Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Suspicious Activity Report by Casinos and Card Clubs

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Suspicious Activity Report by Casinos and Card Clubs

AGENCY: Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), Treasury.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY: FinCEN invites comment on a renewal without change of an information collection contained in the form, “Suspicious Activity Report by

Casinos and Card Clubs (SAR-C).” The form will be used by casinos and card clubs to report suspicious activity to the Department of the Treasury. This request for comments covers 31 CFR 103.21. This request for comments is being made pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

DATES: Written comments are welcome and must be received on or before May 15, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Regulatory Policy and Programs Division, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Department of the Treasury, P.O. Box 39, Vienna, Virginia 22183, Attention: PRA Comments—SAR-Casinos and Card Clubs Form. Comments also may be submitted by electronic mail to the following Internet address: regcomments@fincen.gov, again with a caption, in the body of the text, “Attention: PRA Comments—SAR-Casinos and Card Clubs Form.”

Inspection of comments. Comments may be inspected, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., in the FinCEN reading room in Vienna, VA. Persons wishing to inspect the comments submitted must request an appointment with the Disclosure Officer by telephoning (703) 905-5034 (Not a toll free call).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The FinCEN Regulatory Helpline at 800-949-2732, select option 4.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Suspicious Activity Report by Casinos and Card Clubs.

OMB Number: 1506-0006.

Form Number: FinCEN Form 102.

Abstract: The statute generally referred to as the “Bank Secrecy Act,” Titles I and II of Public Law 91-508, as amended, codified at 12 U.S.C. 1829b, 12 U.S.C. 1951-1959, and 31 U.S.C. 5311-5331, authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, inter alia, to require financial institutions to keep records and file reports that are determined to have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax, and regulatory matters, or in the conduct of intelligence or counter-intelligence activities, to protect against international terrorism, and to implement counter-money laundering programs and compliance procedures.[1] Regulations implementing Title II of the Bank Secrecy Act appear at 31 CFR Part 103. The authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to administer the Bank Secrecy Act has been delegated to the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The Secretary of the Treasury was granted authority in 1992, with the enactment of 31 U.S.C. 5318(g), to require financial institutions to report suspicious transactions.

[1] Language expanding the scope of the Bank Secrecy Act to intelligence or counter-intelligence activities to protect against international terrorism was added by section 358 of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001 (the “USA Patriot Act”), Public Law 107-56.

The information collected on this form is required to be provided pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 5318(g) and 31 CFR 103.21. This information will be made available, in accordance with strict safeguards, to appropriate criminal law enforcement and regulatory personnel for use in official performance of their duties, for regulatory purposes and in investigations and proceedings involving domestic and international money laundering, tax violations, fraud, and other financial crimes.

Reports filed by casinos required to report suspicious transactions under 31 CFR 103.21, and any reports filed voluntarily by casinos or card clubs will be subject to the protection from liability contained in 31 U.S.C. 5318(g)(3) and the provision contained in 31 U.S.C. 5318(g)(2) which prohibits notification of any person involved in the transaction that a suspicious activity report has been filed. The current SAR-C may be reviewed at http://www.fincen.gov/forms/files/fin102_sar-c.pdf.

Type of Review: Renewal without change of a currently approved information collection.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit institutions.

Frequency: As required.

Estimated Reporting Burden: The reporting average for the form is 60 minutes per response and the recordkeeping average is 2 hours per response for a total of 3 hours. This burden relates to the completion of the form and the recordkeeping burden of 31 CFR 103.21.

Estimated Number of Respondents = 925.

Estimated Total Annual Responses = 11,200.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden: 33,600 hours.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection of information displays a valid OMB control number. Records required to be retained under the Bank Secrecy Act must be retained for five years.

Request for Comments

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected: (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; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance and purchase of services to provide information.

Dated: March 9, 2009. James H. Freis, Jr., Director, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

[FR Doc. E9-5533 Filed 3-13-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4810-02-P