83 FR 22684 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 95 (May 16, 2018)

Page Range		22684-22685
FR Document		2018-10431

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA or the Agency) is seeking public comments concerning an information collection known as ``Minority and Women Inclusion,'' which has been assigned control number 2590-0014 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). FHFA intends to submit the information collection to OMB for review and approval of a three-year extension of the control number, which is due to expire on July 31, 2018.

Federal Register, Volume 83 Issue 95 (Wednesday, May 16, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22684-22685]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10431]


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FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY

[No. 2018-N-06]


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Housing Finance Agency.

ACTION: 60-day notice of submission of information collection for 
approval from Office of Management and Budget.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA or the 
Agency) is seeking public comments concerning an information collection 
known as ``Minority and Women Inclusion,'' which has been assigned 
control number 2590-0014 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 
FHFA intends to submit the information collection to OMB for review and 
approval of a three-year extension of the control number, which is due 
to expire on July 31, 2018.

DATES: Interested persons may submit comments on or before July 16, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to FHFA, identified by ``Proposed 
Collection; Comment Request: `Minority and Women Inclusion, (No. 2018-
N-06)' '' by any of the following methods:
     Agency website: www.fhfa.gov/open-for-comment-or-input.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. If you submit your 
comment to the Federal eRulemaking Portal, please also send it by email 
to FHFA at [email protected] to ensure timely receipt by the agency.
     Mail/Hand Delivery: Federal Housing Finance Agency, Eighth 
Floor, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20219, ATTENTION: Proposed 
Collection; Comment Request: ``Minority and Women Inclusion, (No. 2018-
N-06)''.
    We will post all public comments we receive without change, 
including any personal information you provide, such as your name and 
address, email address, and telephone number, on the FHFA website at 
http://www.fhfa.gov. In addition, copies of all comments received will 
be available for examination by the public on business days between the 
hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, 
Eighth Floor, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20219. To make an 
appointment to inspect comments, please call the Office of General 
Counsel at (202) 649-3804.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sylvia Martinez, Principal Policy 
Analyst, Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, by email at 
[email protected] or by telephone at (202) 649-3301; or Eric 
Raudenbush, Associate General Counsel, [email protected], (202) 
649-3084 (these are not toll-free numbers); Federal Housing Finance 
Agency, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20219. The 
Telecommunications Device for the Hearing Impaired is (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is 
seeking comments on its collection of information regarding the 
minority and gender classification of individuals serving on the boards 
of directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank (Banks) and of the Office of 
Finance under FHFA's regulations on Minority and Women Inclusion (MWI), 
codified at 12 CFR part 1223, which it will soon be submitting for 
renewal of the OMB control number under the PRA.

A. Need for and Use of the Information Collection

    The Federal Home Loan Bank System consists of eleven regional Banks 
and the Office of Finance, which issues and services the Banks' debt 
securities. The Banks are wholesale financial institutions, organized 
under authority of the Federal Home Loan Bank Act (Bank Act) to serve 
the public interest by enhancing the availability of residential 
housing finance and community lending credit through their member 
institutions and, to a limited extent, through certain eligible non-
member entities. Each Bank is structured as a regional cooperative that 
is owned and controlled by member financial institutions located within 
its

[[Page 22685]]

