Agency Information Collection Activities: Information Collection Revision; Submission for OMB Review; Regulation E-Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation Z-Truth in Lending Act, 59446-59449 [2019-23960]
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59446
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 213 / Monday, November 4, 2019 / Notices
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
comments must be written in English.
We encourage you to provide concise
comments and you may attach
additional documents as necessary.
There is no limit on the length of the
attachments.
[FR Doc. 2019–24014 Filed 11–1–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
Where do I go to read public comments,
and find supporting information?
Go to the docket online at https://
www.regulations.gov., keyword search
MARAD–2019–0180 or visit the Docket
Management Facility (see ADDRESSES for
hours of operation). We recommend that
you periodically check the Docket for
new submissions and supporting
material.
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Information Collection
Revision; Submission for OMB
Review; Regulation E—Electronic
Fund Transfer Act and Regulation Z—
Truth in Lending Act
Will my comments be made available to
the public?
AGENCY:
Yes. Be aware that your entire
comment, including your personal
identifying information, will be made
publicly available.
SUMMARY:
May I submit comments confidentially?
If you wish to submit comments
under a claim of confidentiality, you
should submit three copies of your
complete submission, including the
information you claim to be confidential
business information, to the Department
of Transportation, Maritime
Administration, Office of Legislation
and Regulations, MAR–225, W24–220,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590. Include a cover
letter setting forth with specificity the
basis for any such claim and, if possible,
a summary of your submission that can
be made available to the public.
Privacy Act
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c),
DOT solicits comments from the public
to better inform its rulemaking process.
DOT posts these comments, without
edit, to www.regulations.gov, as
described in the system of records
notice, DOT/ALL–14 FDMS, accessible
through www.dot.gov/privacy. To
facilitate comment tracking and
response, we encourage commenters to
provide their name, or the name of their
organization; however, submission of
names is completely optional. Whether
or not commenters identify themselves,
all timely comments will be fully
considered. If you wish to provide
comments containing proprietary or
confidential information, please contact
the agency for alternate submission
instructions.
Authority: 49 CFR 1.93(a), 46 U.S.C.
55103, 46 U.S.C. 12121.
Dated: October 30, 2019.
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Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency (OCC), Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for comment.
The OCC, as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden, invites the
general public and other federal
agencies to take this opportunity to
comment on a continuing information
collection as required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and respondents are not
required to respond to, an information
collection unless it displays a currently
valid Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) control number.
The OCC is soliciting comment
concerning revisions to the information
collections titled ‘‘Regulation E—
Electronic Fund Transfer Act’’ and
‘‘Regulation Z—Truth in Lending Act.’’
The OCC also is giving notice that it has
sent the collection to OMB for review.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before December 4, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Commenters are encouraged
to submit comments by email, if
possible. You may submit comments by
any of the following methods:
• Email: prainfo@occ.treas.gov.
• Mail: Chief Counsel’s Office,
Attention: Comment Processing, 1557–
NEW, Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency, 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E–
218, Washington, DC 20219.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: 400 7th
Street SW, Suite 3E–218, Washington,
DC 20219.
• Fax: (571) 465–4326.
Instructions: You must include
‘‘OCC’’ as the agency name and ‘‘1557–
NEW’’ in your comment. In general, the
OCC will publish comments on
www.reginfo.gov without change,
including any business or personal
information provided, such as name and
address information, email addresses, or
phone numbers. Comments received,
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including attachments and other
supporting materials, are part of the
public record and subject to public
disclosure. Do not include any
information in your comment or
supporting materials that you consider
confidential or inappropriate for public
disclosure.
Additionally, please send a copy of
your comments by mail to: OCC Desk
Officer, 1557–NEW, U.S. Office of
Management and Budget, 725 17th
Street NW, #10235, Washington, DC
20503 or by email to oira_submission@
omb.eop.gov.
You may review comments and other
related materials that pertain to this
information collection 1 following the
close of the 30-day comment period for
this notice by any of the following
methods:
• Viewing Comments Electronically:
Go to www.reginfo.gov. Click on the
‘‘Information Collection Review’’ tab.
Underneath the ‘‘Currently under
Review’’ section heading, from the dropdown menu select ‘‘Department of
Treasury’’ and then click ‘‘submit.’’ This
information collection can be located by
searching by OMB control number
‘‘1557–NEW’’ or ‘‘Regulation E—
Electronic Fund Transfer Act’’ and
‘‘Regulation Z—Truth in Lending Act.’’
