Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the FDIC hereby gives notice that it plans to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for OMB review and renewal of the collections of information described below:

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the OCC, the Board, the FDIC, and the OTS (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. On December 23, 2008, the agencies, under the auspices of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), requested public comment for 60 days on a proposal to extend, with revision, the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report) for banks, the Thrift Financial Report (TFR) for savings associations, 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), all of which are currently approved collections of information. The one comment received on this proposal supported the proposed revision, which the FFIEC and the agencies will implement as proposed.

The FDIC is issuing this Interim Rule to amend the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP) by providing a limited extension of the Debt Guarantee Program (DGP) for insured depository institutions (IDIs) participating in the DGP. The extended DGP also would apply to other participating entities; however, other participating entities that have not issued FDIC-guaranteed debt before April 1, 2009 are required to submit an application to and obtain approval from the FDIC to participate in the extended DGP. The Interim Rule imposes surcharges on certain debt issued on or after April 1, 2009. Any surcharge collected will be deposited into the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF or Fund). The Interim Rule also establishes an application process whereby entities participating in the extended DGP may apply to issue non-FDIC- guaranteed debt during the extension period.

The FDIC, 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 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). Currently, the FDIC is soliciting comments on full clearance of the following collection currently approved by OMB on an emergency basis: Temporary Liquidity Program (OMB Control No. 3064- 0166).

The FDIC is amending our regulation to alter the way in which it differentiates for risk in the risk-based assessment system; revise deposit insurance assessment rates, including base assessment rates; and make technical and other changes to the rules governing the risk- based assessment system.

The FDIC is adopting an interim rule to impose a 20 basis point emergency special assessment under 12 U.S.C. 1817(b)(5) on June 30, 2009. The assessment will be collected on September 30, 2009. The interim rule also provides that, after June 30, 2009, if the reserve ratio of the Deposit Insurance Fund is estimated to fall to a level that the Board believes would adversely affect public confidence or to a level which shall be close to zero or negative at the end of a calendar quarter, an emergency special assessment of up to 10 basis points may be imposed by a vote of the Board on all insured depository institutions based on each institution's assessment base calculated pursuant to 12 CFR 327.5 for the corresponding assessment period. The FDIC seeks comment on the interim rule.

The FDIC, 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 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). Currently, the FDIC is soliciting comments concerning the following collection of information titled: ``Interagency Notice of Change in Director or Executive Officer.''

The FDIC is proposing to amend its regulations relating to the interest rate restrictions that apply to insured depository institutions that are not well capitalized. Under the proposed rule, such insured depository institutions generally would be permitted to offer the ``national rate'' plus 75 basis points. The ``national rate'' would be defined, for deposits of similar size and maturity, as an average of rates paid by all insured depository institutions and branches for which data are available. For those cases in which the ``national rate'' does not represent the prevailing rate in a particular market, as indicated by available evidence, the depository institution would be permitted to offer the prevailing rate plus 75 basis points. The purpose of this proposed rule is to clarify the interest rate restrictions for certain insured depository institutions and examiners.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), 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. On September 23, 2008, the agencies, under the auspices of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), requested public comment for 60 days on a proposal to extend, with revision, the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Report), which are currently approved collections of information. After considering the comments received on the proposal, the FFIEC and the agencies will move forward with the most of the reporting changes, with limited modifications in response to certain comments, on the phased-in basis that had been proposed. The FFIEC and the agencies are continuing to evaluate certain other proposed revisions in light of the comments received thereon and will not implement these revisions on their proposed effective dates.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), 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. On September 2, 2008, the agencies, under the auspices of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), published a notice in the Federal Register (73 FR 51300) requesting public comment on the extension, without revision, of the currently approved information collections, the Country Exposure Report (FFIEC 009) and the Country Exposure Information Report (FFIEC 009a). The comment period for this notice expired on November 3, 2008. No comments were received. The agencies are now submitting requests to OMB for approval of the extension, without revision, of the FFIEC 009 and FFIEC 009a reports.

