Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 242 (Tuesday, December 19, 2017)

Federal Register Volume 82, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 19, 2017)

Notices

Pages 60253-60254

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

FR Doc No: 2017-27314

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

SEC File No. 270-420, OMB Control No. 3235-0479

Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-2736.

Extension:

Rule 15c2-7

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (``PRA'') (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities and Exchange Commission

Page 60254

(``Commission'') has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') a request for approval of extension of the previously approved collection of information provided for in Rule 15c2-7 (17 CFR 240.15c2-7) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.).

Rule 15c2-7 places disclosure requirements on broker-dealers who have correspondent relationships, or agreements identified in the rule, with other broker-dealers. Whenever any such broker-dealer enters a quotation for a security through an inter-dealer quotation system, Rule 15c2-7 requires the broker-dealer to disclose these relationships and agreements in the manner required by the rule. The inter-dealer quotation system must also be able to make these disclosures public in association with the quotation the broker-dealer is making.

When Rule 15c2-7 was adopted in 1964, the information it requires was necessary for execution of the Commission's mandate under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prevent fraudulent, manipulative and deceptive acts by broker-dealers. In the absence of the information collection required under Rule 15c2-7, investors and broker-dealers would have been unable to accurately determine the market depth of, and demand for, securities in an inter-dealer quotation system.

There are approximately 3,939 broker-dealers registered with the Commission. Any of these broker-dealers could be potential respondents for Rule 15c2-7, so the Commission is using that number as the number of respondents. Rule 15c2-7 applies only to quotations entered into an inter-dealer quotation system, such as the OTC Bulletin Board (``OTCBB'') or OTC Link (formerly ``Pink Sheets''), operated by OTC Markets Group Inc. (``OTC Link''). According to representatives of both OTC Link and the OTCBB, neither entity has recently received, or anticipates receiving any Rule 15c2-7 notices. However, because such notices could be made, the Commission estimates that one filing is made annually pursuant to Rule 15c2-7.

Based on prior industry reports, the Commission estimates that the average time required to enter a disclosure pursuant to the rule is .75 minutes, or 45 seconds. The Commission sees no reason to change this estimate. We estimate that impacted respondents spend a total of .0125 hours per year to comply with the requirements of Rule 15c2-7 (1 notice (x) 45 seconds/notice).

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information under the PRA unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The public may view background documentation for this information collection at the following website: www.reginfo.gov. Comments should be directed to: (i) Desk Officer for the Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10102, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, or by sending an email to: email protected; and (ii) Pamela Dyson, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Remi Pavlik-Simon, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549, or by sending an email to: email protected. Comments must be submitted to OMB within 30 days of this notice.

Dated: December 14, 2017.

Eduardo A. Aleman,

Assistant Secretary.

FR Doc. 2017-27314 Filed 12-18-17; 8:45 am

BILLING CODE 8011-01-P