The Fund implements the Bank
Enterprise Award (BEA) Program that provides incentives to insured
depository institutions to increase their support of CDFIs and
their activities in economically distressed communities. Beginning
in the FY 2009 funding round, the CDFI Fund will require that BEA
awards be used for future CDFI support and community development
activities as defined under the BEA Program regulations. An
applicant receiving an award over $50,000 will be subject to new
compliance and reporting requirements as part of the terms and
conditions of the BEA Program Award Agreement.
The Community
Development Financial Institutions Fund (the Fund) is requesting
emergency Paperwork Reduction Act clearance of two forms pertaining
to the reporting under the BEA Program: 1) the FY 2009 BEA Program
Uses of BEA Program Award Report; and, 2) BEA Program Explanation
of Noncompliance. The Fund implements the Bank Enterprise Award
(BEA) Program that provides incentives to insured depository
institutions to increase their support of Community Development
Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and their activities in economically
distressed communities. Applicants submit an application and are
evaluated in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements
(12 CFR 1806). Beginning in the FY 2009 funding round, the CDFI
Fund will require that BEA awards be used for future CDFI support
and community development activities, as defined under the BEA
Program regulations. The FY 2009 BEA Program updated all materials
regulations, Notice of Funds Availability and application with
language indicating that an applicant receiving an award over
$50,000 will be subject to new compliance and reporting
requirements as part of the terms and conditions of the BEA Program
Award Agreement. Awardees will be required to report to the Fund
how the award was deployed by completing and electronically
submitting: 1) a Uses of BEA Program Award Report; and, 2) in the
event of noncompliance, a BEA Program Explanation of Noncompliance
form. The clearance package includes a draft of the Uses of BEA
Program Award Report and BEA Program Explanation of Noncompliance.
Comments on the reporting requirement of this Program were
solicited in the Federal Register on June 4, 2008; eight comments
were received. There were no significant comments on the burden of
submitting such materials. The forms will be cleared internally
with the 2009 Award Agreement. Based on prior funding rounds, the
Fund anticipates that approximately two-thirds of awardees will be
required to submit the Uses of BEA Program Award Report and BEA
Program Explanation of Noncompliance form. The total hour burden of
this information collection is estimated at 1 hour per awardee.
Given the low burden of collection and prior request of public
comments, the Fund would not expect a full PRA process to yield any
revisions to the existing materials. In addition, the BEA Program
will undergo additional changes in the FY 2010, which will require
revisions to the Program materials including the Uses of BEA
Program Award Report and BEA Program Explanation of Noncompliance.
The Fund is preparing to submit those proposed changes for public
comments and full PRA processing at that time. For these reasons,
and so not to hold up the award agreement for the 2009 awardees
(made in July), the CDFI Fund is seeking an emergency clearance
process for these two forms.
The FY 2009 BEA Program updated
all materials - regulations, Notice of Funds Availability and
application - with language indicating that an applicant receiving
an award over $50,000 will be subject to new compliance and
reporting requirements as part of the terms and conditions of the
BEA Program Award Agreement.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.