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Federal Reserve Bank
of Dallas

l l★K

DALLAS, TEXAS
75265-5906

August 10, 2000

Notice 2000-50
TO: The Chief Executive Officer of each

financial institution and others concerned
in the Eleventh Federal Reserve District

SUBJECT
Request for Public Comment
on a Proposed Rule that Allows a Financial Holding Company to
Act as a “Finder” to Bring Together Buyers and Sellers
DETAILS
The Board of Governors, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, has
proposed to determine by rule that acting as a finder is an activity that is financial in nature or
incidental to a financial activity and, therefore, permissible for financial holding companies.
The proposed rule
•

Would authorize financial holding companies to act as a “finder,” which is an
activity defined as bringing together buyers and sellers of products or services for
transactions that the buyers and sellers themselves negotiate and consummate;

•

Would amend Subpart I of Regulation Y to add finder activities to the list of
permissible activities for financial holding companies;

•

Provides examples of services that financial holding companies may perform as a
finder and examples of actions that are outside the scope of permissible finder
activities; and

•

Would require financial holding companies that act as a finder to distinguish the
products and services offered by third parties through the company’s finder
service from any products or services offered by the financial holding company or
its subsidiaries.

For additional copies, bankers and others are encouraged to use one of the following toll-free numbers in contacting the Federal
Reserve Bank of Dallas: Dallas Office (800) 333-4460; El Paso Branch Intrastate (800) 592-1631, Interstate (800) 351-1012;
Houston Branch Intrastate (800) 392-4162, Interstate (800) 221-0363; San Antonio Branch Intrastate (800) 292-5810.

-2The Board solicits comments on all aspects of the proposed rule and will amend the
rule as appropriate in response to comments received. The Board must receive comments by
September 5, 2000. Please address comments to Jennifer J. Johnson, Secretary, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC
20551. Also, you may mail comments electronically to regs.comments@federalreserve.gov. All
comments should refer to Docket No. R-1078.
ATTACHMENT
A copy of the Board’s notice as it appears on pages 47696–701, Vol. 65, No. 150 of
the Federal Register dated August 3, 2000, is attached.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information, please contact Rob Jolley, Banking Supervision Department,
at (214) 922-6071. For additional copies of this Bank’s notice, contact the Public Affairs
Department at (214) 922-5254 or access District Notices on our web site at
http://www.dallasfed.org/banking/notices/index.html.

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Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 150 / Thursday, August 3, 2000 / Proposed Rules
FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
12 CFR Part 225
[Regulation Y; Docket No. R–1078]

Bank Holding Companies and Change
in Bank Control
AGENCY: Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System.
ACTION: Proposed rule with request for
public comments.
SUMMARY: The Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System, after
consultation with the Secretary of the
Treasury, proposes to determine by rule
that acting as a finder is an activity that
is financial in nature or incidental to a
financial activity and therefore
permissible for financial holding
companies. The proposed rule would
authorize financial holding companies
to act as a ‘‘finder,’’ which is an activity
defined as bringing together buyers and
sellers of products or services for
transactions that the buyers and sellers
themselves negotiate and consummate.
The proposal would amend Subpart I of
Regulation Y to add finder activities to
the list of activities permissible for
financial holding companies. The
proposed rule provides examples of
services that financial holding
companies may perform as a finder, and
examples of actions that are outside the
scope of permissible finder activities. In
addition, the proposed rule would
require financial holding companies
that act as a finder to distinguish the
products and services offered by third
parties through the company’s finder
service from any products or services
offered by the financial holding
company or its subsidiaries.
The Board solicits comments on all
aspects of the proposed rule and will
amend the rule as appropriate in
response to comments received.
DATES: Comments must be received by
September 5, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to
docket number R–1078 and should be
mailed to Ms. Jennifer J. Johnson,
Secretary, Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20551 or mailed electronically to
regs.comments@federalreserve.gov.
Comments addressed to Ms. Johnson
also may be delivered to the Board’s
mailroom between 8:45 a.m. and 5:15
p.m. and, outside those hours, to the
Board’s security control room. Both the
mailroom and the security control room
are accessible from the Eccles Building
courtyard entrance, located on 20th
Street between Constitution Avenue and