Upon finding the appropriate
information collection, click on the
related ‘‘ICR Reference Number.’’ On the
next screen, select ‘‘View Supporting
Statement and Other Documents’’ and
then click on the link to any comment
listed at the bottom of the screen.
• For assistance in navigating
www.reginfo.gov, please contact the
Regulatory Information Service Center
at (202) 482–7340.
• Viewing Comments Personally: You
may personally inspect comments at the
OCC, 400 7th Street SW, Washington,
DC. For security reasons, the OCC
requires that visitors make an
appointment to inspect comments. You
may do so by calling (202) 649–6700 or,
for persons who are deaf or hearing
impaired, TTY, (202) 649–5597. Upon
arrival, visitors will be required to
present valid government-issued photo
identification and submit to security
screening in order to inspect comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shaquita Merritt, OCC Clearance
Officer, (202) 649–5490 or, for persons
who are deaf or hearing impaired, TTY,
(202) 649–5597, Chief Counsel’s Office,
Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency, 400 7th Street SW,
Washington, DC 20219.
1 On May 20, 2019, the OCC published a 60-day
notice for this information collection, 84 FR 22931.
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Under the
PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), federal
agencies must obtain approval from the
OMB for each collection of information
that they conduct or sponsor.
‘‘Collection of information’’ is defined
in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR
1320.3(c) to include agency requests or
requirements that members of the public
submit reports, keep records, or disclose
information to a third party. The OCC
asks that it approve the information
collection contained in this notice.
Title: Regulation E—Electronic Fund
Transfer Act and Regulation Z—Truth
in Lending Act.
OMB Control Nos.: 1557–NEW.2
Type of Review: Regular review.
Description: The Electronic Fund
Transfer Act (EFTA) 3 and Regulation E 4
require disclosure of basic terms, costs,
and rights relating to electronic fund
transfer services debiting or crediting a
consumer’s account. The Truth in
Lending Act (TILA) 5 and Regulation Z 6
require that the costs and terms of credit
be disclosed to consumers.
The Prepaid Accounts final rules
issued by the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau (CFPB) 7 require
financial institutions to make available
to consumers disclosures before a
consumer acquires a prepaid account.
This notice outlines the requirements of
the 2016 rule as amended by the 2018
rule.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulation E
Under 12 CFR 1005.18(b), a financial
institution is required to make available
a short form and a long form disclosure
before the consumer acquires a prepaid
account, subject to certain exceptions.
Most of the content required in the long
form disclosure is already provided in
prepaid account agreements. Section
1005.18(f)(3) requires that certain
disclosures be made on the actual
prepaid account access device,
including the name of the financial
institution and the URL of its website,
and a telephone number the consumer
may use to contact the financial
institution about the prepaid account.
Financial institutions offering prepaid
accounts that qualify for the retail
location exception in § 1005.18(b)(1)(ii)
may meet the requirement of providing
2 Regulations E and Z are currently covered by
OMB Control No. 1557–0176, which also covers
other consumer regulations. The OCC is requesting
a new control number for this portion of
Regulations E and Z only.
3 15 U.S.C. 1693 et seq.
4 12 CFR part 1005.
5 15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.
6 12 CFR part 1026.
7 81 FR 83934 (November 22, 2016) and 83 FR
6364 (February 13, 2018).
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the long form disclosure after
acquisition by allowing the long form
disclosure to be delivered electronically,
without receiving consumer consent
under the E-Sign Act,8 if the disclosure
is not provided inside the prepaid
account packaging material and the
financial institution is not otherwise
mailing or delivering to the consumer
written account-related communications
within 30 days of obtaining the
consumer’s contact information. If a
financial institution provides preacquisition disclosures in writing and a
consumer subsequently completes the
acquisition process online or by
telephone, the financial institution is
not required to provide the disclosures
again either electronically or orally.
Financial institutions that disclose
additional fee types with three or more
fee variations may consolidate them into
two categories and disclose them on the
short form.
Section 1005.18(b)(9)(i)(C) includes a
requirement that a financial institution
provide pre-acquisition disclosures in a
foreign language if the financial
institution provides a means for the
consumer to acquire a prepaid account
by telephone or electronically
principally in that foreign language.
