Other Real Estate Owned and Technical Amendments

Citation85 FR 43420
Record Number2020-14108
Published date17 July 2020
SectionRules and Regulations
CourtThe Comptroller Of The Currency Office,Treasury Department
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 138 (Friday, July 17, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 138 (Friday, July 17, 2020)]
                [Rules and Regulations]
                [Pages 43420-43422]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2020-14108]
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                DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY
                Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
                12 CFR Part 34
                [Docket ID OCC-2019-0004]
                RIN 1557-AE91
                Other Real Estate Owned and Technical Amendments
                AGENCY: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Treasury.
                ACTION: Final rule; correction.
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                SUMMARY: On October 22, 2019, the Office of the Comptroller of the
                Currency (OCC) published in the Federal Register a final rule to revise
                provisions on other real estate owned and make related technical
                amendments. Due to a technical error in the amendatory text, certain
                revisions in the final rule were not incorporated in the Code of
                Federal Regulations. This final rule corrects those omissions.
                DATES: The final rule is effective on July 17, 2020.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Korzeniewski, Counsel, or
                Anthony Borzaro, Attorney, Chief Counsel's Office, (202) 649-5490; or
                for persons who are hearing impaired, TTY, (202) 649-5597.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                I. Background
                 On October 22, 2019, the OCC published in the Federal Register a
                final rule to revise its rule on other real estate owned (OREO) at 12
                CFR part 34, subpart E, and make related technical amendments (OREO
                final rule).\1\ The OREO final rule was intended to apply to national
                banks and federal savings associations, and the rule text printed in
                the OREO final rule did incorporate both types of institutions in all
                relevant sections. However, due to a technical error in the amendatory
                instructions, the phrase ``federal savings associations'' was not
                included in two places in the introductory text to 12 CFR
                34.83(a)(3)(i). This final rule corrects the amendatory instructions to
                add the phrase ``federal savings associations'' in those two locations.
                This final rule does not make any substantive changes to the OREO final
                rule or any requirements of 12 CFR part 34, subpart E.
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                 \1\ 84 FR 56369 (Oct. 22, 2019).
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                II. Administrative Law Statements
                A. Administrative Procedure Act
                 The OCC is issuing the final rule without prior notice and the
                opportunity for public comment and the delayed effective date
                ordinarily prescribed by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).\2\
                Pursuant to section 553(b)(B) of the APA, general notice and the
                opportunity for public comment are not required with respect to a
                rulemaking when an ``agency for good cause finds (and incorporates the
                finding and a brief statement of reasons therefor in the rules issued)
                that notice and public procedure thereon are impracticable,
                unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest.'' \3\
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                 \2\ 5 U.S.C. 553.
                 \3\ 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(A).
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                 The OCC believes that the final rule should be effective
                immediately upon publication in the Federal Register. The final rule
                merely implements a technical correction to the amendatory text to
                reflect the text of the OREO final rule for purposes of accurate
                printing in the Code of Federal Regulations and has no substantive
                effect. The OCC previously requested comment on the revision, adopted
                the revision in a final rule, and believes requesting further comment
                or delaying the correction would be unnecessary.
                 For these reasons, the OCC finds that there is good cause to issue
                the rule without notice and comment.\4\
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                 \4\ 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B); 553(d)(3).
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                 The APA also requires a 30-day delayed effective date, except for
                (1) substantive rules which grant or
                [[Page 43421]]
                recognize an exemption or relieve a restriction; (2) interpretative
                rules and statements of policy; or (3) as otherwise provided by the
                agency for good cause.\5\ The final rule merely implements a technical
                correction to the amendatory text to reflect the text of the OREO final
                rule for purposes of accurate printing in the Code of Federal
                Regulations and has no substantive effect.\6\ Therefore, the OCC
                similarly finds good cause to dispense with the 30-day delayed
                effective date.
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                 \5\ 5 U.S.C. 553(d).
                 \6\ 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(1).
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                B. Congressional Review Act
                 For purposes of Congressional Review Act, the OMB makes a
                determination as to whether a final rule constitutes a ``major''
                rule.\7\ If a rule is deemed a ``major rule'' by the Office of
                Management and Budget (OMB), the Congressional Review Act generally
                provides that the rule may not take effect until at least 60 days
                following its publication.\8\
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                 \7\ 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.
                 \8\ 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(3).
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                 The Congressional Review Act defines a ``major rule'' as any rule
                that the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory
                Affairs of the OMB finds has resulted in or is likely to result in (A)
                an annual effect on the economy of $100,000,000 or more; (B) a major
                increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries,
                Federal, State, or local government agencies or geographic regions, or
                (C) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment,
                productivity, innovation, or on the ability of United States-based
                enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises in domestic and
                export markets.\9\
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                 \9\ 5 U.S.C. 804(2).
