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Federal Reserve Act

Official titleSection 1. Short title and definitionsSection 2. Federal Reserve DistrictsSection 2A. Monetary policy objectivesSection 2B. Appearances Before and Reports to the CongressSection 3. Branch OfficesSection 4. Federal Reserve BanksSection 5. Stock Issues; Increase and Decrease of CapitalSection 6. Insolvency of member banksSection 7. Division of EarningsSection 8. Conversion of state banks into national banksSection 9. State Banks as MembersSection 9A. Participation in lotteries prohibitedSection 9B. Resolution of Clearing BanksSection 10. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve SystemSection 10A. Emergency advances to groups of member banks*Section 10B. Advances to Individual Member Banks*Section 11. Powers of Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve SystemSection 11A. Pricing of ServicesSection 11B. Annual Independent Audits of Federal Reserve Banks and BoardSection 11C. Master Account and Services DatabaseSection 12. Federal Advisory CouncilSection 12A. Federal Open Market CommitteeSection 13. Powers of Federal Reserve BanksSection 13A.* Discount of agricultural paperSection 14. Open-Market OperationsSection 15. Government DepositsSection 16. Note IssuesSection 17. Deposit of bonds by national banksSection 18. Refunding BondsSection 19. Bank ReservesSection 20. National bank notes redemption fund as reserveSection 21. Bank ExaminationsSection 22. Offenses of examiners, member banks, officers, and directorsSection 23. Interbank Liabilities*Section 23A. Relations with affiliatesSection 23B. Restrictions on Transactions with AffiliatesSection 24. Real Estate LoansSection 24A. Investment in Bank Premises or Stock of Corporation Holding PremisesSection 25. Foreign BranchesSection 25A. Banking Corporations Authorized to Do Foreign Banking Business*Section 25B. Jurisdiction of suits*Section 25C. Potential Liability on Foreign AccountsSection 26. [Repealed]Section 27. Tax on national bank notesSection 28. Reduction of capital of national banksSection 29. Civil Money PenaltySection 30. Saving clauseSection 31. Reservation of right to amend

Section 11A. Pricing of Services

(a) Not later than the first day of the sixth month after the date of enactment of the Monetary Control Act of 1980, the Board shall publish for public comment a set of pricing principles in accordance with this section and a proposed schedule of fees based upon those principles for Federal Reserve bank services to depository institutions, and not later than the first day of the eighteenth month after the date of enactment of the Monetary Control Act of 1980, the Board shall begin to put into effect a schedule of fees for such services which is based on those principles.

(b) The services which shall be covered by the schedule of fees under subsection (a) are--

  1. currency and coin services;
  2. check clearing and collection services;
  3. wire transfer services;
  4. automated clearinghouse services;
  5. settlement services;
  6. securities safekeeping services;
  7. Federal Reserve float; and
  8. any new services which the Federal Reserve System offers, including but not limited to payment services to effectuate the electronic transfer of funds.

(c) The schedule of fees prescribed pursuant to this section shall be based on the following principles:

  1. All Federal Reserve bank services covered by the fee schedule shall be priced explicitly.
  2. All Federal Reserve bank services covered by the fee schedule shall be available to nonmember depository institutions and such services shall be priced at the same fee schedule applicable to member banks, except that nonmembers shall be subject to any other terms, including a requirement of balances sufficient for clearing purposes, that the Board may determine are applicable to member banks.
  3. Over the long run, fees shall be established on the basis of all direct and indirect costs actually incurred in providing the Federal Reserve services priced, including interest on items credited prior to actual collection, overhead, and an allocation of imputed costs which takes into account the taxes that would have been paid and the return on capital that would have been provided had the services been furnished by a private business firm, except that the pricing principles shall give due regard to competitive factors and the provision of an adequate level of such services nationwide.
  4. Interest on items credited prior to collection shall be charged at the current rate applicable in the market for Federal funds.

(d) The Board shall require reductions in the operating budgets of the Federal Reserve banks commensurate with any actual or projected decline in the volume of services to be provided by such banks. The full amount of any savings so realized shall be paid into the United States Treasury.

(e) All depository institutions, as defined in section 19(b)(1) (12 U.S.C. 461(b)(1)), may receive for deposit and as deposits any evidences of transaction accounts, as defined by section 19(b)(1) (12 U.S.C. 461(b)(1)) from other depository institutions, as defined in section 19(b)(1) (12 U.S.C. 461(b)(1)) or from any office of any Federal Reserve bank without regard to any Federal or State law restricting the number or the physical location or locations of such depository institutions.

[12 USC 248a. As added by acts of March 31, 1980 (94 Stat. 140) and Aug. 10, 1987 (101 Stat. 652).]

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Last Update: February 13, 2017