That requirement is not applicable to
payroll card accounts and government
benefit accounts where the foreign
language is offered by telephone only
via a real-time language interpretation
service provided by a third party or
directly by an employer or government
agency on an informal or ad hoc basis
as an accommodation to prospective
payroll card account or government
benefit account recipients.
Section 1005.18(c)(1) requires
financial institutions to furnish periodic
statements to the consumer unless the
provider uses the alternative method of
compliance. Under this alternative
method, the periodic statements must
include: (1) A telephone number that
the consumer may call to obtain the
account balance; (2) the means by which
the consumer can obtain an electronic
account history, such as the address of
a website; and (3) a summary of the
consumer’s right to receive a written
account history upon request (in place
of the summary of the right to receive
a periodic statement required by
§ 1005.7(b)(6)), including a telephone
number to call to request a history.
Section 1005.18(c)(5) requires that
financial institutions disclose to
consumers a summary total of the
amount of all fees assessed against the
consumer’s prepaid account for both the
8 Electronic Signatures in Global and National
Commerce Act (E-Sign Act) (15 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.).
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59447
prior month as well as the calendar year
to date. This information must be
disclosed on any periodic statement and
any electronic or written history of
account transactions provided or made
available by the financial institution.
The limited liability and error
provisions of Regulation E now extend
to all prepaid accounts, except those
that have not successfully completed
the financial institution’s consumer
identification and verification process.
With regard to accounts where the
consumer’s identity is later verified,
financial institutions are not required to
resolve errors and limit liability for
disputed transactions occurring prior to
the verification. For accounts in
programs where there is no verification
process, financial institutions must
either explain in their initial disclosures
their error resolution process and
limitations on consumers’ liability for
unauthorized transfers, or explain that
there are no such protections, and that
such financial institutions comply with
the process (if any) that they disclose.9
Pursuant to § 1005.18(h)(1), except as
provided in § 1005.18(h)(2) and (3), the
effective date for the Prepaid Accounts
Rules is April 1, 2019. If, as a result of
§ 1005.18(h)(1), a financial institution
changes the terms and conditions of a
prepaid account, such that a change-interms notice would have been required
under § 1005.8(a) or § 1005.18(f)(2) for
existing customers, the financial
institution must notify consumers with
accounts acquired before April 1, 2019,
at least 21 days in advance of the change
becoming effective, provided the
financial institution has the consumer’s
contact information. If the financial
institution obtains the consumer’s
contact information fewer than 30 days
in advance of the change becoming
effective or after it has become effective,
the financial institution is permitted
instead to provide notice of the change
within 30 days of obtaining the
consumer’s contact information.
If a financial institution has received
an E-Sign consent from the consumer,
the financial institution may notify the
consumer electronically. Otherwise, if a
financial institution mails or delivers
written communications to the
consumer within the applicable time
period, that financial institution must
send a notice in physical form. If the
financial institution will not mail or
deliver communications to the
consumer within the applicable time
period, then the financial institution
may notify the consumer in electronic
form without regard to the consumer
9 12
CFR 1005.18(e)(1) and (2).
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notice and consent requirements of
section 101(c) of the E-Sign Act.
Section 1005.18(h)(2)(ii) requires that
financial institutions notify any
consumer, who acquires a prepaid
account after the effective date specified
in packaging printed prior to the
effective date, of any changes as a result
of § 1005.18(h)(1) taking effect that
would have caused a change-in-terms
notice to be required under § 1005.8(a)
or § 1005.18(f)(2) for existing customers
within 30 days of acquiring the
customer’s contact information. In
addition, financial institutions must
mail or deliver updated initial
disclosures pursuant to §§ 1005.7 and
1005.18(f)(1) within 30 days of
obtaining the consumer’s contact
information. Those financial institutions
that are affected should not incur
significant costs associated with
notifying consumers and providing
updated initial disclosures. Consumers
who have consented to electronic
communication may receive the notices
and updated disclosures electronically,
at a minimal cost to financial
institutions. Those consumers who
cannot be contacted electronically may
receive the notices and updated initial
disclosures together with another
scheduled mailing within the 30-day
time period. Any remaining consumers
who are not scheduled to receive
mailings may be notified without regard
to the consumer notice and consent
requirements of section 101(c) of the ESign Act.
