(a) Reporting Frequency and Due Dates. The contractor shall file a semiannual financial report and an annual financial report, in the format referred to in §232.1(a)(2), which MARAD shall make available to the contractor. This Form MA-172 (Revised) shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and modified to the extent necessary to comply with this regulation. The annual financial report shall be reconciled to the financial statements audited by independent certified public accountants (CPAs) licensed to practice by a state or other political subdivision of the United States, or licensed public accountants licensed to practice by regulatory authority or other political subdivision of the United States on or before December 31, 1970. Both the annual and semiannual financial reports shall be due within 120 days after the close of the contractor's annual or semiannual accounting period. If certified (CPA) statements are not available when required, company certified statements are to be submitted within the due dates, and the CPA statements shall be submitted as soon as available. The respondent may, in place of any Schedule(s) contained in the Form MA-172, submit a schedule or schedules from its audited financial statements, or a computer print-out or schedule, consistent with the instructions provided in the MARAD formats. MARAD will accept electronic options (such as facsimile and Internet) for transmission of required information to MARAD, if practicable.

(b) Certification. Annual and semiannual reports shall be approved by the Respondent and Official of Respondent whom MARAD may contact regarding the report in the reporting formats prescribed as the MA-172 submission.

(c) Presumption of confidentiality. MARAD will initially presume that each part of the financial reports or data submitted as prescribed by this Regulation, other than Schedule 101—Identity of Respondent and Schedules 102 and 103, only with respect to the names and titles of directors and principal officers and employees, is privileged or confidential within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4). In the event of a subsequent request for any portion of the reports or data under 5 U.S.C. 552, the submitter will be notified of such request and given the opportunity to comment. The contractor shall claim confidentiality at that time by memorandum or letter stating the basis, in detail, for such assertion of exemption, including but not limited to statutory and decisional authorities. Those parts not so claimed by the submitter to be confidential will be disclosed, and those parts so claimed will be subject to initial determination by the Freedom of Information Act Officer.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2133-0005)

[48 FR 30122, June 30, 1983, as amended at 68 FR 62537, Nov. 5, 2003; 69 FR 61449, Oct. 19, 2004]