Federal Reserve System 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Board and the Bureau are publishing final rules amending the official interpretations and commentary for the agencies' regulations that implement the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The Dodd- Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) amended TILA by requiring that the dollar threshold for exempt consumer credit transactions be adjusted annually by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If there is no annual percentage increase in the CPI-W, the Board and the Bureau will not adjust this exemption threshold from the prior year. However, in years following a year in which the exemption threshold was not adjusted, the threshold is calculated by applying the annual percentage change in the CPI-W to the dollar amount that would have resulted, after rounding, if the decreases and any subsequent increases in the CPI-W had been taken into account. Based on the annual percentage increase in the CPI-W as of June 1, 2017, the exemption threshold will increase from $54,600 to $55,800 effective January 1, 2018. Because the Dodd-Frank Act also requires similar adjustments in the Consumer Leasing Act's threshold for exempt consumer leases, the Board and the Bureau are making similar amendments to each of their respective regulations implementing the Consumer Leasing Act elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

The Board and the Bureau are finalizing amendments to the official interpretations and commentary for the agencies' regulations that implement the Consumer Leasing Act (CLA). The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) amended the CLA by requiring that the dollar threshold for exempt consumer leases be adjusted annually by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If there is no annual percentage increase in the CPI-W, the Board and the Bureau will not adjust this exemption threshold from the prior year. However, in years following a year in which the exemption threshold was not adjusted, the threshold is calculated by applying the annual percentage change in the CPI-W to the dollar amount that would have resulted, after rounding, if the decreases and any subsequent increases in the CPI-W had been taken into account. Based on the annual percentage increase in the CPI-W as of June 1, 2017, the exemption threshold will increase from $54,600 to $55,800 effective January 1, 2018. Because the Dodd-Frank Act also requires similar adjustments in the Truth in Lending Act's threshold for exempt consumer credit transactions, the Board and the Bureau are making similar amendments to each of their respective regulations implementing the Truth in Lending Act elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 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 the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income for a Bank with Domestic Offices Only and Total Assets Less Than $1 Billion (FFIEC 051), the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income for a Bank with Domestic Offices Only (FFIEC 041), and the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income for a Bank with Domestic and Foreign Offices (FFIEC 031), which are currently approved collections of information. The Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income are commonly referred to as the Call Report. The proposed revisions to the FFIEC 051, FFIEC 041, and FFIEC 031 Call Reports would result in an overall reduction in burden. In particular, the proposed revisions would delete or consolidate a number of items and add a new or raise certain existing reporting thresholds. The proposed revisions would take effect as of the June 30, 2018, report date. At the end of the comment period for this notice, the comments and recommendations received will be reviewed to determine whether the FFIEC and the agencies should modify the proposed revisions to the FFIEC 051, FFIEC 041, and FFIEC 031 prior to giving final approval. As required by the PRA, the agencies will then publish a second Federal Register notice for a 30-day comment period and submit the final FFIEC 051, FFIEC 041, and FFIEC 031 to OMB for review and approval.

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) is adopting a proposal to extend for three years, without revision, the Notifications Related to Community Development and Public Welfare Investments of State Member Banks (FR H-6; OMB No. 7100-0278).

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board or Federal Reserve) is modifying its proposal to extend for three years, with revision, the Banking Organization Systemic Risk Report (FR Y-15; OMB No. 7100-0352). The Board is extending the proposed implementation date for the proposed revisions to the FR Y-15 from December 31, 2017, to March 31, 2018. The Board is also reopening the public comment period for the proposal by 30 days, so that the comment period ends on November 23, 2017.

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) is adopting a proposal to extend for three years, with revision, the Application for Employment with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FR 28; OMB No. 7100-0181). The revisions are applicable as of October 31, 2017.

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) is adopting a proposal to extend for three years, without revision, the Government Securities Dealers Reports (FR 2004; OMB No. 7100-0003) and a proposal to extend for three years, with revision, the voluntary Weekly Report of Selected Assets and Liabilities of Domestically Chartered Commercial Banks and U.S. Branches and Agencies of Foreign Banks (FR 2644; OMB No. 7100-0075). The FR 2644 revisions are effective as of January 3, 2018. On June 15, 1984, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delegated to the Board authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) to approve of and assign OMB control numbers to collection of information requests and requirements conducted or sponsored by the Board. Board-approved collections of information are incorporated into the official OMB inventory of currently approved collections of information. Copies of the Paperwork Reduction Act Submission, supporting statements and approved collection of information instrument(s) 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.

On August 9, 2017, the Board published in the Federal Register proposed guidance on supervisory expectations for boards of directors. To facilitate effective public comment on the proposed guidance, the Board has determined that an extension of the comment period until November 30, 2017, is appropriate. This action will allow interested persons additional time to analyze the proposal and prepare their comments.

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 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 agencies, under the auspices of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), have approved the publication for public comment of the proposed Annual Dodd-Frank Act Company-Run Stress Test Report for Depository Institutions and Holding Companies with $10-$50 Billion in Total Consolidated Assets (FFIEC 016). This proposed report would combine the agencies' three separate, yet identical, stress test report forms (as described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION), which are currently approved collections of information, into a single new FFIEC report. As part of their proposed adoption of the new FFIEC 016 report, the agencies also are proposing to implement a limited number of revisions that would align the report with recent burden-reducing changes to the FFIEC 031 and FFIEC 041 Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income and the Board's FR Y-9C Consolidated Financial Statements for Holding Companies. In addition, the agencies are proposing to have institutions provide their Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) on the report form, if they already have one. The proposed FFIEC 016 reporting requirements reflect the company-run stress testing requirements promulgated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (as reflected in the agencies' current information collections). The Board, in connection with this proposal and conditioned on the final adoption of the FFIEC 016, is proposing to replace the FR Y-16 (Annual Company-Run Stress Test Report For State Member Banks, Bank Holding Companies, and Savings and Loan Holding Companies with Total Consolidated Assets Greater Than $10 Billion and Less Than $50 Billion), which it currently uses to collect the annual company-run stress test results. Also in connection with the final adoption of the FFIEC 016, the OCC and the FDIC are proposing to replace the OCC's DFAST 10-50B (Annual Company-Run Stress Test Reporting Template and Documentation for Covered Institutions with Total Consolidated Assets of $10 Billion to $50 Billion under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act), and the FDIC's DFAST 10-50 (Company-Run Annual Stress Test Reporting Template and Documentation for Covered Institutions with Total Consolidated Assets of $10 Billion to $50 Billion under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act), respectively, with the FFIEC 016. The respondents for the proposed FFIEC 016 are institutions with average total consolidated assets of at least $10 billion, but less than $50 billion. The proposed FFIEC 016 would take effect for the December 31, 2017, as-of date of the stress test report. The submission deadline for the report would be the following July 31. At the end of the comment period for this notice, the comments and recommendations received will be reviewed to determine whether the FFIEC and the agencies should modify the proposal for the FFIEC 016 report form before giving final approval. As required by the PRA, the agencies will then publish a second Federal Register notice for a 30-day comment period and submit the FFIEC 016 information collection to OMB for review and approval.