Section 1005.19(b) requires certain
issuers to submit to the CFPB, on a
rolling basis, short form disclosures,
prepaid account agreements (including
fee schedules) that are offered,
amended, or withdrawn. Prepaid
account issuers are permitted to delay
submitting a change in the list of names
of other relevant parties to a particular
prepaid account agreement until the
earlier of such time as the issuer is
otherwise submitting an amended
agreement or changes to other
identifying information about the issuer
and its submitted agreements to the
CFPB, or May 1 of each year (for
updates between the last submission
and April 1 of that year). Short form and
long form disclosures may be provided
to the CFPB as separate addenda to the
agreement, rather than integrated into
the agreement or as a single addendum.
Regulation Z
The CFPB’s rules cover overdraft
credit features offered in connection
with prepaid accounts where the credit
features are offered by the prepaid
account issuer, its affiliates, or its
business partners with certain
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exceptions. The CFPB is expanding the
exception in 12 CFR 1026.61(a)(4) that
allows prepaid account issuers to
provide certain incidental forms of
credit structured as a negative balance
on the asset feature of prepaid accounts
without triggering Regulation Z and the
other protections for hybrid prepaidcredit cards. Previously, the exception
only applied where (1) the prepaid card
could not access credit from a covered
separate credit feature accessible by a
hybrid prepaid-credit card; (2) the
prepaid account issuer had a general
policy and practice of declining
transactions that will take the account
negative; and (3) the prepaid account
issuer customarily did not charge creditrelated fees. Section 1026.61(a)(4), as
amended, permits a prepaid account
issuer to take advantage of the exception
with respect to the negative balance
even if a covered separate credit feature
offered by a business partner is attached
to the prepaid account, so long as the
other requirements are met.
Creditors offering these covered
overdraft credit features in connection
with a prepaid account are required to
inform consumers of the costs and terms
before consumers use the credit feature
and inform consumers of certain
subsequent changes to the terms of the
credit feature. The initial required
information includes the finance charge
and other charges, the Annual
Percentage Rate (APR), a description of
how balances subject to a finance charge
are calculated, and any collateral used
to secure repayment. If the creditor
changes certain terms initially
disclosed, or increases the minimum
periodic payment, a written change-interms notice generally must be provided
to the consumer at least 45 days prior
to the effective date of the change.
Creditors are required to provide a
written periodic statement of activity for
each billing cycle. The statement must
be provided for each account that has a
balance of more than $1 or on which a
finance charge is imposed, and the
statement must include a description of
activity on the account, the opening and
closing balances, any finance charges
imposed, and payment information.
Creditors are required to notify
consumers about their rights and
responsibilities regarding billing errors
and must provide either a complete
statement of billing rights annually or a
summary of those billing rights and
responsibilities on each periodic
statement. If a consumer alleges a billing
error, the creditor must provide, within
30 days of receipt, an acknowledgment
that the creditor received the
consumer’s error notice. The creditor
must report on the results of its
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investigation within 90 days. If a billing
error did not occur, the creditor must
provide an explanation as to why the
creditor believed an error did not occur
and provide documentary evidence to
the consumer upon request. The
creditor must also notify the consumer
of the portion of the disputed amount
and related finance or other charges that
the consumer still owed and when
payment of those amounts was due.
Persons offering these covered
overdraft credit features in connection
with a prepaid account are required
when advertising their products to
include certain basic credit information
if the advertisement refers to specified
credit terms or costs. Persons offering
these features in connection with a
prepaid account are required to send
copies of the overdraft credit feature
agreement to the CFPB. Lastly, persons
offering these features in connection
with a prepaid account must provide
additional disclosures with solicitations
and applications. Such card issuers
must disclose key terms of the account,
such as the APR, information about
variable rates, and fees such as annual
fees, minimum finance charges, and
transaction fees for purchases.
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profit entities.
Burden Estimates:
Regulation E:
Estimated Number of Respondents:
1,106.
Estimated Annual Burden: 6,605
hours.
Regulation Z: The CFPB has indicated
that the only respondents affected by
these changes are those that they
regulate. Therefore, the OCC will not be
taking any burden for these changes.
Frequency of Response: On occasion.
Comments: On May 20, 2019, the OCC
issued a notice for 60 days of comment
concerning the collection, 84 FR 22931.