The OCC, Board, FDIC, and OTS (the agencies) are adopting as final the Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Community Reinvestment (Questions and Answers) that were proposed on July 11, 2007. In response to comments received, the agencies clarified several of the new and revised questions and answers that were proposed and are withdrawing the proposed revisions to an existing question and answer. Also, in response to comments we received, the agencies are proposing a new question and answer that would provide examples of how an institution can determine that community services it provides are targeted to low- and moderate-income individuals. The agencies are also proposing to revise two existing questions and answers to allow pro rata consideration in certain circumstances for an activity that provides affordable housing targeted to low-or moderate-income individuals. The agencies invite public comment on these proposed new and revised questions and answers.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) (collectively, the Agencies) are amending their regulatory capital rules to permit banks, bank holding companies, and savings associations (collectively, banking organizations) to reduce the amount of goodwill that a banking organization must deduct from tier 1 capital by the amount of any deferred tax liability associated with that goodwill. For a banking organization that elects to apply this final rule, the amount of goodwill the banking organization must deduct from tier 1 capital would reflect the maximum exposure to loss in the event that such goodwill is impaired or derecognized for financial reporting purposes.

The OCC, the Board, the FDIC, and the OTS (collectively, the ``agencies'') are amending their Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations to adjust the asset-size thresholds used to define ``small bank'' or ``small savings association'' and ``intermediate small bank'' or ``intermediate small savings association.'' As required by the CRA regulations, the adjustment to the threshold amount is based on the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index.

The FDIC is adopting a final rule establishing recordkeeping requirements for qualified financial contracts (QFCs) held by insured depository institutions in a troubled condition as defined in this rule. The appendix to the rule requires an institution in a troubled condition, upon written notification by the FDIC, to produce immediately at the close of processing of the institution's business day, for a period provided in the notification, the electronic files for certain position level and counterparty level data; electronic or written lists of QFC counterparty and portfolio location identifiers, certain affiliates of the institution and the institution's counterparties to QFC transactions, contact information and organizational charts for key personnel involved in QFC activities, and contact information for vendors for such activities; and copies of key agreements and related documents for each QFC.

The Federal Civil Monetary Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended, requires all Federal agencies with statutory authority to impose civil money penalties (CMPs) to evaluate and adjust those CMPs every four years. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) last adjusted the maximum amounts of CMPs under its jurisdiction in 2004. The FDIC is issuing this final rule to implement the required adjustments to its CMPs, in consultation with the other Federal banking agencies and the National Credit Union Administration.

The OCC, FRB, FDIC, OTS, and NCUA (the Agencies), request comment on the proposed Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines (proposed Guidelines). The proposed Guidelines, which would supersede the 1994 Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines (1994 Guidelines), reflect revisions to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and the evolution of collateral valuation practices, such as the use of automated valuation models (AVMs). The proposed Guidelines also incorporate refinements made by the Agencies to the supervision of regulated institutions' appraisal and evaluation programs since 1994 and reflect the participation of the NCUA, which was not a party to the 1994 Guidelines. The proposed Guidelines are intended to clarify the Agencies' real estate appraisal regulations and promote a safe and sound real estate collateral valuation program.

In 1996, the FDIC published General Counsel's Opinion No. 8 (``GC8''). Through that opinion, the Legal Division of the FDIC sought to clarify the meaning of the term ``deposit'' as that term relates to funds underlying stored value cards. Subsequently, the banking industry developed new types of stored value products with the result that GC8 is obsolete. For this reason, the Legal Division has decided to replace GC8. Under the new GC8, all funds underlying stored value products will be treated as ``deposits'' if they have been placed at an insured depository institution. As a result, all such funds will be subject to FDIC assessments. Also, all such funds will be insured up to the insurance limit. Whether the funds are insurable to the holders of the access mechanisms, as opposed to the distributor of the access mechanisms, will depend upon the satisfaction of the FDIC's standard requirements for obtaining ``pass-through'' insurance coverage. This treatment of the funds underlying stored value products does not differ from the treatment set forth in a proposed rule published by the FDIC in August of 2005. See 70 FR 45571 (August 8, 2005). The new GC8 will provide guidance to the public about the insurance coverage of funds underlying nontraditional access mechanisms. Also, the new GC8 will promote accuracy and consistency by insured depository institutions in reporting ``deposits'' for inclusion in an institution's assessment base.

The FDIC is issuing this Interim Rule following a determination of systemic risk pursuant to section 13(c)(4)(G) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. As a result of this systemic risk determination, and in an effort to avoid or mitigate serious adverse effects on economic conditions or financial stability, the FDIC is establishing the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program. As further described in the Interim Rule, the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program has two primary components: the Debt Guarantee Program, by which the FDIC will guarantee the payment of certain newly- issued senior unsecured debt, and the Transaction Account Guarantee Program, by which the FDIC will guarantee certain noninterest-bearing transaction accounts.