The Bureau of Consumer Financial
Protection (“CFPB” or “Bureau”) is proposing to establish an
Advisory Opinion (AO) program. AOs issued under the proposed
program would be interpretive rules under the Administrative
Procedure Act (APA) that respond to a specific need for clarity on
an interpretive question regarding a CFPB-administered regulation
or statute. The Federal Register notice inviting public comment on
the proposed program lays out the process for submitting a request
by an AO. Under the program, parties would be able to request
interpretive guidance, in the form of an AO, to resolve regulatory
uncertainty. The Bureau would have discretion to decide to which
AOs to respond. The Bureau intends to publish AOs as well as a
description of the incoming request. The requests for an AO, and
thus the information collection, may be submitted by persons,
primarily business or other for-profit entities. The information
collected will be used by the Bureau to determine whether to pursue
the issuance of an AO responsive to the request.
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.