Department of the Treasury – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of two persons and four vessels that have been placed on OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) based on OFAC's determination that one or more applicable legal criteria were satisfied. All property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of these persons and these vessels are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

The Department of the Treasury (``Department'' or ``Treasury'') publishes this final rule to adjust its civil monetary penalties (``CMPs'') for inflation as mandated by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (collectively referred to herein as ``the Act'').

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites comment on a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is 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 the renewal of its information collection titled, ``Examination Survey.''

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the name of one person that has been placed on OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) based on OFAC's determination that one or more applicable legal criteria were satisfied. All property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of this person are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Additionally, OFAC is publishing the names of one or more entities whose property and interests in property have been unblocked and who have been removed from the SDN List.

The Department of the Treasury (Treasury Department), the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) of the U.S. Department of Labor (Labor Department), and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) are publishing this Request for Information to develop a public record for purposes of the directive in the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0). Specifically, this Request for Information addresses section 319 of SECURE 2.0, requiring that these agencies review the existing reporting and disclosure requirements for certain retirement plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (Code) that are applicable to each agency. Following this review, the agencies are to report to Congress, no later than December 29, 2025, concerning the effectiveness of the reporting and disclosure requirements. The report will include recommendations on consolidating, simplifying, standardizing, and improving such requirements with the dual goals of reducing compliance burdens and ensuring plan participants' and beneficiaries' timely receipt and better understanding of the information they need to monitor their plans, prepare for retirement, and get the benefits they have earned. The report will also consider how participants and beneficiaries are providing preferred contact information, the methods by which plan sponsors and plans are furnishing disclosures, and the rate at which participants and beneficiaries are receiving, accessing, understanding, and retaining disclosures. Consistent with the directive in section 319 of SECURE 2.0, this Request for Information focuses generally on the overall effectiveness of the reporting and disclosure frameworks in ERISA and the Code. Responses to this Request for Information will inform the agencies in preparation of the required report to Congress and in any future action taken by the agencies to enhance the effectiveness of existing requirements.

The United States Mint announces pricing for the Liberty & Britannia 24K High Relief Gold Proof Coin on the 2024 Pricing of Numismatic Gold, Commemorative Gold, Platinum, and Palladium Products Grid. The complete 2024 Pricing of Numismatic Gold, Commemorative Gold, Platinum, and Palladium Products Grid will be available online at https://catalog.usmint.gov/coin-programs/american-eagle-coins . Pricing can vary weekly dependent upon the London Bullion Market Association gold, platinum, and palladium prices weekly average. The pricing for all United States Mint numismatic gold, platinum, and palladium products is evaluated every Wednesday and modified as necessary.

This document sets forth final regulations providing guidance relating to the minimum present value requirements applicable to certain defined benefit pension plans. These regulations provide guidance on changes made by the Pension Protection Act of 2006 to the prescribed interest rate and mortality table and other guidance, including rules regarding the treatment of preretirement mortality discounts and Social Security level income options. These regulations affect participants, beneficiaries, sponsors, and administrators of defined benefit pension plans.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the OCC, the Board, and the FDIC (collectively, the ``agencies'') may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), of which the agencies are members, has approved the agencies' publication for public comment of a proposal to revise and extend for three years, the Foreign Branch Report of Condition (FFIEC 030) and the Abbreviated Foreign Branch Report of Condition (FFIEC 030S), which are currently approved collections of information. The agencies are requesting comment on proposed revisions to the FFIEC 030 report that would incorporate new line items from the FR 2502q, Quarterly Report of Assets and Liabilities of Large Foreign Offices of U.S. Banks (OMB Control No. 7100-0079). The revisions are proposed to take effect as of the June 30, 2024, report date. There are no proposed revisions to the FFIEC 030S at this time.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing one general license (GL) issued pursuant to the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations: GL 45A, which was previously made available on OFAC's website.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing five general licenses (GLs) issued pursuant to the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations: GLs 81, 82, 83, 84, and 85 each of which were previously made available on OFAC's website.

This document corrects a notice of proposed rulemaking (REG- 132569-17) published in the Federal Register on November 22, 2023, containing proposed regulations that would amend the regulations relating to the energy credit for the taxable year in which eligible energy property is placed in service.