No comments were received. Comments
continue to be invited on:
(a) Whether the collections of
information are necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
OCC, including whether the information
has practical utility;
(b) The accuracy of the OCC’s
estimates of the information collection
burden;
(c) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected;
(d) Ways to minimize the burden of
the collection on respondents, including
through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology; and
(e) Estimates of capital or start-up
costs and costs of operation,
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maintenance, and purchase of services
to provide information.
Dated: October 25, 2019.
Theodore J. Dowd,
Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency.
[FR Doc. 2019–23960 Filed 11–1–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810–33–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request for Regulation Project
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Internal Revenue Service,
as part of its continuing effort to reduce
paperwork and respondent burden,
invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on continuing
information collections, as required by
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
The IRS is soliciting comments
concerning treatment of shareholders of
certain passive foreign investment
companies.
SUMMARY:
Written comments should be
received on or before January 3, 2020 to
be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Dr. Philippe Thomas, Internal
Revenue Service, Room 6529, 1111
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20224.
DATES:
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the form should be directed to
Kerry Dennis, at (202) 317–5751 or
Internal Revenue Service, Room 6529,
1111 Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington DC 20224, or through the
internet, at Kerry.Dennis@irs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Treatment of Shareholders of
Certain Passive Foreign Investment
Companies.
OMB Number: 1545–1507.
Regulation Numbers: TD 8701, TD
8178, and TD 9231.
Abstract: The reporting requirements
affect United States persons that are
direct and indirect shareholders of
passive foreign investment companies
(PFICSs). The requirements enable the
Internal Revenue Service to identify
PFICs, United States shareholders, and
transactions subject to PFIC taxation
and verify income inclusions, excess
distributions, and deferred tax amounts.
Current Actions: There are no changes
being made to the regulations at this
time.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Individuals, business
or other for-profit organizations, and
not-for-profit institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
406,250.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 31
minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 212,500 hours.
The following paragraph applies to all
of the collections of information covered
by this notice.
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59449
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a valid OMB control number.
Books or records relating to a collection
of information must be retained as long
as their contents may become material
in the administration of any internal
revenue law. Generally, tax returns and
tax return information are confidential,
as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.
Request for Comments: Comments
submitted in response to this notice will
be summarized and/or included in the
request for OMB approval. All
comments will become a matter of
public record. Comments are invited on:
(a) Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the collection of
information; (c) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including
through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology; and (e) estimates of capital
or start-up costs and costs of operation,
maintenance, and purchase of services
to provide information.
Approved: October 29, 2019.
Philippe Thomas,
Supervisor Tax Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2019–24011 Filed 11–1–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830–01–P
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 213 (Monday, November 4, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59446-59449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23960]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Agency Information Collection Activities: Information Collection
Revision; Submission for OMB Review; Regulation E--Electronic Fund
Transfer Act and Regulation Z--Truth in Lending Act
AGENCY: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden, invites the general public and other federal
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a continuing
information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (PRA).
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and respondents are not
required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a
currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.
The OCC is soliciting comment concerning revisions to the
information collections titled ``Regulation E--Electronic Fund Transfer
Act'' and ``Regulation Z--Truth in Lending Act.'' The OCC also is
giving notice that it has sent the collection to OMB for review.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 4, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Commenters are encouraged to submit comments by email, if
possible. You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected].
Mail: Chief Counsel's Office, Attention: Comment
Processing, 1557-NEW, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, 400
7th Street SW, Suite 3E-218, Washington, DC 20219.
Hand Delivery/Courier: 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E-218,
Washington, DC 20219.
Fax: (571) 465-4326.
Instructions: You must include ``OCC'' as the agency name and
``1557-NEW'' in your comment. In general, the OCC will publish comments
on www.reginfo.gov without change, including any business or personal
information provided, such as name and address information, email
addresses, or phone numbers. Comments received, including attachments
and other supporting materials, are part of the public record and
subject to public disclosure. Do not include any information in your
comment or supporting materials that you consider confidential or
inappropriate for public disclosure.
Additionally, please send a copy of your comments by mail to: OCC
Desk Officer, 1557-NEW, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th
Street NW, #10235, Washington, DC 20503 or by email to
[email protected].
You may review comments and other related materials that pertain to
this information collection \1\ following the close of the 30-day
comment period for this notice by any of the following methods:
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\1\ On May 20, 2019, the OCC published a 60-day notice for this
information collection, 84 FR 22931.