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Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 150 / Thursday, August 3, 2000 / Proposed Rules
C Street, NW. Members of the public
may inspect comments in room MP–500
of the Martin Building between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Scott G. Alvarez, Associate General
Counsel (202/452–3583), Kieran J.
Fallon, Senior Counsel (202/452–5270),
or Adrianne G. Threatt, Attorney (202/
452–3554), Legal Division; Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, 20th Street and Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20551.
For users of Telecommunications
Device for the Deaf (‘‘TDD’’) only,
contact Janice Simms at 202/872–4984.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (Pub. L.
No. 106–102, 113 Stat. 1338 (1999))
(‘‘GLB Act’’) amended the Bank Holding
Company Act (‘‘BHC Act’’) (12 U.S.C.
1841 et seq.) to allow a bank holding
company or foreign bank that qualifies
as a financial holding company to
engage in a broad range of activities that
are defined by the GLB Act to be
financial in nature or incidental to a
financial activity. The GLB Act also
permits financial holding companies to
engage in other activities that the Board
determines, by regulation or order and
in consultation with the Secretary of the
Treasury (‘‘Secretary’’), to be financial
in nature or incidental to a financial
activity.
In considering whether an activity is
financial in nature or incidental to a
financial activity, the GLB Act requires
the Board to consider: (1) The purposes
of the GLB Act and BHC Act; (2) the
changes or reasonably expected changes
in the marketplace in which financial
holding companies compete; (3) the
changes or reasonably expected changes
in technology for delivering financial
services; and (4) whether the proposed
activity is necessary or appropriate to
allow a financial holding company to
compete effectively with companies
seeking to provide financial services in
the United States, efficiently deliver
financial information and services
through technological means, and offer
customers any available or emerging
technological means for using financial
services or for the document imaging of
data. The Board also may consider other
factors and information that it considers
relevant to its determination.
After considering the factors listed
above and other relevant information,
the Board, after consultation with the
Secretary of the Treasury, proposes to
determine by rule that acting as a finder
is an activity that is incidental to a
financial activity. The proposed rule

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would amend § 225.86 of the Board’s
Regulation Y to add a new activity,
which, as explained below is
denominated ‘‘acting as a finder,’’ to the
list of activities permissible for financial
holding companies.1 Bank holding
companies and foreign banks that
qualify as financial holding companies
would be permitted to engage in finder
activities by using the postcommencement notice procedure
described in § 225.87 of Regulation Y.
Bank holding companies and foreign
banks that do not qualify as financial
holding companies may engage only in
those nonbanking activities that were
permissible for bank holding companies
prior to the enactment of the GLB Act
and, thus, could not act as a finder
under the proposed rule.
The Board has consulted with the
Secretary of the Treasury concerning the
proposed rule, and the Secretary
supports the Board’s determination to
seek public comment on the proposed
rule. Under the GLB Act, the Board may
not determine that an activity is
financial in nature or incidental to a
financial activity if the Secretary
notifies the Board in writing that the
Secretary believes the activity is not
financial in nature, incidental to a
financial activity, or otherwise
permissible under section 4 of the BHC
Act. The Secretary must notify the
Board of the Secretary’s determination
within 30 days of receiving notice from
the Board of a request, proposal or
application for a determination that an
activity is financial in nature or
incidental to a financial activity, or
within such longer period as the Board
may allow under the circumstances.
Proposed Rule
Definition of a Finder
The Board proposes to allow financial
holding companies to act as an
intermediary in bringing together buyers
and sellers for transactions that the
buyers and sellers themselves negotiate
and consummate. This activity is
referred to as ‘‘acting as a finder.’’
Although the exact services provided by
a finder in a particular transaction may
vary, a finder essentially performs two
functions. First, a finder locates and
matches third parties that are interested
in engaging in a business transaction
1 Subpart

I of the Board’s Regulation Y includes
the criteria that a bank holding company or foreign
bank must meet to become a financial holding
company, a list of the activities permissible for
financial holding companies, and the procedures
for persons to request a determination that an
activity is financial in nature or incidental or
complementary to a financial activity. See 65 FR
3785 (Jan. 25, 2000); 65 FR 14433 (March 17, 2000);
65 FR 15053 (March 21, 2000).

