Notice2026-01213

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension: Ombudsman Matter Management System (OMMS) Submission Form

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Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published
January 23, 2026

Issuing agencies

Securities and Exchange Commission

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 15 (Friday, January 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2981-2982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01213]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[OMB Control No. 3235-0748]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Extension: Ombudsman Matter Management System (OMMS) 
Submission Form

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 
20549-2736

    Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Sec.  3501 et seq.), the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (SEC or ``Commission'') is soliciting comments on the 
proposed collection of information.
    The Ombudsman Matter Management System (``OMMS'') is an electronic 
data collection system for the receipt, collection and analysis of 
inquiries, complaints, and recommendations from retail investors 
directed to the SEC Ombudsman (``Ombuds'') and the Office of the 
Investor Advocate. Section 4(g)(8) of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 (Exchange Act), 15 U.S.C. 78d(g)(8) requires the SEC Ombuds to (i) 
act as a liaison between the Commission and any retail investor in 
resolving problems that retail investors may have with the Commission 
or with self-regulatory organizations (``SROs''); (ii) review and make 
recommendations regarding policies and procedures to encourage persons 
to present questions to the Investor Advocate regarding compliance with 
the securities laws; and (iii) establish safeguards to maintain the 
confidentiality of communications between the persons described in 
clause (ii) and the Ombuds. In addition, Section 4(g)(8) of the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act), 15 U.S.C. 78d(g)(8) 
requires the Ombuds to submit a semi-annual report to the Investor 
Advocate describing the activities and evaluating the effectiveness of 
the Ombuds during the preceding year.
    Each year, the SEC's Office of the Investor Advocate, Office of the 
Ombuds receives over 2,500 contacts from investors who have complaints 
or questions about the SEC or any of the self-regulatory organizations 
that it oversees. To make it easier for the public to contact the 
Ombuds, the Ombuds created an electronic form, the OMMS Submission 
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 OMMS 
Submission 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 OMMS Submission Form is voluntary. Absent the forms, 
the public still has several ways to contact the Ombuds, including 
telephone, letters, and email. Investors can access the OMMS Submission 
Form through the Ombuds web page at the web address <a href="https://www.sec.gov/ombuds">https://www.sec.gov/ombuds</a> or directly at the web address <a href="https://omms.sec.gov">https://omms.sec.gov</a>.
    The dual purpose of the OMMS Submission Form is to make it easier 
for the public to contact the agency with complaints, questions, tips, 
or other feedback and to streamline the workflow of Ombuds staff that 
record, process, and respond to investor contacts. Investors who submit 
complaints, ask questions, or provide tips do so voluntarily. Although 
the OMMS Submission Form provides a structured format for incoming 
investor correspondence, the Commission does not require that investors 
use any particular form or format when

[[Page 2982]]

contacting the Ombuds. Investors who choose not to use the OMMS 
Submission Form will receive the same level of service as those who do.
    The Ombuds receives approximately 1,500 contacts each year through 
the OMMS Submission Form. The Ombuds uses the information that 
investors supply on the OMMS Submission Form to review and process the 
contact (which may, in turn, involve responding to questions, 
processing complaints, or, as appropriate, referring matters to 
enforcement or examinations for potential investigations), to maintain 
a record of contacts, to track the volume of investor complaints, and 
to analyze trends.
    The staff of the Commission estimates that the total reporting 
burden for using the OMMS Submission Form is 750 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: 1,500 
respondents x 30 minutes = 750 burden hours.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB Control Number.
    Written comments are invited on: (a) whether this proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the SEC, including whether the information will have 
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the SEC's estimate of the burden 
imposed by the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and the 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 respondents, including through the use of automated, 
electronic collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Please direct your written comments on this 60-Day Collection 
Notice to Austin Gerig, Director/Chief Data Officer, Securities and 
Exchange Commission, c/o Tanya Ruttenberg via email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b7e7d6c7d2c5c0d8c5dce5d2d3c2d4c3ded8d9f6d4c3f7c4d2d499d0d8c1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2c7c4d5c495e5b435e477e4948594f584543426d4f586c5f494f024b435a">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> by March 24, 2026. There will be a second 
opportunity to comment on this SEC request following the Federal 
Register publishing a 30-Day Submission Notice.

    Dated: January 20, 2026.
Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-01213 Filed 1-22-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on January 23, 2026.

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