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Viewing Comments Electronically: Go to www.reginfo.gov.
Click on the ``Information Collection Review'' tab. Underneath the
``Currently under Review'' section heading, from the drop-down menu
select ``Department of Treasury'' and then click ``submit.'' This
information collection can be located by searching by OMB control
number ``1557-NEW'' or ``Regulation E--Electronic Fund Transfer Act''
and ``Regulation Z--Truth in Lending Act.'' Upon finding the
appropriate information collection, click on the related ``ICR
Reference Number.'' On the next screen, select ``View Supporting
Statement and Other Documents'' and then click on the link to any
comment listed at the bottom of the screen.
For assistance in navigating www.reginfo.gov, please
contact the Regulatory Information Service Center at (202) 482-7340.
Viewing Comments Personally: You may personally inspect
comments at the OCC, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC. For security
reasons, the OCC requires that visitors make an appointment to inspect
comments. You may do so by calling (202) 649-6700 or, for persons who
are deaf or hearing impaired, TTY, (202) 649-5597. Upon arrival,
visitors will be required to present valid government-issued photo
identification and submit to security screening in order to inspect
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shaquita Merritt, OCC Clearance
Officer, (202) 649-5490 or, for persons who are deaf or hearing
impaired, TTY, (202) 649-5597, Chief Counsel's Office, Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20219.
[[Page 59447]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.),
federal agencies must obtain approval from the OMB for each collection
of information that they conduct or sponsor. ``Collection of
information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) to
include agency requests or requirements that members of the public
submit reports, keep records, or disclose information to a third party.
The OCC asks that it approve the information collection contained in
this notice.
Title: Regulation E--Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation
Z--Truth in Lending Act.
OMB Control Nos.: 1557-NEW.\2\
Type of Review: Regular review.
Description: The Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) \3\ and
Regulation E \4\ require disclosure of basic terms, costs, and rights
relating to electronic fund transfer services debiting or crediting a
consumer's account. The Truth in Lending Act (TILA) \5\ and Regulation
Z \6\ require that the costs and terms of credit be disclosed to
consumers.
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\2\ Regulations E and Z are currently covered by OMB Control No.
1557-0176, which also covers other consumer regulations. The OCC is
requesting a new control number for this portion of Regulations E
and Z only.
\3\ 15 U.S.C. 1693 et seq.
\4\ 12 CFR part 1005.
\5\ 15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.
\6\ 12 CFR part 1026.
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The Prepaid Accounts final rules issued by the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau (CFPB) \7\ require financial institutions to make
available to consumers disclosures before a consumer acquires a prepaid
account. This notice outlines the requirements of the 2016 rule as
amended by the 2018 rule.
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\7\ 81 FR 83934 (November 22, 2016) and 83 FR 6364 (February 13,
2018).
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Regulation E
Under 12 CFR 1005.18(b), a financial institution is required to
make available a short form and a long form disclosure before the
consumer acquires a prepaid account, subject to certain exceptions.
Most of the content required in the long form disclosure is already
provided in prepaid account agreements. Section 1005.18(f)(3) requires
that certain disclosures be made on the actual prepaid account access
device, including the name of the financial institution and the URL of
its website, and a telephone number the consumer may use to contact the
financial institution about the prepaid account.
Financial institutions offering prepaid accounts that qualify for
the retail location exception in Sec. 1005.18(b)(1)(ii) may meet the
requirement of providing the long form disclosure after acquisition by
allowing the long form disclosure to be delivered electronically,
without receiving consumer consent under the E-Sign Act,\8\ if the
disclosure is not provided inside the prepaid account packaging
material and the financial institution is not otherwise mailing or
delivering to the consumer written account-related communications
within 30 days of obtaining the consumer's contact information. If a
financial institution provides pre-acquisition disclosures in writing
and a consumer subsequently completes the acquisition process online or
by telephone, the financial institution is not required to provide the
disclosures again either electronically or orally. Financial
institutions that disclose additional fee types with three or more fee
variations may consolidate them into two categories and disclose them
on the short form.
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\8\ Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act
(E-Sign Act) (15 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.).