district, which are also its primary customers. The Bank Act vests the 
management of each Bank in a board of directors that consists of two 
types of directors: (1) Member directors, who are drawn from the 
officers and directors of member institutions located in the Bank's 
district and who are elected to represent members in a particular state 
in that district; and (2) independent directors, who are unaffiliated 
with any of the Bank's member institutions, but who reside in the 
Bank's district and are elected on an at-large basis.\1\ The Office of 
Finance is also governed by a board of directors, which consists of the 
presidents of the eleven Banks and five independent directors.\2\
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    \1\ See 12 U.S.C. 1427(a)(1), (b), (d).
    \2\ See 12 CFR 1273.7(a).
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    Section 1319A of the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety 
and Soundness Act of 1992 (Safety and Soundness Act) requires that each 
of the Banks establish an Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) 
to be responsible for all matters relating to diversity in its 
management, employment, and business activities, in accordance with 
requirements established by FHFA.\3\ Section 1319A also requires that 
each Bank implement standards and procedures to ensure, to the maximum 
extent possible, the inclusion and utilization of women and minorities 
``at all levels'' of its business and activities, and submit an annual 
report to FHFA detailing actions taken to achieve those goals.\4\
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    \3\ See 12 U.S.C. 4520(a).
    \4\ See 12 U.S.C. 4520(b), (d).
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    FHFA's MWI regulations implement those statutory requirements and 
also extend the requirements to the Office of Finance. The regulations 
require generally that each Bank and the Office of Finance ``develop, 
implement, and maintain policies and procedures to ensure, to the 
maximum extent possible in balance with financially safe and sound 
business practices, the inclusion and utilization of minorities, women, 
individuals with disabilities, and minority-, women-, and disabled-
owned businesses in all business and activities and at all levels of 
the regulated entity, including in management, employment, procurement, 
insurance, and all types of contracts.'' \5\ In recognition of the fact 
that each Bank is required by statute to promote diversity and 
inclusion ``at all levels'' of its business and activities, the MWI 
regulations further require that the Banks' policies and procedures (as 
well as those of the Office of Finance) ``[e]ncourage the consideration 
of diversity in nominating or soliciting nominees for positions on 
boards of directors and engage in recruiting and outreach directed at 
encouraging individuals who are minorities, women and individuals with 
disabilities to seek or apply for employment with the regulated 
entity.'' \6\
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    \5\ See 12 CFR 1223.21(b).
    \6\ See 12 CFR 1223.21(b)(7).
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    In conformity with the statutory requirements, FHFA's MWI 
regulations require that each Bank and the Office of Finance submit to 
FHFA an annual report describing, among other things, its efforts to 
promote diversity at all levels of management and employment, and the 
results of those efforts.\7\ In order to provide a quantitative basis 
upon which to assess the results of those efforts, FHFA's regulations 
require that each Bank and the Office of Finance set forth in in their 
respective annual reports the demographic data reported on the EEO-1 
form, which they are required to file annually with the Equal 
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).\8\ The EEO-1 form requires 
that each respondent provide race, ethnicity and gender information for 
its employees, broken down into various job categories. Because the 
EEO-1 form does not require that a respondent provide information on 
board directors, FHFA cannot use the EEO-1 data to assess the 
effectiveness of the Bank System's efforts to ``encourage the 
consideration of diversity in nominating or soliciting nominees for 
positions on boards of directors.''
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    \7\ See 12 CFR 1223.22(a).
    \8\ See 12 CFR 1223.23(b)(1). As required by 29 CFR 1602.7, each 
Bank and the Office of Finance annually files an EEO-1 form with the 
EEOC.
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    Therefore, in order to enable FHFA to assess those efforts, the MWI 
regulations separately require that the annual reports set forth 
``[d]ata showing for the reporting year by minority and gender 
classification, the number of individuals on the board of directors of 
each Bank and the Office of Finance,'' using the same racial and ethnic 
classifications that are used on the EEO-1 form (which comply with 
OMB's ``Statistical Policy Directive No. 15, Race and Ethnic Standards 
for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting'').\9\ The 
regulation requires that each Bank and the Office of Finance collect 
that data ``through an information collection requesting each 
director's voluntary self-identification of his or her minority and 
gender classification without personally identifiable information.''
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    \9\ See 12 CFR 1223.23(b)(10)(i).
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    FHFA uses the information collected under this control number to 
assess the effectiveness of the policies and procedures that each Bank 
and the Office of Finance is required to implement to promote diversity 
in all of its business and activities ``at all levels'' and, 
specifically, to encourage diversity in the nomination and solicitation 
of nominees for members of its boards of directors. FHFA also uses the 
information to establish a baseline to analyze future trends related to 
the diversity of the boards of directors of the Banks and the Office of 
Finance and to assess the effectiveness of the strategies developed by 
the Banks and the Office of Finance for promoting, developing, and 
retaining diverse board talent.

B. Burden Estimate

    FHFA estimates the total annual hour burden imposed upon 
respondents by this information collection to be 20 hours. This is 
based on estimates that 200 Bank and Office of Finance Directors will 
respond annually, with each response taking an average of 0.1 hours (6 
minutes) (200 respondents x 0.1 hours = 20 hours).

