Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Federal Housing Finance Agency.

ACTION:

Federal Home Loan Bank Director—60-day notice of submission of information collection for approval from Office of Management and Budget.

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 “Federal Home Loan Bank Directors,” which has been assigned control number 2590-0006 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, 2024.

DATES:

Interested persons may submit comments on or before August 6, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Submit comments to FHFA, identified by “Proposed Collection; Comment Request: `Federal Home Loan Bank Directors, (No. 2024-N-6)' ” 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 RegComments@fhfa.gov to ensure timely receipt by the agency.
• Mail/Hand Delivery: Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fourth Floor, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20219, ATTENTION: Proposed Collection; Comment Request: “Federal Home Loan Bank Directors, (No. 2024-N-6).” Please note that all mail sent to FHFA via U.S. Mail is routed through a national irradiation facility, a process that may delay delivery by approximately two weeks. For any time-sensitive correspondence, please plan accordingly.

FHFA will post all public comments on the FHFA public website at http://www.fhfa.gov, except as described below. Commenters should submit only information that the commenter wishes to make available publicly. FHFA may post only a single representative example of identical or substantially identical comments, and in such cases will generally identify the number of identical or substantially identical comments represented by the posted example. FHFA may, in its discretion, redact or refrain from posting all or any portion of any comment that contains content that is obscene, vulgar, profane, or threatens harm. All comments, including those that are redacted or not posted, will be retained in their original form in FHFA's internal file and considered as required by all applicable laws. Commenters that would like FHFA to consider any portion of their comment exempt from disclosure on the basis that it contains trade secrets, or financial, confidential or proprietary data or information, should follow the procedures in section IV.D. of FHFA's Policy on Communications with Outside Parties in Connection with FHFA Rulemakings, see https://www.fhfa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Ex-Parte-Communications-Public-Policy_3-5-19.pdf. FHFA cannot guarantee that such data or information, or the identity of the commenter, will remain confidential if disclosure is sought pursuant to an applicable statute or regulation. See 12 CFR 1202.8, 12 CFR 1214.2. and https://www.fhfa.gov/about/foia-reference-guide for additional information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kenya Bryant, Financial Analyst, Kenya.Bryant@fhfa.gov, (202) 649-3938; or Angela Supervielle, Senior Counsel, Angela.Supervielle@fhfa.gov, (202) 649-3973 (these are not toll-free numbers); Federal Housing Finance Agency, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20219. For TTY/TRS users with hearing and speech disabilities, dial 711 and ask to be connected to any of the contact numbers above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Need for and Use of the Information Collection

Section 7 of the Federal Home Loan Bank Act (Bank Act) vests the management of each Federal Home Loan Bank (Bank) in its board of directors. As required by section 7, each Bank's board comprises 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. Both types of directors serve four-year terms, which are staggered so that approximately one-quarter of a Bank's total directorships are up for election every year. Section 7 and FHFA's implementing regulation, codified at 12 CFR part 1261, establish the eligibility requirements for both types of Bank directors and the professional qualifications for independent directors, and set forth the procedures for their election.

Part 1261 of the regulations requires that each Bank administer its own annual director election process. As part of this process, a Bank must require each nominee for both types of directorship, including any incumbent that may be a candidate for re-election, to complete and return to the Bank a form that solicits information about the candidate's statutory eligibility to serve and, in the case of independent director candidates, about his or her professional qualifications for the directorship being sought. Specifically, member director candidates are required to complete the Federal Home Loan Bank Member Director Eligibility Certification Form (Member Director Eligibility Certification Form), while independent director candidates must complete the Federal Home Loan Bank Independent Director Application Form (Independent Director Application Form). Each Bank must also require all of its incumbent directors to certify annually that they continue to meet all eligibility requirements. Member directors do this by completing the Member Director Eligibility Certification Form again every year, while independent directors complete the abbreviated Federal Home Loan Bank Independent Director Annual Certification Form (Independent Director Annual Certification Form) to certify their ongoing eligibility.

The Banks use the information collection contained in the Independent Director Application Form and part 1261 to determine whether individuals who wish to stand for election or re-election as independent directors satisfy the statutory eligibility requirements and possess the professional qualifications required under the statute and regulations. Only individuals meeting those requirements and qualifications may serve as an independent director. On an annual basis, the Banks use the information collection contained in the Independent Director Annual Certification Form and part 1261 to determine whether its incumbent independent directors continue to meet the statutory eligibility requirements. The Banks use the information collection contained in the Member Director Eligibility Certification Form and part 1261 to determine whether individuals who wish to stand for election or re-election as member directors satisfy the statutory eligibility requirements. Only individuals meeting these requirements may serve as a member director. On an annual basis, the Banks also use the information collection contained in the Member Director Eligibility Certification Form and part 1261 to determine whether its incumbent member directors continue to meet the statutory eligibility requirements.

The OMB control number for this information collection is 2590-0006. The current clearance for the information collection will expire on July 31, 2024. The likely respondents are individuals who are prospective and incumbent Bank directors.

B. Burden Estimate

FHFA estimates the total annual hour burden imposed upon respondents by the three Bank director forms comprising this information collection to be 269 hours (39 hours + 200 hours + 30 hours = 269 hours, as detailed below).

The Agency estimates the total annual hour burden on all member director candidates and incumbent member directors associated with review and completion of the Member Director Eligibility Certification Form to be 39 hours. This includes a total annual average of 72 member director nominees (24 open seats per year with three nominees for each) completing the form as an application, with 1 response per nominee taking an average of 15 minutes (.25 hours) (72 respondents × .25 hours = 18 hours). It also includes a total annual average of 84 incumbent member directors not up for election completing the form as an annual certification, with 1 response per individual taking an average of 15 minutes (.25 hours) (84 individuals × .25 hours = 21 hours).

The Agency estimates the total annual hour burden on all independent director candidates associated with review and completion of the Independent Director Application Form to be 200 hours. This includes a total annual average of 100 applications for independent director positions with 1 response per individual taking an average of 2.0 hours (100 applications × 2.0 hours = 200 hours).

The Agency estimates the total annual hour burden on all incumbent independent directors associated with review and completion of the Independent Director Annual Certification Form to be 30 hours. This includes a total annual average of 60 incumbent independent directors not up for election, with 1 response per individual taking an average of 30 minutes (.5 hours) (60 individuals × .5 hours = 30 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.