
invites comment on a proposal to extend for three years, with revision,
the Report of Selected Money Market Rates (FR 2420; OMB No. 7100-0357).
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 17, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by FR 2420, by any of
the following methods:
Agency Website: https://www.federalreserve.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments at https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/foia/proposedregs.aspx.
Email: [email protected]. Include OMB
number in the subject line of the message.
Fax: (202) 452-3819 or (202) 452-3102.
Mail: Ann E. Misback, Secretary, Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20551.
All public comments are available from the Board's website at
https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/foia/proposedregs.aspx as
submitted, unless modified for technical reasons or to remove sensitive
PII (personal identifiable information) at the commenter's request.
Public comments may also be viewed electronically or in paper form in
Room 3515, 1801 K Street NW (between 18th and 19th Streets NW),
Washington, DC 20006 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. For
security reasons, the Board requires that visitors make an appointment
to inspect comments. You may do so by calling (202) 452-3684. Upon
arrival, visitors will be required to present valid government-issued
photo identification and to submit to security screening in order to
inspect and photocopy comments.
Additionally, commenters may send a copy of their comments to the
OMB Desk Officer--Shagufta Ahmed--Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office
Building, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503 or by
fax to (202) 395-6974.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of the PRA OMB submission,
including the proposed reporting form and instructions, supporting
statement, and other documentation will be placed into OMB's public
docket files, once approved. These documents will also be made
available on the Federal Reserve Board's public website at: https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/reportforms/review.aspx or may be requested
from the agency clearance officer, whose name appears below.
Federal Reserve Board Clearance Officer--Nuha Elmaghrabi--Office of
the Chief Data Officer, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, Washington, DC 20551 (202) 452-3829. Telecommunications Device
for the Deaf (TDD) users may contact (202) 263-4869, Board of Governors
of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC, 20551.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 15, 1984, the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) delegated to the Board authority under the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) to approve of and assign OMB control numbers to
collection of information requests and requirements conducted or
sponsored by the Board. In exercising this delegated authority, the
Board is directed to take every reasonable step to solicit comment. In
determining whether to approve a collection of information, the Board
will consider all comments received from the public and other agencies.
Request for Comment on Information Collection Proposal
The Board invites public comment on the following information
collection, which is being reviewed under authority delegated by the
OMB under the PRA. Comments are invited on the following:
a. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the Federal Reserve's functions; including
whether the information has practical utility;
b. The accuracy of the Federal Reserve's estimate of the burden of
the proposed information collection, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
c. Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected;
d. Ways to minimize the burden of information collection on
respondents, including through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology; and
e. Estimates of capital or startup costs and costs of operation,
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.
At the end of the comment period, the comments and recommendations
received will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the Federal
Reserve should modify the proposal prior to giving final approval.
Proposal To Approve Under OMB Delegated Authority the Extension for
Three Years, With Revision, of the Following Report
Report title: Report of Selected Money Market Rates.
Agency form number: FR 2420.
OMB control number: 7100-0357.
Frequency: Daily.
Respondents: Commercial banks, savings associations, U.S. branches
and agencies of foreign banks, International Banking Facilities, and
significant banking organizations representing entities actively
participating in the federal funds and/or other money markets.
Estimated number of respondents: 99 commercial banks and savings
associations, 84 U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks, 82
[[Page 23277]]
International Banking Facilities, and 1 significant banking
organization.
Estimated average hours per response: 1.8 commercial banks and
savings associations, 1.8 U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks,
1.0 International Banking Facilities, and 1.8 significant banking
organization.
Estimated annual burden hours: 44,550 commercial banks and savings
associations, 37,800 U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks,
20,500 International Banking Facilities, and 450 significant banking
organization.
