[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 141 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44348-44349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15795]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Upon Written Request Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, Washington, DC 
20549

    Extension: Investor Form SEC File No. 270-485, OMB Control No. 
3235-0547

    Notice is hereby given pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) that the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (``Commission'') is soliciting comments on the collection of 
information summarized below. The Commission plans to submit this 
existing collection of information to the Office of Management and 
Budget (``OMB'') for extension and approval.
    Each year the Commission receives several thousand contacts from 
investors who have complaints or questions on a wide range of 
investment-related issues. To make it easier for the public to contact 
the agency electronically, the Commission's Office of Investor 
Education and Advocacy (``OIEA'') created an electronic form (the 
Investor Form) that provides drop down options to choose from in order 
to categorize the investor's complaint or question, and may also 
provide the investor with automated information about their issue. The 
Investor Form asks investors to provide information concerning, among 
other things, their names, how they can be reached, the names of the 
individuals or entities involved, the nature of their complaint or tip, 
what documents they can provide, and what, if any, actions they have 
taken. Use of the Investor Form is voluntary. Absent the forms, the 
public still has several ways to contact the agency, including 
telephone, facsimile, letters, and email. Investors can access the 
Investor Form through the consolidated Investor Complaint and Question 
web page.
    OIEA receives approximately 20,000 contacts each year through the 
Investor Form. Investors who choose not to use the Investor Form 
receive the same level of service as those who do. The dual purpose of 
the form is to make it easier for the public to contact the agency with 
complaints, questions, tips, or other feedback and to further 
streamline the workflow of Commission staff that record, process, and 
respond to investor contacts.
    The Commission uses the information that investors supply on the 
Investor Form to review and process the contact (which may, in turn, 
involve responding to questions, processing complaints, or, as 
appropriate, initiating enforcement investigations), to maintain a 
record of contacts, to track the volume of investor complaints, and to 
analyze trends. Use of the Investor Form is voluntary. The Investor 
Form asks investors to provide information concerning, among other 
things, their names, how they can be reached, the names of the 
individuals or entities involved, the nature of their complaint or tip, 
what documents they can provide, and what, if any, actions they have 
taken.
    The staff of the Commission estimates that the total reporting 
burden for using the Investor Form is 5,000 hours. The calculation of 
this estimate depends on the number of investors who use the forms each 
year and the estimated time it takes to complete the forms: 20,000 
respondents x 15 minutes = 5,000 burden hours.
    The Commission may not conduct or sponsor a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No 
person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a 
collection of information subject to the PRA that does not display a 
valid OMB control number.
    Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the collection of

[[Page 44349]]

information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information collected; and (d) 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. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions 
submitted in writing within 60 days of this publication.
    Please direct your written comments to David Bottom, Chief 
Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Cynthia 
Roscoe, 100 F St. NE, Washington DC, 20549; or send an email to: 
PRA_Mailbox@sec.gov.

    Dated: July 16, 2020.
J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-15795 Filed 7-21-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