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                 For the same reasons set forth above, the OCC is adopting the final
                rule without the delayed effective date generally prescribed under the
                Congressional Review Act. The delayed effective date required by the
                Congressional Review Act does not apply to any rule for which an agency
                for good cause finds (and incorporates the finding and a brief
                statement of reasons therefor in the rule issued) that notice and
                public procedure thereon are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to
                the public interest.\10\ In light of the fact that the final rule has
                no substantive effect and merely implements a technical correction to
                the amendatory text to reflect the text of the OREO final rule for
                purposes of accurate printing in the Code of Federal Regulations, the
                OCC believes that delaying the effective date of the rule is
                unnecessary.
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                 \10\ 5 U.S.C. 808.
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                 As required by the Congressional Review Act, the OCC will submit
                the final rule and other appropriate reports to Congress and the
                Government Accountability Office for review.
                C. Paperwork Reduction Act
                 The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521) (PRA)
                states that no agency may conduct or sponsor, nor is the respondent
                required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a
                currently valid OMB control number. The final rule does not affect any
                current information collections for 12 CFR part 34.
                D. Regulatory Flexibility Act
                 The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) \11\ requires an agency to
                consider whether the rules it proposes will have a significant economic
                impact on a substantial number of small entities.\12\ The RFA applies
                only to rules for which an agency publishes a general notice of
                proposed rulemaking pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b). As discussed
                previously, consistent with section 553(b)(B) of the APA, the OCC has
                determined for good cause that general notice and opportunity for
                public comment is unnecessary, and therefore the OCC has not issued a
                notice of proposed rulemaking. Accordingly, the OCC has concluded that
                the RFA's requirements relating to initial and final regulatory
                flexibility analysis do not apply.
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                 \11\ 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.
                 \12\ Under regulations issued by the Small Business
                Administration, a small entity includes a depository institution,
                bank holding company, or savings and loan holding company with total
                assets of $600 million or less and trust companies with total assets
                of $41.5 million or less. See 13 CFR 121.201.
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                E. Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994
                 Pursuant to section 302(a) of the Riegle Community Development and
                Regulatory Improvement Act (RCDRIA),\13\ in determining the effective
                date and administrative compliance requirements for new regulations
                that impose additional reporting, disclosure, or other requirements on
                insured depository institutions (IDIs), each Federal banking agency
                must consider, consistent with the principle of safety and soundness
                and the public interest, any administrative burdens that such
                regulations would place on depository institutions, including small
                depository institutions, and customers of depository institutions, as
                well as the benefits of such regulations. In addition, section 302(b)
                of RCDRIA requires new regulations and amendments to regulations that
                impose additional reporting, disclosures, or other new requirements on
                IDIs generally to take effect on the first day of a calendar quarter
                that begins on or after the date on which the regulations are published
                in final form, with certain exceptions, including for good cause.\14\
                For the reasons described above, the OCC finds good cause exists under
                section 302 of RCDRIA to publish this final rule with an immediate
                effective date.
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                 \13\ 12 U.S.C. 4802(a).
                 \14\ 12 U.S.C. 4802.
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                 As such, the final rule will be effective on July 17, 2020.
                F. Use of Plain Language
                 Section 722 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act \15\ requires the Federal
                banking agencies to use plain language in all proposed and final rules
                published after January 1, 2000. The OCC has sought to present the
                final rule in a simple and straightforward manner.
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                 \15\ 12 U.S.C. 4809.
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                G. Unfunded Mandates
                 As a general matter, the Unfunded Mandates Act of 1995 (UMRA), 2
                U.S.C. 1531 et seq., requires the preparation of a budgetary impact
                statement before promulgating a rule that includes a Federal mandate
                that may result in the expenditure by State, local, and tribal
                governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100
                million or more in any one year. However, the UMRA does not apply to
                final rules for which a general notice of proposed rulemaking was not
                published. See 2 U.S.C. 1532(a). Therefore, because the OCC has found
                good cause to dispense with notice and comment for this final rule, the
                OCC has not prepared a budgetary impact statement for the rule under
                the UMRA.
                List of Subjects in 12 CFR Part 34
                 Appraisal, Appraiser, Banks, Banking, Consumer protection, Credit,
                Mortgages, National banks, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements,
                Savings associations, Truth in lending.
                 For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Office of the
                Comptroller of the Currency amends 12 CFR part 34 as follows:
                PART 34--REAL ESTATE LENDING AND APPRAISALS
                0
                1. The authority citation for part 34 continues to read as follows:
                 Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1 et seq., 25b, 29, 93a, 371, 1462a, 1463,
                1464, 1465, 1701j-3, 1828(o), 3331 et seq., 5101 et seq., and
                5412(b)(2)(B) and 15 U.S.C. 1639h.
                [[Page 43422]]
                Subpart E--Other Real Estate Owned
                Sec. 34.83 [Amended]
                0
                2. In Sec. 34.83 amend paragraph (a)(3)(i) introductory text by adding
                ``or Federal savings association'' after ``national bank'' wherever it
                occurs.
                Brian P. Brooks,
                Acting Comptroller of the Currency.
                [FR Doc. 2020-14108 Filed 7-16-20; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 4810-33-P
                

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