This document sets forth final regulations specifying the methodology for constructing the corporate bond yield curve that is used to derive the interest rates used in calculating present value and making other calculations under a defined benefit plan, as well as for discounting unpaid losses and estimated salvage recoverable of insurance companies. These regulations affect participants in, beneficiaries of, employers maintaining, and administrators of certain retirement plans, as well as insurance companies.

This document amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations to extend import restrictions on certain archaeological material from China. The Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, United States Department of State, has made the requisite determinations for extending the import restrictions, which were originally imposed by CBP Dec. 09-03 and last extended by CBP Dec. 19-02. Accordingly, these import restrictions will remain in effect for an additional five years, and the CBP regulations are being amended to reflect this further extension through January 14, 2029.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing the names of one or more persons that have been placed on OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) based on OFAC's determination that one or more applicable legal criteria were satisfied. All property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of these persons are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

This document extends the period to submit comments or to request a public hearing for a notice of proposed rulemaking (REG- 142338-07) that was published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. The proposed regulations relate to excise taxes on taxable distributions made by a sponsoring organization from a donor advised fund, and on the agreement of certain fund managers to the making of such distributions.

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites comment on a continuing information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is 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 a proposed new information collection titled, ``Information Collection for Qualitative Research on Consumer Trust in Banking and Bank Supervision.''

For the period beginning January 1, 2024, and ending on March 31, 2024, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Immigration Bond interest rate is 3 per centum per annum.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) proposes to establish the 70,437-acre ``Conneaut Creek'' American viticultural area (AVA) in Ashtabula County, Ohio. The proposed AVA is located entirely within the boundaries of the existing Lake Erie AVA. TTB designates viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase. TTB invites comments on these proposals.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) proposes to rename the established ``Mendocino Ridge'' American viticultural area (AVA) in Mendocino County, California, as ``Mendocino Coast Ridge.'' The proposed name change would not affect the size or boundary description of the AVA. TTB designates viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase. TTB invites comments on this proposal.

This notice announces an open meeting of the Community Development Advisory Board (the Advisory Board), which provides advice to the Director of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund). This meeting will be conducted virtually. A link to view the meeting will be posted under the date of the meeting at www.cdfifund.gov/cdab.

The Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) (collectively, the Agencies) are adopting final changes to the Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure (Uniform Rules) to recognize the use of electronic communications in all aspects of administrative hearings and to otherwise increase the efficiency and fairness of administrative adjudications. The OCC, Board, and FDIC are also modifying their agency-specific rules of administrative practice and procedure (Local Rules). The OCC also is integrating its Uniform Rules and Local Rules so that one set of rules applies to both national banks and Federal savings associations and amending its rules on organization and functions to address service of process.

This document contains proposed regulations that would provide guidance regarding whether a debt instrument is worthless for Federal income tax purposes. The proposed regulations are necessary to update the standard for determining when a debt instrument held by a regulated financial company or a member of a regulated financial group will be conclusively presumed to be worthless. The proposed regulations will affect regulated financial companies and members of regulated financial groups that hold debt instruments.

This notice announces that the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Advisory Committee on Risk-Sharing Mechanisms (ACRSM) will meet in the Cash Room, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20220, from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. eastern time, February 1, 2024. The Committee meeting will be held in person and virtually and is open to the public.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the OCC, the Board, and the FDIC (the agencies) may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), of which the agencies are members, has approved the agencies' publication for public comment of a proposal to revise and extend for three years the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Reports) (FFIEC 031, FFIEC 041, and FFIEC 051), which are currently approved collections of information. The FFIEC has also approved the Board's publication for public comment, on behalf of the agencies, of a proposal to revise and extend for three years the Report of Assets and Liabilities of U.S. Branches and Agencies of Foreign Banks (FFIEC 002), and the Report of Assets and Liabilities of a Non-U.S. Branch that is Managed or Controlled by a U.S. Branch or Agency of a Foreign (Non-U.S.) Bank (FFIEC 002S), which are also currently approved collections of information. The agencies are requesting comment on proposed revisions to the Call Report forms and instructions, and the FFIEC 002, as applicable, that include the revision and addition of certain new data items related to the reporting on loans to nondepository financial institutions (NDFIs) and other loans, guaranteed structured financial products, and proposed long-term debt requirements. In addition, the agencies are seeking comment on a proposal to adopt ongoing standards for electronic signatures to comply with the Call Report signature and attestation requirement. The revisions are proposed to take effect with the June 30, 2024, report date, except for those related to the proposed long-term debt requirements which would take effect for the first report date at or following the effective date of any final rule.