C. Comments Request

    FHFA requests written comments on the following: (1) Whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
FHFA functions, including whether the information has practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of FHFA's estimates of the burdens of the 
collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information collected; and (4) ways to minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on respondents, including 
through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

    Dated: May 10, 2018.
Kevin Winkler,
Chief Information Officer, Federal Housing Finance Agency.
[FR Doc. 2018-10431 Filed 5-15-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8070-01-P

22684 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 95 / Wednesday, May 16, 2018 / Notices

response. As described above, 30 of information is necessary for the 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC
percent of the burden hours are then proper performance of FHFA functions, 20219, ATTENTION: Proposed
assigned to each of the FDIC, OCC, and including whether the information has Collection; Comment Request:
Board, while 10 percent are assigned to practical utility; (2) the accuracy of ‘‘Minority and Women Inclusion, (No.
FHFA. FHFA’s estimates of the burdens of the 2018–N–06)’’.
The frequency of response is collection of information; (3) ways to We will post all public comments we
estimated as the number of states that enhance the quality, utility, and clarity receive without change, including any
do not have an AMC registration of the information collected; and (4) personal information you provide, such
program in which the average AMC ways to minimize the burden of the as your name and address, email
operates.18 As discussed above, 5 states collection of information on address, and telephone number, on the
do not have AMC registration or respondents, including through the use FHFA website at http://www.fhfa.gov. In
oversight programs. According to the of automated collection techniques or addition, copies of all comments
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau other forms of information technology. received will be available for
(CFPB), the average AMC operates in Dated: May 10, 2018. examination by the public on business
19.56 states.19 Therefore, the average days between the hours of 10 a.m. and
Kevin Winkler,
AMC operates in approximately 2 states 3 p.m., at the Federal Housing Finance
Chief Information Officer, Federal Housing
that do not have AMC registration Agency, Eighth Floor, 400 Seventh
Finance Agency.
systems: (5 States/55 states) × 19.56 Street SW, Washington, DC 20219. To
[FR Doc. 2018–10430 Filed 5–15–18; 8:45 am]
states = 1.778 states, rounded to 2 states. make an appointment to inspect
BILLING CODE 8070–01–P
The burden estimate of one hour per comments, please call the Office of
response is unchanged from the General Counsel at (202) 649–3804.
estimate provided for the currently- FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE
approved ICR. Therefore, the total Sylvia Martinez, Principal Policy
AGENCY
estimated hour burden is: 200 AMCs × Analyst, Office of Minority and Women
2 states × 1 hour = 400 hours. The [No. 2018–N–06] Inclusion, by email at Sylvia.Martinez@
estimated burden hours attributable to fhfa.gov or by telephone at (202) 649–
FHFA are 400 hours × 10 percent = 40 Proposed Collection; Comment
3301; or Eric Raudenbush, Associate
hours. Request
General Counsel, Eric.Raudenbush@
4. AMC Recordkeeping Requirements AGENCY: Federal Housing Finance fhfa.gov, (202) 649–3084 (these are not
(IC #4) Agency. toll-free numbers); Federal Housing
ACTION: 60-day notice of submission of Finance Agency, 400 Seventh Street
The burden for recordkeeping by SW, Washington, DC 20219. The
AMCs of written notices of appraiser information collection for approval from
Office of Management and Budget. Telecommunications Device for the
removal from a network or panel is Hearing Impaired is (800) 877–8339.
estimated to be equal to the number of SUMMARY: In accordance with the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
appraisers who leave the profession per requirements of the Paperwork
year multiplied by the estimated Federal Housing Finance Agency
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the (FHFA) is seeking comments on its
percentage of appraisers who work for Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA
AMCs, then multiplied by burden hours collection of information regarding the
or the Agency) is seeking public minority and gender classification of
per notice. As described above, 30 comments concerning an information
percent of the burden hours are then individuals serving on the boards of
collection known as ‘‘Minority and directors of the Federal Home Loan
assigned to each of the FDIC, OCC, and Women Inclusion,’’ which has been
Board, while 10 percent are assigned to Bank (Banks) and of the Office of
assigned control number 2590–0014 by Finance under FHFA’s regulations on
FHFA. the Office of Management and Budget
The number of appraisers who leave Minority and Women Inclusion (MWI),
(OMB). FHFA intends to submit the codified at 12 CFR part 1223, which it
an AMC annually, either by resigning, information collection to OMB for
being laid off, or having their licenses will soon be submitting for renewal of
review and approval of a three-year the OMB control number under the
revoked or surrendered, is estimated to extension of the control number, which
be 9,881. The burden estimate of 0.08 PRA.
is due to expire on July 31, 2018.
hours per notice is unchanged from the A. Need for and Use of the Information
DATES: Interested persons may submit
estimate provided for the currently- Collection
comments on or before July 16, 2018.
approved ICR. Therefore, the estimated
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to FHFA, The Federal Home Loan Bank System
total hour burden is: 9,881 notices ×
identified by ‘‘Proposed Collection; consists of eleven regional Banks and
0.08 hours = 790 hours (rounded to the
Comment Request: ‘Minority and the Office of Finance, which issues and
nearest whole number). The estimated
Women Inclusion, (No. 2018–N–06)’ ’’ services the Banks’ debt securities. The
burden hours attributable to FHFA are
by any of the following methods: Banks are wholesale financial
790 hours × 10 percent = 79 hours.
• Agency website: www.fhfa.gov/ institutions, organized under authority
C. Comments Request open-for-comment-or-input. of the Federal Home Loan Bank Act
FHFA requests written comments on • Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// (Bank Act) to serve the public interest
the following: (1) Whether the collection www.regulations.gov. Follow the by enhancing the availability of
residential housing finance and
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES