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47697

between themselves. For example, a
finder may locate buyers for a
company’s products or services, or
locate sellers of a particular product or
service for a consumer. Similarly, a
finder may assist a company locate third
parties interested in engaging in other
types of business arrangements, such as
a merger, acquisition, or joint venture.
Once a finder locates a potential buyer,
seller, or business partner, the finder
may arrange a meeting between the
parties or refer one party to the other so
that they may negotiate and complete
the transaction.
Second, a finder serves as a conduit
of transaction-related information
between third parties that are interested
in conducting a business transaction.
For example, a finder may provide
potential buyers with information
concerning a seller’s products and
services, or convey information about a
potential buyer’s preferences to a seller.
In addition, a finder may receive bids,
offers, expressions of interests or
purchase orders from one party and
convey them to the other party.
Although a finder may introduce a
buyer and seller and act as a conduit for
the exchange of transaction-related
information between the parties, it is the
parties themselves—and not the
finder—that are responsible for
negotiating, executing and
consummating the transaction. A finder
lacks the authority to negotiate on
behalf of either party concerning the
transaction or to bind a party to the
terms of the transaction. Accordingly,
the role of a finder is more limited than
that of an agent or broker.2 In addition,
because a finder acts as an intermediary
and not as a principal, a company acting
as a finder also does not have an
ownership interest in the products or
services being offered and sold by third
parties through the company’s finder
services.
Role of Financial Holding Companies
as Finders
The activity of acting as a finder has
taken on increased significance as
technological developments in
communications, computing, and the
Internet have spurred innovations in the
way buyers and sellers of products and
services, including financial products
2 An agent generally has the power to enter into
or alter business or legal relationships on behalf of
another person (the principal). 3 Am. Jur. 2d
Agency § 2 (1986). A broker is defined generally as
an agent that carries on negotiations on behalf of its
principal with the purpose of bringing the parties
together on the terms established by the principal.
12 Am. Jur. 2d Brokers § 1 (1997). A finder, on the
other hand, finds, interests, introduces and brings
parties together for a transaction that they
themselves negotiate, enter into, and consummate.

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Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 150 / Thursday, August 3, 2000 / Proposed Rules

and services, come together. These
technological developments have
encouraged the development of
intermediaries who are able
electronically to find and connect
buyers and sellers in transactions that
are negotiated and consummated by the
buyers and sellers themselves.
While technological developments
have made the intermediary function
more common and important, the
demands of buyers and sellers
simultaneously have encouraged the
combination of previously uncombined
products and services as a means of
attracting buyers through the added
convenience of one-stop shopping
tailored to the needs of specific
consumers. Thus, finders increasingly
are attempting to attract buyers by
combining access to sellers of
commercial or consumer products as
well as providers of financial products,
such as investment products and advice,
loans, and various payment services.
Banking organizations, including
banks and bank holding companies,
have long facilitated the connection of
buyers and sellers of nonfinancial
products and services to a limited
degree through the placement of
commercial advertisements in customer
mailings and through referrals that arise
in connection with the banking
organization’s role as financial advisor
or intermediary. More recently, the
developments in electronic commerce
over the Internet have allowed banking
organizations to establish electronic
sites that offer financial products and
services in a manner comparable to the
manner in which nonfinancial firms
offer products and services. The
electronic sites often include
connections to and advertisements by
sellers of nonfinancial products and
services that may be of interest to
consumers of financial products and
services. The expertise gained in
conducting these activities is
operationally identical to the expertise
needed to act more broadly as a finder.
The Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency (‘‘OCC’’) also has determined
that acting as a finder is part of or
incidental to the business of banking
and therefore a permissible activity for
national banks.3 The OCC has permitted
national banks to act as a finder for
nonfinancial products and services
within parameters that closely parallel
the limitations discussed below. Many
3 See 12 CFR 7.1002; OCC Interpretive Ltr. No.
875 (Oct. 31, 1999); OCC Interpretive Ltr. No. 856
(March 5, 1999).

