Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register, Volume 77 Issue 51 (Thursday, March 15, 2012)

Federal Register Volume 77, Number 51 (Thursday, March 15, 2012)

Notices

Pages 15456-15457

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov

FR Doc No: 2012-6298

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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Treasury.

ACTION: Notice and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The OCC, 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. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning its information collection titled, ``Registration of Mortgage Loan Originators.''

DATES: Comments must be received by May 14, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Communications Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Mailstop 2-3, Attention: 1557-0243, 250 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20219. In addition, comments may be sent by fax to (202) 874-5274 or by electronic mail to regs.comments@occ.treas.gov. You may personally inspect and photocopy comments at the OCC, 250 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20219. For security reasons, the OCC requires that visitors make an appointment to inspect comments. You may do so by calling (202) 874-4700. Upon arrival, visitors will be required to present valid government-issued photo identification and to submit to security screening in order to inspect and photocopy comments.

Additionally, please send a copy of your comments by mail to: OCC Desk Officer, 1557-0243, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street NW., 10235, Washington, DC 20503, or by fax to (202) 395-6974.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You can request additional information or a copy of the collection from Mary H. Gottlieb, or Ira L. Mills, OCC Clearance Officers, (202) 874-5090, or (202) 874-6055, Legislative and Regulatory Activities Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, 250 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20219.

Page 15457

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The OCC is requesting extension of OMB approval for this collection. There have been no changes to the requirements of the regulations, however, they have been transferred to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB) pursuant to title X of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Public Law 111-203, 124 Stat. 1990, July 21, 2010 (Dodd-Frank Act), and republished as CFPB regulations (76 FR 78483 (December 19, 2011)). The burden estimates have been revised to remove the burden for OCC-

regulated institutions with over $10 billion in assets, now carried by CFPB pursuant to section 1025 of the Dodd-Frank Act, and to remove the initial start-up burden. The OCC retains enforcement authority for its institutions with $10 billion in assets or less.

Title: Registration of Mortgage Loan Originators.

OMB Number: 1557-0243.

Description: The S.A.F.E. Act requires an employee of a bank, savings association, or credit union and their subsidiaries regulated by a Federal banking agency or an employee of an institution regulated by the FCA (Agency-regulated institutions) who engages in the business of a residential mortgage loan originator (MLO) to register with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry (Registry) and obtain a unique identifier. Agency-regulated institutions must require their employees who act as residential MLOs to comply with the Act's requirements to register and obtain a unique identifier and also adopt and follow written policies and procedures to assure compliance with these requirements.

The Registry is intended to aggregate and improve the flow of information to and between regulators; provide increased accountability and tracking of mortgage loan originators; enhance consumer protections; reduce fraud in the residential mortgage loan origination process; and provide consumers with easily accessible information at no charge regarding the employment history of, and the publicly adjudicated disciplinary and enforcement actions against, mortgage loan originators.

The Agencies jointly developed and maintain a system for registering MLOs employed by Agency-regulated institutions with the Registry. The Agencies, at a minimum, must furnish or cause to be furnished to the Registry information concerning the MLOs' identity, including: (1) Fingerprints for submission to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and any other relevant governmental agency for a State and national criminal background check; and (2) personal history and experience, including authorization for the Registry to obtain information related to any administrative, civil, or criminal findings by any governmental jurisdiction.

MLO Reporting Requirements

Unless the de minimis exception or a different implementation period applies, 12 CFR 1007.103(a) requires an employee of an institution who is engaged in the business of a MLO to register with the Registry, maintain such registration, and obtain a unique identifier. Under Sec. 1007.103(b), an institution must require each such registration to be renewed annually and updated within 30 days of the occurrence of specified events. Section 1007.103(d) sets forth the categories of information that an employee, or the employing institution in the employee's behalf, must submit to the Registry, along with the employee's attestation as to the correctness of the information supplied, and an authorization to obtain further information.

MLO Disclosure Requirement

Section 1007.105(b) requires the MLO to provide the unique identifier to a consumer upon request.

Financial Institution Reporting Requirements

Section 1007.103(e) specifies the institution and employee information that an institution must submit to the Registry in connection with the initial registration of one or more MLOs, and thereafter update.

Financial Institution Disclosure Requirements

Section 1007.105(a) requires the institution to make the unique identifier of MLO employees available to consumers in a manner and method practicable to the institution.

Financial Institution Recordkeeping Requirements

Section 1007.103(d)(1)(xii) requires the collection of MLO employee fingerprints.

Section 1007.104 requires that an institution employing MLOs to:

cir Adopt and follow written policies and procedures, at a minimum addressing certain specified areas, but otherwise appropriate to the nature, size and complexity of their mortgage lending activities.

cir Establish reasonable procedures and tracking systems for monitoring registration compliance.

cir Establish a process for, and maintain records related to, employee criminal history background reports and actions taken with respect thereto.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Individuals; Businesses or other for-profit.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 36,003.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 31,053 hours.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized, included in the request for OMB approval, and become a matter of public record. Comments are invited on:

(a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the OCC, including whether the information has practical utility;

(b) The accuracy of the OCC's estimate of the burden of the collection of information;

(c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

(d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and

(e) Estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

Dated: March 8, 2012.

Michele Meyer,

Assistant Director, Legislative and Regulatory Activities Division.

FR Doc. 2012-6298 Filed 3-14-12; 8:45 am

BILLING CODE 4810-33-P