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Section 1005.18(b)(9)(i)(C) includes a requirement that a financial
institution provide pre-acquisition disclosures in a foreign language
if the financial institution provides a means for the consumer to
acquire a prepaid account by telephone or electronically principally in
that foreign language. That requirement is not applicable to payroll
card accounts and government benefit accounts where the foreign
language is offered by telephone only via a real-time language
interpretation service provided by a third party or directly by an
employer or government agency on an informal or ad hoc basis as an
accommodation to prospective payroll card account or government benefit
account recipients.
Section 1005.18(c)(1) requires financial institutions to furnish
periodic statements to the consumer unless the provider uses the
alternative method of compliance. Under this alternative method, the
periodic statements must include: (1) A telephone number that the
consumer may call to obtain the account balance; (2) the means by which
the consumer can obtain an electronic account history, such as the
address of a website; and (3) a summary of the consumer's right to
receive a written account history upon request (in place of the summary
of the right to receive a periodic statement required by Sec.
1005.7(b)(6)), including a telephone number to call to request a
history. Section 1005.18(c)(5) requires that financial institutions
disclose to consumers a summary total of the amount of all fees
assessed against the consumer's prepaid account for both the prior
month as well as the calendar year to date. This information must be
disclosed on any periodic statement and any electronic or written
history of account transactions provided or made available by the
financial institution.
The limited liability and error provisions of Regulation E now
extend to all prepaid accounts, except those that have not successfully
completed the financial institution's consumer identification and
verification process. With regard to accounts where the consumer's
identity is later verified, financial institutions are not required to
resolve errors and limit liability for disputed transactions occurring
prior to the verification. For accounts in programs where there is no
verification process, financial institutions must either explain in
their initial disclosures their error resolution process and
limitations on consumers' liability for unauthorized transfers, or
explain that there are no such protections, and that such financial
institutions comply with the process (if any) that they disclose.\9\
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\9\ 12 CFR 1005.18(e)(1) and (2).
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Pursuant to Sec. 1005.18(h)(1), except as provided in Sec.
1005.18(h)(2) and (3), the effective date for the Prepaid Accounts
Rules is April 1, 2019. If, as a result of Sec. 1005.18(h)(1), a
financial institution changes the terms and conditions of a prepaid
account, such that a change-in-terms notice would have been required
under Sec. 1005.8(a) or Sec. 1005.18(f)(2) for existing customers,
the financial institution must notify consumers with accounts acquired
before April 1, 2019, at least 21 days in advance of the change
becoming effective, provided the financial institution has the
consumer's contact information. If the financial institution obtains
the consumer's contact information fewer than 30 days in advance of the
change becoming effective or after it has become effective, the
financial institution is permitted instead to provide notice of the
change within 30 days of obtaining the consumer's contact information.
If a financial institution has received an E-Sign consent from the
consumer, the financial institution may notify the consumer
electronically. Otherwise, if a financial institution mails or delivers
written communications to the consumer within the applicable time
period, that financial institution must send a notice in physical form.
If the financial institution will not mail or deliver communications to
the consumer within the applicable time period, then the financial
institution may notify the consumer in electronic form without regard
to the consumer
[[Page 59448]]
notice and consent requirements of section 101(c) of the E-Sign Act.
Section 1005.18(h)(2)(ii) requires that financial institutions
notify any consumer, who acquires a prepaid account after the effective
date specified in packaging printed prior to the effective date, of any
changes as a result of Sec. 1005.18(h)(1) taking effect that would
have caused a change-in-terms notice to be required under Sec.
1005.8(a) or Sec. 1005.18(f)(2) for existing customers within 30 days
of acquiring the customer's contact information. In addition, financial
institutions must mail or deliver updated initial disclosures pursuant
to Sec. Sec. 1005.7 and 1005.18(f)(1) within 30 days of obtaining the
consumer's contact information. Those financial institutions that are
affected should not incur significant costs associated with notifying
consumers and providing updated initial disclosures. Consumers who have
consented to electronic communication may receive the notices and
updated disclosures electronically, at a minimal cost to financial
institutions. Those consumers who cannot be contacted electronically
may receive the notices and updated initial disclosures together with
another scheduled mailing within the 30-day time period. Any remaining
consumers who are not scheduled to receive mailings may be notified
without regard to the consumer notice and consent requirements of
section 101(c) of the E-Sign Act.
Section 1005.19(b) requires certain issuers to submit to the CFPB,
on a rolling basis, short form disclosures, prepaid account agreements
(including fee schedules) that are offered, amended, or withdrawn.