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state-chartered banks also are permitted
to act as finders.4
Financial Holding Companies Permitted
To Act as a Finder
The Board’s proposed rule would
authorize financial holding companies
to act as a finder, which is defined as
acting as an intermediary in bringing
together one or more buyers and sellers
of financial or nonfinancial products or
services for transactions that the parties
themselves negotiate and consummate.
Under the proposed rule, a financial
holding company acting as a finder
could provide any or all of the following
services’
(1) Identifying third parties that may
be interested in engaging in a
transaction between themselves;
(2) Making inquiries of third parties as
to their interest in engaging in a
transaction with another party;
(3) Introducing and referring potential
parties to each other;
(4) Arranging contacts and meetings
between interested parties;
(5) Conveying expressions of interests,
bids, offers, orders, and confirmations
relating to a transaction between third
parties; and
(6) Transmitting information
concerning products and services to
potential parties in connection with the
activities described in paragraphs (1)
through (5) above, such as transmitting
to a buyer information concerning the
products and services offered by a seller
or transmitting to a seller the product
preferences of a buyer.
The rule includes specific examples
of services that a financial holding
company could provide as a finder and
the technological means through which
such services could be provided. These
examples are intended to illustrate some
activities that constitute acting as a
finder and do not attempt to define fully
the ways in which a financial holding
company may act as finder. These
examples are included in the rule in
order to remove ambiguity about the
permissibility of certain activities
specifically mentioned by various
financial holding companies in their
requests regarding finder activities.
Accordingly, the rule illustrates that a
financial holding company acting as a
finder may—
4 See Tex. Admin. Code § 11.83(d) (‘‘A state bank,
pursuant to request, may act as a finder in bringing
together a buyer and seller, where the bank’s
activity is limited to the introduction and it takes
no further part in the negotiations.’’). Several states
also have ‘‘wild card’’ statutes that allow their statechartered banks to engage in any activity that is
permissible for national banks, which would
include acting as a finder. See, e.g., 202 Ill. Comp.
Stat. 5/5(11).

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• Host an ‘‘Internet marketplace’’ that
consists of hypertext links to the web
sites of third party buyers and sellers;
• Host on the company’s computer
servers an Internet web site that allows
various buyers and sellers to post
information about the products and
services they are willing to purchase
and sell, locate potential counterparties
for transactions, aggregate their orders
for goods and services with those of
other parties, and negotiate and enter
into transactions between themselves;
• Host on its computer servers the
Internet web site of a merchant that
provides information about the
merchant and its products and services
and allows customers to place orders
with the merchant; and
• Operate a telephone call center that
provides consumers with information
about the services or benefits provided
by a government or government agency
and clerical assistance in completing
applications to receive those services or
benefits.
The Board invites comment on whether
the rule should include additional
examples of how a financial holding
company could act as a finder.
The authority to act as finder does not
restrict the manner in which a financial
holding company may conduct
activities that otherwise are permissible
for a financial holding company to
conduct. For example, financial holding
companies have broad authority to act
as a broker and advisor in the sale of
securities. These activities, permissible
under other provisions of Regulation Y,
may be conducted without regard to the
restrictions that apply to the financial
holding company when it acts as a
finder with regard to nonfinancial
products or services.
Moreover, a financial holding
company may conduct activities that
otherwise are permissible for a financial
holding company in conjunction with
acting as a finder for other products and
services so long as these other
permissible activities are conducted
within any limits applicable to those
activities and the company’s finder
activities are conducted within the
limitations applicable to finder
activities under this proposed rule. For
example, a financial holding company
acting as a finder for a merchant under
the proposed rule also could make,
acquire, broker or service loans or other
extensions of credit to the merchant or
the merchant’s customers; provide the
merchant with check verification, check
guaranty, collection agency and credit
bureau services; provide financial or
investment advice to the merchant or
the merchant’s customers; act as a