instructions for submitting comments. If
18 The number of states includes all U.S. states, you submit your comment to the community lending credit through their
territories, and districts to include: The Federal eRulemaking Portal, please also member institutions and, to a limited
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; send it by email to FHFA at extent, through certain eligible non-
the District of Columbia; Guam; Puerto Rico; and member entities. Each Bank is
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
RegComments@fhfa.gov to ensure
19 The CFPB conducted a survey of 9 AMCs in timely receipt by the agency. structured as a regional cooperative that
2013 regarding the provisions in the regulation and • Mail/Hand Delivery: Federal is owned and controlled by member
the related PRA burden. Housing Finance Agency, Eighth Floor, financial institutions located within its

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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 95 / Wednesday, May 16, 2018 / Notices 22685

district, which are also its primary nominees for positions on boards of Office of Finance is required to
customers. The Bank Act vests the directors and engage in recruiting and implement to promote diversity in all of
management of each Bank in a board of outreach directed at encouraging its business and activities ‘‘at all levels’’
directors that consists of two types of individuals who are minorities, women and, specifically, to encourage diversity
directors: (1) Member directors, who are and individuals with disabilities to seek in the nomination and solicitation of
drawn from the officers and directors of or apply for employment with the nominees for members of its boards of
member institutions located in the regulated entity.’’ 6 directors. FHFA also uses the
Bank’s district and who are elected to In conformity with the statutory information to establish a baseline to
represent members in a particular state requirements, FHFA’s MWI regulations analyze future trends related to the
in that district; and (2) independent require that each Bank and the Office of diversity of the boards of directors of the
directors, who are unaffiliated with any Finance submit to FHFA an annual Banks and the Office of Finance and to
of the Bank’s member institutions, but report describing, among other things, assess the effectiveness of the strategies
who reside in the Bank’s district and are its efforts to promote diversity at all developed by the Banks and the Office
elected on an at-large basis.1 The Office levels of management and employment, of Finance for promoting, developing,
of Finance is also governed by a board and the results of those efforts.7 In order and retaining diverse board talent.
of directors, which consists of the to provide a quantitative basis upon B. Burden Estimate
presidents of the eleven Banks and five which to assess the results of those
independent directors.2 efforts, FHFA’s regulations require that FHFA estimates the total annual hour
Section 1319A of the Federal Housing each Bank and the Office of Finance set burden imposed upon respondents by
Enterprises Financial Safety and forth in in their respective annual this information collection to be 20
Soundness Act of 1992 (Safety and reports the demographic data reported hours. This is based on estimates that
Soundness Act) requires that each of the on the EEO–1 form, which they are 200 Bank and Office of Finance
Banks establish an Office of Minority required to file annually with the Equal Directors will respond annually, with
and Women Inclusion (OMWI) to be Employment Opportunity Commission each response taking an average of 0.1
responsible for all matters relating to (EEOC).8 The EEO–1 form requires that hours (6 minutes) (200 respondents ×
diversity in its management, each respondent provide race, ethnicity 0.1 hours = 20 hours).
employment, and business activities, in and gender information for its C. Comments Request
accordance with requirements employees, broken down into various
established by FHFA.3 Section 1319A FHFA requests written comments on
job categories. Because the EEO–1 form the following: (1) Whether the collection
also requires that each Bank implement does not require that a respondent
standards and procedures to ensure, to of information is necessary for the
provide information on board directors, proper performance of FHFA functions,
the maximum extent possible, the FHFA cannot use the EEO–1 data to
inclusion and utilization of women and including whether the information has