General description of report: The FR 2420 is a transaction-based
report that collects daily liability data on federal funds purchased,
selected borrowings from non-exempt entities, Eurodollar transactions,
and time deposits and certificates of deposits (CDs) from (1)
domestically chartered commercial banks and savings associations that
have $18 billion or more in total assets as well as those that have
total assets above $5 billion but less than $18 billion and meet the
activity threshold, (2) U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks
with total third-party assets of $2.5 billion or more, and (3)
significant banking organizations that are active participants in money
markets. The FR 2420 also collects daily data on Eurodollar
transactions from International Banking Facilities (IBFs) of the above-
referenced institutions.\1\ The FR 2420 data are used in the
publication of the effective federal funds rate (EFFR) and overnight
bank funding rate (OBFR) and in analysis of current money market
conditions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ A selected borrowing from a non-exempt entity is an
unsecured borrowing (an unsecured primary obligation undertaken by
the reporting institution as a means of obtaining funds) in U.S.
dollars from a counterparty that is a non-exempt entity as derived
from Regulation D, Section 204.2(a)(vii).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed revisions: The Board proposes to revise the FR 2420 by
adding Selected Deposits (Part D) and removing Selected Borrowings from
Non-Exempt Entities (Part AA). Other minor edits in the reporting
instructions are proposed to improve clarity. The first report for the
proposed revisions to FR 2420 would be as of October 1, 2018.
Summary of Revisions
1. Addition of Selected Deposits (Part D)
The Board proposes adding a new section, Part D, to the FR 2420,
intended to capture short-term wholesale unsecured deposits that are
economically equivalent to federal funds purchased in Part A or
Eurodollars in Part B. The primary target for this collection would be
reporting institutions that, in recent years, shifted deposits from
branches in the Caribbean Islands \2\ to the U.S., which has caused
this borrowing to fall outside the scope of the current FR 2420. The
proposed Part D would also collect data from institutions that have
historically booked all or a portion of such deposits in their U.S.
offices.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Caribbean islands includes the Cayman Islands and Nassau,
Bahamas or any other location within the Caribbean if the majority
of the responsibility for business decisions for that FBO branch
reside at the U.S. branch of the foreign bank that reports on the FR
2420.
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Since June 2016, some Eurodollar activity from Cayman and Nassau
branches of foreign banks has shifted to U.S. branches of those banks,
causing Eurodollar volume reported on the FR 2420 to decline
significantly, obscuring vision into the wholesale funding market and
reducing the robustness of the data used in calculating the OBFR.
Federal Reserve staff are aware of at least roughly $35 billion in
overnight Eurodollar transactions that have moved from the Cayman
Islands to New York. The motivation has been described as the
simplification of corporate structure for the drafting of living wills.
Accordingly, the Board proposes to add Part D to the FR 2420 to capture
these short-term, wholesale, domestic deposits.
To capture the intended data, a selected deposit is defined as a
deposit denominated in U.S. dollars, in an amount of $1 million or
more, that is issued in a U.S. office of the reporting institution on
the report date. A selected deposit is a deposit issued with an
original specified term to maturity of six or less days such that the
dollar amount of the deposit is payable as follows:
(a) On a certain calendar date that is six or less days after the
settlement date of the deposit, or
(b) At the end of a specified period of time that is six or less
days after the settlement date of the deposit.
Selected deposits include deposits issued for which the terms were
negotiated at arm's length on the report date, which have interest
rates specified as part of the terms that were negotiated, with an
original maturity of six or less days and are issued to either a
personal or a non-personal counterparty.
Selected deposits exclude deposits that do not have a specified
term to maturity and are payable immediately on demand and deposits
that are issued as collateral for another transaction (e.g., a deposit
issued as collateral for a loan).
The data elements collected for Selected Deposits are identical to
the elements collected for Federal Funds Purchased (Part A) and
Eurodollars (Part B), with the exception of `office identifier.' The
reporting deadline is the same as the deadline for Parts A and B.