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certification authority for digital
signatures and thereby authenticate the
identity of persons conducting business
with the merchant over electronic
networks; and process and transmit
financial, economic, and banking data
on behalf of the merchant, such as by
processing the merchant’s accounts
receivables and debit and credit card
transactions, providing the merchant
with bill payment and billing services,
and processing order, distribution,
accounting, settlement, collection and
payment information for the merchant’s
transactions.5 Furthermore, under the
proposal a financial holding company
may market and provide its own
financial products and services in
conjunction with acting as a finder for
buyers and sellers of nonfinancial
products and services.
The Board expects that financial
holding companies likely would engage
in finder activities through electronic
means, such as over the Internet or other
electronic networks. The proposed rule,
however, would allow a financial
holding company to act as a finder
through any technological means
available.
Parameters Defining Finder Authority
As noted above, a finder’s role is
limited to acting as an intermediary in
bringing third parties together for a
transaction that the parties themselves
negotiate and consummate. Paragraph
(d)(1)(iii) of the proposed rule
incorporates this restriction and
includes several specific parameters
designed to ensure that, when acting as
a finder, a financial holding company
does not exceed the limited role of a
finder or otherwise become involved in
any nonfinancial activity or transaction.
In particular, paragraph (d)(1)(iii)
provides that a financial holding
company acting as a finder may not
bind any buyer or seller to a specific
transaction or the terms of a specific
transaction, or negotiate on behalf of a
buyer or seller concerning a specific
transaction. As noted above, these
activities are outside the limited scope
of a finder’s role.
These restrictions, however, would
not prohibit a financial holding
5 See

12 CFR 225.28(b)(1) (extending credit and
servicing extensions of credit); (b)(2)(iii), (iv) and
(v) (credit bureau, check guaranty, check
verification, collection agency and credit bureau
services); (b)(6) (financial and investment advice);
12 CFR 225.86(a)(2) (certification authority for
digital signatures) and (b)(1) (management
consulting services); and 12 CFR 225.28(b)(14),
Banc One Corporation, Inc., 83 Federal Reserve
Bulletin 602 (1997); Royal Bank of Canada, 83
Federal Reserve Bulletin 135 (1997); Compagnie
Financiere de Paribas, 82 Federal Reserve Bulletin
348 (1996) (financial data processing and data
transmission services).

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company from conveying bids, offers,
and orders between buyers and sellers,
so long as the bids, offers and orders
were negotiated and accepted by the
buyers and sellers and not by the
financial holding company. The
proposed rule also would not prohibit a
financial holding company from
arranging for a seller to offer its goods
or services on preferred terms to buyers
generally or broad categories of buyers,
if the financial holding company did not
negotiate the terms of the arrangement
as part of any individual transaction and
the preferred terms were made available
by the seller (and not the financial
holding company). One of the
permissible functions of a finder is to
make inquiries as to the interest of a
seller in entering into transactions with
buyers, which includes determining the
terms the seller is willing to offer
buyers. Where the finder arranges for a
seller to offer preferred terms to broad
categories of buyers, and such
negotiations are conducted outside the
context of any individual transaction,
the finder would not become involved
in the negotiations between the buyer
and seller concerning a specific
transaction.
Under the proposed rule, a financial
holding company may not take title to,
acquire, or hold an interest in any
product or service. A finder may act
only as an intermediary between a buyer
and seller in the sale of products and
services, and may not have an
ownership or principal interest in the
products or services being offered or
sold. Similarly, a financial holding
company may not, under the auspices of
acting as a finder, own or operate any
real property that is used for the
purpose of manufacturing, storing, or
assembling products offered or sold
through the company’s finder services
or provide distribution services for
physical products or services offered or
sold through the company’s finder
services. The Board requests comment
on whether the rule should specify
other activities that are outside the
scope of finder activities.
Finally, paragraph (d)(1)(iii) clarifies
that the proposed rule does not
authorize a financial holding company
to engage in any activity that would
require the company to register or
obtain a license as a real estate agent or
broker under applicable law. The Board
has made no determination to date
regarding whether real estate agency,
brokerage, investment or development
activities are financial activities
permissible for financial holding
companies, and nothing in the proposed
rule is intended to authorize a financial
holding company to engage in these