assess the effectiveness of the Bank practical utility; (2) the accuracy of
minorities ‘‘at all levels’’ of its business System’s efforts to ‘‘encourage the
and activities, and submit an annual FHFA’s estimates of the burdens of the
consideration of diversity in nominating collection of information; (3) ways to
report to FHFA detailing actions taken or soliciting nominees for positions on
to achieve those goals.4 enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
boards of directors.’’ of the information collected; and (4)
FHFA’s MWI regulations implement Therefore, in order to enable FHFA to
those statutory requirements and also ways to minimize the burden of the
assess those efforts, the MWI regulations collection of information on
extend the requirements to the Office of separately require that the annual
Finance. The regulations require respondents, including through the use
reports set forth ‘‘[d]ata showing for the of automated collection techniques or
generally that each Bank and the Office reporting year by minority and gender
of Finance ‘‘develop, implement, and other forms of information technology.
classification, the number of individuals
maintain policies and procedures to on the board of directors of each Bank Dated: May 10, 2018.
ensure, to the maximum extent possible and the Office of Finance,’’ using the Kevin Winkler,
in balance with financially safe and same racial and ethnic classifications Chief Information Officer, Federal Housing
sound business practices, the inclusion that are used on the EEO–1 form (which Finance Agency.
and utilization of minorities, women, comply with OMB’s ‘‘Statistical Policy [FR Doc. 2018–10431 Filed 5–15–18; 8:45 am]
individuals with disabilities, and Directive No. 15, Race and Ethnic BILLING CODE 8070–01–P
minority-, women-, and disabled-owned Standards for Federal Statistics and
businesses in all business and activities Administrative Reporting’’).9 The
and at all levels of the regulated entity, regulation requires that each Bank and FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
including in management, employment, the Office of Finance collect that data
procurement, insurance, and all types of ‘‘through an information collection Agency Information Collection
contracts.’’ 5 In recognition of the fact requesting each director’s voluntary Activities; Announcement of Board
that each Bank is required by statute to self-identification of his or her minority Approval Under Delegated Authority
promote diversity and inclusion ‘‘at all and gender classification without and Submission to OMB
levels’’ of its business and activities, the personally identifiable information.’’
MWI regulations further require that the AGENCY: Board of Governors of the
FHFA uses the information collected Federal Reserve System.
Banks’ policies and procedures (as well under this control number to assess the SUMMARY: The Board of Governors of the
as those of the Office of Finance) effectiveness of the policies and Federal Reserve System (Board) is
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES

‘‘[e]ncourage the consideration of procedures that each Bank and the
diversity in nominating or soliciting adopting a proposal to extend for three
years, with revision, the Registration
6 See 12 CFR 1223.21(b)(7).
1 See 12 U.S.C. 1427(a)(1), (b), (d). 7 See
Statement for Persons Who Extend
12 CFR 1223.22(a).
2 See 12 CFR 1273.7(a). 8 See 12 CFR 1223.23(b)(1). As required by 29
Credit Secured by Margin Stock (Other
3 See 12 U.S.C. 4520(a).
CFR 1602.7, each Bank and the Office of Finance Than Banks, Brokers, or Dealers) (FR G–
4 See 12 U.S.C. 4520(b), (d). annually files an EEO–1 form with the EEOC. 1), the Deregistration Statement for
5 See 12 CFR 1223.21(b). 9 See 12 CFR 1223.23(b)(10)(i). Persons Registered Pursuant to

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Document Created: 2018-11-02 09:13:12
Document Modified: 2018-11-02 09:13:12

Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
Action		60-day notice of submission of information collection for approval from Office of Management and Budget.
Dates		Interested persons may submit comments on or before July 16, 2018.
Contact		Sylvia Martinez, Principal Policy Analyst, Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (202) 649-3301; or Eric Raudenbush, Associate General Counsel, [email protected], (202) 649-3084 (these are not toll-free numbers); Federal Housing Finance Agency, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20219. The Telecommunications Device for the Hearing Impaired is (800) 877-8339.
FR Citation		83 FR 22684