[Federal Register: September 20, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 181)]
[Notices]               
[Page 50793-50794]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20se99-30]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service

 
Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Proposed collection; comments requested.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Rural Housing Service's (RHS) intention to request 
an extension for a currently approved information collection in support 
of the Section 502 Direct and the Section 504 Rural Housing Loans and 
Grants Programs.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by November 19, 1999 to 
be assured of consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gloria L. Denson, Loan Specialist, 
Single Family Housing Direct Loan Division, RHS, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, STOP 0783, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 
20250-0783, Telephone 202-720-1474. (This is not a toll free number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 50794]]

    Title: RD Form 410-8, ``Applicant Reference Letter''.
    OMB Number: 0575-0091.
    Expiration Date of Approval: December 31, 1999.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: The rural housing loan program under Section 502 of title 
V of the Housing Act of 1949, as amended, provides eligible persons who 
live in rural areas with an opportunity to own adequate but modest, 
decent, safe, and sanitary dwellings and related facilities. Also, the 
Section 504 loan/grant programs assist eligible very low-income owner/
occupants to repair or rehabilitate single family homes in rural areas. 
Applicants are required to furnish information concerning their credit 
history to RHS when they apply for assistance. In both programs, RD 
Form 410-8 is used to obtain information about an applicant's credit 
history that might not appear on a credit report. It is used to 
document an ability to handle credit effectively for applicants who 
have not used sources of credit that appear on a credit report. It also 
provides a mechanism for following up on repayment history for debts 
reported by the applicant on the application that do not appear on the 
credit report. This information is used by the Loan Originator serving 
the area in which the applicant or borrower will live to determine 
whether the applicant's credit history meets the Agency criteria. In 
addition to supplementing or verifying other debts when a credit report 
is limited and unavailable to determine the applicant's eligibility and 
credit worthiness, the RD Form 410-8 is used because credit reports are 
not always used when an applicant/borrower lives in a remote area; 
therefore, the form is widely used by the Agency to obtain credit 
information.
    RHS must, by law, make available to the applicant, upon request, 
the source of information used to make an adverse decision. Individual 
references may be solicited with the clear understanding that if the 
information is used to deny credit, the information will be made 
available to the applicant upon request. If this information was not 
collected, RHS would be unable to evaluate an applicant's credit 
history.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 20 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 28,523.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 3.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 28,238 hours.
    Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Brenda 
Frost, Regulations and Paperwork Management Branch, at (202) 692-0037.

Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
RHS, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) 
the accuracy of RHS's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection 
of information including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity 
of the information to be collected and (d) ways to minimize the burden 
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology. Comments may be sent to Brenda Frost, Regulation and 
Paperwork Management Branch, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Stop 0742, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 
20250-0742. All responses to this notice will be summarized and 
included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become 
a matter of public record.

    Dated: September 2, 1999.
Alan Stephens,
Acting Administrator Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 99-24320 Filed 9-17-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P