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activities by, for example, owning or
operating real property that serves as a
shopping mall, a retail store, a
manufacturing plant, or a product
distribution center. The Board expects
to monitor the finder activities of
financial holding companies to ensure
that companies engaged in finder
activities comply with the restrictions
contained in the rule and do not become
impermissibly involved real estate
activities or commercial transactions
entered into by third parties through the
company’s finder services.
The limitations in paragraph (d)(1)(iii)
are restrictions on the activities that a
financial holding company may conduct
as a finder under the proposed rule.
They do not apply to or restrict the
authority of financial holding
companies to engage in other activities
that are permissible for financial
holding companies under section 4 of
the BHC Act and the Board’s Regulation
Y, even if the financial holding
company engages in such activities in
conjunction with its finder activities.
For example, since insurance agency
and insurance underwriting activities
are permissible for financial holding
companies, a financial holding company
acting as a finder for an insurance
company could also accept and
negotiate insurance contracts on behalf
of the insurance company and have a
principal interest in the insurance
products being sold, if the financial
holding company had appropriately
notified the Board of the company’s
intent to engage in insurance agency
and underwriting activities under
section 4(k)(4)(B) of the BHC Act.
Disclosure of Role
To reduce the likelihood that
customers using a financial holding
company’s finder services may be
confused about the company’s role in
the underlying transactions, paragraph
(d)(1)(iv) of the proposed rule provides
that a financial holding company acting
as a finder must distinguish the
products and services it offers from
those offered by a third party through
the financial holding company’s finder
service.
Request for Comments
The Board invites comment on all
aspects of the proposed rule. In
particular, the Board invites comments
on whether the examples included in
paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of the proposed rule
are useful and whether additional
examples of permissible finder activities
should be included in the rule. The
Board also requests comments on
whether the restrictions contained in
paragraph (d)(1)(iii) of the proposed rule

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should be modified, expanded, or
restricted in any way.
Section 722 of the GLB Act requires
the Board to use ‘‘plain language’’ in all
proposed and final rules published after
January 1, 2000. In light of this
requirement, the Board has sought to
present the proposed rule in a simple
and straightforward manner and has
included in the rule examples of
activities that would be permissible
under the proposed rule. The Board
invites comments on whether there are
additional steps the Board could take to
make the proposed rule easier to
understand.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
In accordance with section 3(a) of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C.
603(a)), the Board must publish an
initial regulatory flexibility analysis
with this proposed rulemaking. The
proposed rule would determine that
acting as a finder, as defined in the
proposed rule, is an activity that is
incidental to a financial activity and,
consequently, permissible for financial
holding companies. A description of the
reasons why action by the Board is
being considered and a statement of the
objectives of, and legal basis for, the
proposed rule are contained in the
supplementary material provided above.
The proposed rule would allow bank
holding companies and foreign banks
that qualify as financial holding
companies to engage in a new activity—
acting as a finder. The proposed rule
would apply to all financial holding
companies, regardless of their size. The
proposed rule should enhance the
ability of financial holding companies,
including small financial holding
companies, to compete with other
providers of financial services in the
United States and to respond to
technological and other changes in the
marketplace in which financial holding
companies compete. The Board
specifically seeks comment on the likely
burden the proposed rule would have
on financial holding companies.
Paperwork Reduction Act
In accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506;
5 CFR 1320 Appendix A.1), the Board
has reviewed the proposed rule under
the authority delegated to the Board by
the Office of Management and Budget.
No collections of information pursuant
to the Paperwork Reduction Act are
contained in the proposed rule.
List of Subjects in 12 CFR Part 225
Administrative practice and
procedures, Banks, Banking, Federal
Reserve System, Holding companies,

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Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Securities.
Authority and Issuance
For the reasons set forth in the
preamble, Title 12, Chapter II, of the
Code of Federal Regulations is proposed
to be amended as follows:
PART 225—BANK HOLDING
COMPANIES AND CHANGE IN BANK
CONTROL (REGULATION Y)
1. The authority citation for part 225
continues to read as follows:
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1817(j)(13), 1818,
1828(o), 1831i, 1831p–1, 1843(c)(8), 1843(k),
1844(b), 1972(l), 3106, 3108, 3310, 3331–
3351, 3907, and 3909.

