Federal Reserve System March 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Board is revising the Federal Reserve's cash services policy to reduce depository institutions' overuse of Federal Reserve Bank currency processing services, which could affect approximately 150 to 225 depository institutions with high-volume currency operations. The Board is adding two elements to the policy: (1) A custodial inventory program that provides an incentive to depository institutions to hold $10 and $20 notes in their vaults to meet customers' demand, and (2) a fee to depository institutions that deposit fit $10 or $20 notes at a Reserve Bank and order the same denomination, above a de minimis amount, during the same business week. In general, the Federal Reserve expects depository institutions to recirculate to their customers fit currency deposited with them and to deposit only excess or unfit currency with Reserve Banks. The Reserve Banks will amend section 3.3 of Operating Circular 2 to implement the provisions of the final policy.

The OCC, Board, FDIC, OTS, NCUA, and FTC (the Agencies) request comment to gather information useful for developing the guidelines and regulations required by section 312 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act). Pursuant to section 312, the Agencies, acting in consultation and coordination, must: Establish guidelines for use by persons that furnish information to consumer reporting agencies (furnishers) regarding the accuracy and integrity of the consumer information that they furnish to those agencies; and prescribe regulations that require furnishers to establish reasonable policies and procedures for implementing the guidelines. Section 312 also requires the Agencies jointly to prescribe regulations that identify the circumstances under which a furnisher shall be required to reinvestigate a dispute concerning the accuracy of information contained in a consumer report on a consumer based on a direct request of the consumer.

On January 13, 2006, the OCC, Board, FDIC, and OTS (the Agencies) published for public comment proposed Interagency Guidance on Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate Lending, Sound Risk Management Practices. The Agencies are extending the comment period on the proposed guidance for 30 days.

The OCC, Board, and FDIC (collectively, ``the Agencies'') are publishing revised guidance (Questions and Answers) relating to the Community Reinvestment Act (``the Act'' or ``CRA''). The Questions and Answers primarily addresses topics included in the revisions that the Agencies made to their CRA regulations, which became effective September 1, 2005.

The Board is publishing technical amendments to Regulation B (Equal Credit Opportunity Act) to update the addresses of certain federal enforcement agencies.

Background On June 15, 1984, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delegated to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) its approval authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act, as per 5 CFR 1320.16, to approve of and assign OMB control numbers to collection of information requests and requirements conducted or sponsored by the Board under conditions set forth in 5 CFR 1320 Appendix A.1. Board-approved collections of information are incorporated into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of information. Copies of the OMB 83-Is and supporting statements and approved collection of information instruments are placed into OMB's public docket files. The Federal Reserve may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.