2. Removal of Selected Borrowings From Non-Exempt Entities (Part AA)
The Board proposes deleting Selected Borrowings from Non-Exempt
Entities, Part AA, from the FR 2420 to offset additional reporting
burden resulting from the proposal to add Part D. There are two
additional reasons for the Board's proposed deletion. First, Part AA
does not capture data currently used or expected to be used in the
calculation of reference rates. Second, Part AA currently collects very
little data and the Part AA instructions sometimes cause confusion
among FR 2420 respondents. Currently, respondents are instructed to
include borrowings from non-exempt entities in Part AA, and are also
instructed to exclude deposits as defined in Regulation D (Section
204.2(a)(1)) from Part AA. However, borrowings from non-exempt entities
are typically defined as deposits under Regulation D, which has caused
confusion for respondents reporting data on Part AA and limited the
amount of useful data captured on this part of the report form.
3. Data Elements and Reporting Requirements Applicable to All Parts of
the FR 2420
The Board proposes some wording changes throughout the FR 2420
instructions to help clarify reporting expectations for respondents. As
an example, the Board proposes to amend the definition of federal funds
purchased applicable to the FR 2420 to explicitly exclude borrowings
from a Federal Reserve Bank. While borrowings from Federal Reserve
Banks were never meant to be included in the definition of federal
funds purchased for the purpose of the FR 2420, respondents frequently
reported such borrowings in Part A of the report form. Adding explicit
instructions to exclude borrowings from Federal Reserve Banks from Part
A of the FR 2420 should help to clarify the type of data to be
reported. There are several other instances of these types of
clarifications in the proposed FR 2420 instructions.
Legal authorization and confidentiality: The FR 2420 is authorized
by section 11(a)(2) of the Federal Reserve Act, which authorizes the
Board to require depository institutions to make such reports of their
liabilities and assets as the Board may determine to be necessary or
desirable to enable the Board to discharge its responsibility to
monitor and control monetary and credit aggregates (12 U.S.C.
248(a)(2)). The FR
[[Page 23278]]
2420 is also authorized pursuant to section 7(c)(2) of the
International Banking Act (IBA), which provides that Federal branches
and agencies of foreign banks are subject to section 11(a) of the
Federal Reserve Act as if they were a state member bank (12 U.S.C.
3105(c)(2)). Section 7(c)(2) of the IBA also provides that state-
licensed branches and agencies of foreign banks are subject to the
requirement in section 9 of the Federal Reserve Act that they file
reports of condition with the appropriate Federal Reserve Bank (12
U.S.C. 324). The obligation to comply with the reporting requirements
of FR 2420 is mandatory.
The individual financial institution information provided by each
respondent would not be otherwise available to the public. The proposed
revisions, as well as information currently collected, would be
accorded confidential treatment under the authority of exemption 4 of
the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)). Exemption 4
protects from disclosure trade secrets and privileged or confidential
commercial or financial information.
Consultation outside the agency: A representative group of large FR
2420 respondents was consulted in December 2016 to better understand
the reasons banks were shifting Eurodollar deposits from Caribbean
Islands to deposits at their U.S. branches. Additionally, large
commercial banks were also consulted in late 2017 about the proposed
changes to the FR 2420. The comments from the large FR 2420 respondents
and the representative group were considered and incorporated into this
proposal. Outreach was also done to the major federal funds and
Eurodollar deposit brokers to better understand the extent to which new
institutions would be required to report in the FR 2420. These brokers
reported that there may be a few additional institutions, but that
institutions actively negotiating deposits in their U.S. offices are
the same institutions actively funding through Eurodollar deposits, or
those that formerly were actively funding through Eurodollars. The
banks consulted confirmed that the deposits intended to be captured in
the new Part D could be an important wholesale funding source for
reporting institutions. To ensure that the instructions have captured
the key potential elements of transactions in this wholesale funding
source, the characteristics listed for deposits reportable in the new
Part D will be available for public comment.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, May 15, 2018.
Ann Misback,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2018-10669 Filed 5-17-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210-01-P