2. Section 225.86 is amended by
adding a new paragraph (d) to read as
follows:
§ 225.86 What activities are permissible for
financial holding companies?

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*
*
*
*
(d) Activities determined to be
financial in nature or incidental to
financial activities by the Board—(1)
Acting as a finder—(i) What is a finder?
A financial holding company may act as
a finder in bringing together one or more
buyers and sellers of products or
services for transactions that the parties
themselves negotiate and consummate.
Acting as a finder includes providing
any or all of the following services—
(A) Identifying potential parties,
making inquiries as to interest,
introducing and referring potential
parties to each other, and arranging
contacts between and meetings of
interested parties;
(B) Conveying between interested
parties expressions of interest, bids,
offers, orders and confirmations relating
to a transaction; and
(C) Transmitting information
concerning products and services to
potential parties in connection with the
activities described in paragraphs
(d)(1)(i)(B) and (C) of this section.
(ii) What are examples of finder
services? The following are examples of
services that a financial holding
company may provide as a finder when
done in accordance with paragraph
(d)(1)(iii) of this section—
(A) Hosting an Internet marketplace
on the financial holding company’s
Internet web site by providing hypertext
links to the web sites of third party
buyers or sellers;
(B) Hosting on the financial holding
company’s servers the Internet web site
of a seller that provides information
concerning the seller and its products or
services and allows buyers to submit
orders for such products or services;

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(C) Operating an Internet web site that
allows multiple buyers and sellers to
post information concerning the
products or services that they are
willing to purchase or sell, locate
potential counterparties for transactions,
aggregate their orders for goods or
services with those made by other
parties, and enter into transactions
between themselves;
(D) Operating a telephone call center
that provides consumers with
information concerning the services or
benefits provided by a government or
government agency and clerical
assistance in completing applications to
receive services or benefits from the
government or agency.
(iii) What limitations are applicable to
a financial holding company acting as
a finder? In acting as a finder, a
financial holding company may act only
as an intermediary between a buyer and
a seller and may not—
(A) Bind any buyer or seller to a
specific transaction or the terms of a
specific transaction;
(B) Negotiate on behalf of a buyer or
seller concerning a specific transaction,
except that a financial holding company
may arrange for buyers to receive
preferred terms from sellers so long as
the terms are not negotiated as part of
any individual transaction, are provided
generally to customers or broad
categories of customers, and are made
available by the seller (and not by the
company);
(C) Engage in any activity that would
require the financial holding company
to register or obtain a license as a real
estate agent or broker under applicable
law;
(D) Take title to or acquire or hold an
ownership interest in any product or
service offered or sold through the
financial holding company’s finder
services or provide distribution services
for physical products or services offered
or sold through the company’s finder
services; or
(E) Own or operate any real property
that—
(1) Is used for the purpose of
manufacturing, storing or assembling
products offered or sold by third parties;
or
(2) Serves as a physical location for
the physical purchase, sale or
distribution of products or services
offered or sold by third parties.
(iv) What disclosures are required? A
financial holding company acting as a
finder must distinguish the products
and services offered by the financial
holding company from those offered by
a third party through the company’s
finder service.
(2) [Reserved]

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Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 150 / Thursday, August 3, 2000 / Proposed Rules

47701

By order of the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System, July 31, 2000.
Jennifer J. Johnson,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 00–19647 Filed 8–2–00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210–01–P

1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9,
10, 11, 14,
and 15.
3, 5, 7, 12,
and 13.

Issued: March 1, 2000.

Issued: March 1, 2000, Revised: June 27, 2000.

—Service Bulletin No. 227–26–002,
which applies to certain SA227 series
airplanes and incorporates the
following pages:

VerDate 11<MAY>2000

16:20 Aug 02, 2000

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