Prepaid account issuers are permitted to delay submitting a change in
the list of names of other relevant parties to a particular prepaid
account agreement until the earlier of such time as the issuer is
otherwise submitting an amended agreement or changes to other
identifying information about the issuer and its submitted agreements
to the CFPB, or May 1 of each year (for updates between the last
submission and April 1 of that year). Short form and long form
disclosures may be provided to the CFPB as separate addenda to the
agreement, rather than integrated into the agreement or as a single
addendum.
Regulation Z
The CFPB's rules cover overdraft credit features offered in
connection with prepaid accounts where the credit features are offered
by the prepaid account issuer, its affiliates, or its business partners
with certain exceptions. The CFPB is expanding the exception in 12 CFR
1026.61(a)(4) that allows prepaid account issuers to provide certain
incidental forms of credit structured as a negative balance on the
asset feature of prepaid accounts without triggering Regulation Z and
the other protections for hybrid prepaid-credit cards. Previously, the
exception only applied where (1) the prepaid card could not access
credit from a covered separate credit feature accessible by a hybrid
prepaid-credit card; (2) the prepaid account issuer had a general
policy and practice of declining transactions that will take the
account negative; and (3) the prepaid account issuer customarily did
not charge credit-related fees. Section 1026.61(a)(4), as amended,
permits a prepaid account issuer to take advantage of the exception
with respect to the negative balance even if a covered separate credit
feature offered by a business partner is attached to the prepaid
account, so long as the other requirements are met.
Creditors offering these covered overdraft credit features in
connection with a prepaid account are required to inform consumers of
the costs and terms before consumers use the credit feature and inform
consumers of certain subsequent changes to the terms of the credit
feature. The initial required information includes the finance charge
and other charges, the Annual Percentage Rate (APR), a description of
how balances subject to a finance charge are calculated, and any
collateral used to secure repayment. If the creditor changes certain
terms initially disclosed, or increases the minimum periodic payment, a
written change-in-terms notice generally must be provided to the
consumer at least 45 days prior to the effective date of the change.
Creditors are required to provide a written periodic statement of
activity for each billing cycle. The statement must be provided for
each account that has a balance of more than $1 or on which a finance
charge is imposed, and the statement must include a description of
activity on the account, the opening and closing balances, any finance
charges imposed, and payment information.
Creditors are required to notify consumers about their rights and
responsibilities regarding billing errors and must provide either a
complete statement of billing rights annually or a summary of those
billing rights and responsibilities on each periodic statement. If a
consumer alleges a billing error, the creditor must provide, within 30
days of receipt, an acknowledgment that the creditor received the
consumer's error notice. The creditor must report on the results of its
investigation within 90 days. If a billing error did not occur, the
creditor must provide an explanation as to why the creditor believed an
error did not occur and provide documentary evidence to the consumer
upon request. The creditor must also notify the consumer of the portion
of the disputed amount and related finance or other charges that the
consumer still owed and when payment of those amounts was due.
Persons offering these covered overdraft credit features in
connection with a prepaid account are required when advertising their
products to include certain basic credit information if the
advertisement refers to specified credit terms or costs. Persons
offering these features in connection with a prepaid account are
required to send copies of the overdraft credit feature agreement to
the CFPB. Lastly, persons offering these features in connection with a
prepaid account must provide additional disclosures with solicitations
and applications. Such card issuers must disclose key terms of the
account, such as the APR, information about variable rates, and fees
such as annual fees, minimum finance charges, and transaction fees for
purchases.
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit entities.
Burden Estimates:
Regulation E:
Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,106.
Estimated Annual Burden: 6,605 hours.
Regulation Z: The CFPB has indicated that the only respondents
affected by these changes are those that they regulate. Therefore, the
OCC will not be taking any burden for these changes.
Frequency of Response: On occasion.
Comments: On May 20, 2019, the OCC issued a notice for 60 days of
comment concerning the collection, 84 FR 22931. No comments were
received. Comments continue to be invited on:
(a) Whether the collections of information are necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the OCC, including whether the
information has practical utility;
(b) The accuracy of the OCC's estimates of the information
collection burden;
(c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected;
(d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection on respondents,
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology; and
(e) Estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation,
[[Page 59449]]
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.
Dated: October 25, 2019.
Theodore J. Dowd,
Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
[FR Doc. 2019-23960 Filed 11-1-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-33-P