Public Debt Bureau December 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

For the period beginning January 1, 2011, and ending on June 30, 2011, the prompt payment interest rate is 2\5/8\ per centum per annum.

The Department of the Treasury (Treasury), Financial Management Service (FMS), is amending its regulation to require recipients of Federal nontax payments to receive payment by electronic funds transfer (EFT), effective May 1, 2011. The effective date is delayed until March 1, 2013, for individuals receiving Federal payments by check on May 1, 2011; and for individuals who file claims for Federal benefits before May 1, 2011, and request check payments when they file. Individuals who do not choose direct deposit of their payments to an account at a financial institution would be enrolled in the Direct Express[supreg] Debit MasterCard[supreg] card program, a prepaid card program established pursuant to terms and conditions approved by FMS. Treasury waives the EFT requirement for recipients born prior to May 1, 1921, who are receiving payments by paper check on March 1, 2013; for payments not eligible for deposit to a Direct Express[supreg] prepaid card account; and for recipients whose Direct Express[supreg] card has been suspended or cancelled. In addition, this rule establishes the criteria under which a payment recipient may request a waiver if the EFT requirement creates a hardship due to his or her mental impairment or remote geographic location.

Treasury's retail electronic systems for holding Treasury marketable securities began with the goal of permitting investors to buy and hold marketable Treasury securities until maturity. As a cost- saving measure, Treasury is returning the Legacy Treasury Direct and TreasuryDirect systems to this initial vision by eliminating the SellDirect program that permits investors to sell their marketable securities on the open market through a Federal Reserve Bank. Investors will now need to transfer a marketable security to a broker or financial institution in order to effect a sale of the security prior to maturity.

The Financial Management 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 a continuing information collection. By this notice, the Financial Management Service solicits comments concerning the ``Tax Time Card Account Pilot Screening, Focus Groups, and Study.''