Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated Authority and Submission to OMB

AGENCY:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given of the final approval of proposed information collections by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) under OMB delegated authority. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Federal Reserve Board Acting Clearance Officer—Nuha Elmaghrabi—Office of the Chief Data Officer, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551 (202) 452-3829. Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) users may contact (202) 263-4869, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC 20551.

OMB Desk Officer—Shagufta Ahmed—Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503.

Final approval under OMB delegated authority of the extension for three years, with revision, of the following reports:

1. Report title: Semiannual Report of Derivatives Activity.

Agency form number: FR 2436.

OMB Control number: 7100-0286.

Effective Date: April 30, 2016.

Frequency: Semiannually.

Respondent type: U.S. dealers of over-the-counter derivatives.

Estimated annual burden hours: 3,776 hours.

Estimated average hours per response: 236 hours.

Number of respondents: 8.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: This information collection is voluntary and is authorized under section 2A and 12A of the Federal Reserve Act (FRA). Section 2A of the FRA requires the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the economy's long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates (12 U.S.C. 225a) and section 12A of the FRA requires the FOMC to implement regulations relating to the open market operations conducted by Federal Reserve Banks with a view to accommodating commerce and business and with regard to their bearing upon the general credit situation of the country (12 U.S.C. 263). Because Federal Reserve System uses the information obtained from the FR 2436 to fulfill these obligations, these statutory provisions provide the legal authorization for the collection of information on the FR 2436.

Additionally, because all survey respondents are currently registered as bank holding companies, this survey is also authorized under section 5(c) of the Bank Holding Company Act (12 U.S.C. 1844(c)).

Because the release of this information would cause substantial harm to the competitive position of the entity from whom the information was obtained, the information collected on the FR 2436 may be granted confidential treatment under exemption (b)(4) of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4), which protects from disclosure “trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential.”

Abstract: This collection of information complements the triennial Survey of Foreign Exchange and Derivatives Market Activity (FR 3036; OMB No. 7100-0285). The FR 2436 collects similar data on the outstanding volume of derivatives, but not on derivatives turnover. The Federal Reserve conducts both surveys in coordination with other central banks and forwards the aggregated data furnished by U.S. reporters to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), which publishes global market statistics that are aggregates of national data.

Current Actions: On December 1, 2015 the Federal Reserve published a notice in the Federal Register (80 FR 75102) requesting public comment for 60 days on the extension, without revision, of the Semiannual Report of Derivatives Activity. The comment period for this notice expired on February 1, 2016. The Federal Reserve did not receive any comments. The revisions will be implemented as proposed.

2. Report title: Central Bank Survey of Foreign Exchange and Derivative Market Activity.

Agency form number: FR 3036.

OMB Control number: 7100-0285.

Effective Date: June 30, 2016.

Frequency: Triennially.

Respondent types: Financial institutions that serve as intermediaries in the wholesale foreign exchange and derivatives market and dealers.

Estimated annual burden hours: 1,320 hours.

Estimated average hours per response: 55 hours.

Number of respondents: 24.

Legal authorization and confidentiality: This information collection is voluntary and is implicitly authorized under section 2A and 12A of the Federal Reserve Act (FRA). Section 2A of the FRA requires the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the economy's long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates (12 U.S.C. 225a) and section 12A of the FRA requires the FOMC to implement regulations relating to the open market operations conducted by Federal Reserve Banks with a view to accommodating commerce and business and with regard to their bearing upon the general credit situation of the country (12 U.S.C. 263). Because Federal Reserve System uses the information obtained from the FR 3036 to fulfill these obligations, these statutory provisions provide the legal authorization for the collection of information on the FR 3036.

Because the Federal Reserve believes the release of this information would cause substantial harm to the competitive position of the entity from whom the information was obtained, the information collected on the FR 3036 may be granted confidential treatment under exemption (b)(4) of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4), which protects from disclosure “trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential.”

Abstract: The FR 3036 is the U.S. part of a global data collection that is conducted by central banks once every three years. More than 50 central banks plan to conduct the survey in 2016. The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) compiles aggregate national data from each central bank to produce global market statistics. The Federal Reserve Bank of New Your (FRBNY) uses the survey to monitor activity in the foreign exchange and derivatives markets. Survey results also provide perspective on market developments for the Manager of the System Open Market Account, on the Desk's trading relationships, and for planning Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury foreign exchange operations. Respondents also use the published data to gauge their market share.

Current Actions: On December 1, 2015 the Federal Reserve published a notice in the Federal Register (80 FR 75102) requesting public comment for 60 days on the extension, without revision, of the Semiannual Report of Derivatives Activity. The comment period for this notice expired on February 1, 2016. The Federal Reserve did not receive any comments. The revisions will be implemented as proposed.