|
Frequently asked questions about
the Federal Reserve, the Dallas Fed and other related
topics. You can also use our searchable Fed
FAQ database to seek answers to your questions.
Questions
- The Federal Reserve
- Dallas Fed
- Savings Bonds & Treasury Securities
- Currency & Coins
- Statistical Information
Answers
The Federal Reserve
How many Federal Reserve Banks are
there?
Twelve. Their head
offices are located in Boston, New York, Philadelphia,
Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis,
Kansas City, Dallas and San Francisco.
Who owns the Fed?
Federal Reserve Banks, created
by an act of Congress in 1913, are operated in the public
interest rather than for profit or to benefit any private
group. Member banks hold stock in their regional Reserve Banks,
but do not control the Federal Reserve System. Holding this
stock does not carry with it the control and financial interest
that holding publicly traded stock allows. Fed stock cannot
be sold or traded. Member banks receive a fixed 6 percent
dividend annually on their stock and elect six of the nine
members of the Reserve Bank’s board of directors.
So, who owns the Fed? Although it is
set up like a private corporation and member banks hold its
stock, the Fed owes its existence to an act of Congress and
has a mandate to serve the public. Therefore, the most accurate
answer may be that the Fed is "owned" by the citizens
of the United States.
Are employees of the Federal Reserve
Bank government employees?
Fed employees are employed by the
individual Bank and are not civil service employees.
Dallas Fed
Can I tour the Dallas Fed and its
branch offices?
Yes. For more information on touring
the Dallas Fed, call 214-922-5250. For tour information at
the branch offices call 915-521-8203 (El Paso Office), 713-652-1539
(Houston Office) and 210-978-1663 (San Antonio Office).
How can I find out about job openings
at the Bank?
Visit our Employment
section for a complete list of job openings in the Eleventh
District.
Savings Bonds & Treasury Securities
Where can I find information about
Savings Bonds?
U.S.
Savings Bonds Online [off-site] offers vast information
for all your Savings Bond questions. Also, the Bureau of the
Public Debt provides a handy Savings
Bond redemption calculator [off-site] to help you determine
how much your bonds are worth.
Where can I find information about
Treasury securities?
The Bureau of the Public Debt maintains
the T-Bills,
Notes and Bonds [off-site] Web site, which can answer
all your questions about Treasury securities.
Where can I find information about
the Treasury Direct program?
The Bureau of the Public Debt maintains
the TreasuryDirect
[off-site] information page on its web site.
Currency & Coins
How can I find out how much a specific
bill or coin is worth?
Consult a currency collector or
dealer, listed in your local Yellow Pages. You can also try
the American
Numismatic Association [off-site] for more information.
What should I do with mutilated or
burnt currency?
The Bureau
of Engraving and Printing [off-site] offers specific guidelines
on what to do with badly damaged currency.
Where can I obtain newly minted coins,
the new state quarters or commemorative coin sets?
You may request the newly minted
coins and state quarters from your local financial institution.
Additionally, the U.S. sells special collector sets of the
state coins. You can purchase these sets as well as commemorative
coin sets from the U.S. Mint via their web
site [off-site], or call 800-USA-MINT.
Statistical Information
Where can I find the Consumer Price
Index?
At the Bureau
of Labor Statistics [off-site].
Where can I find the Producer Price
Index?
At the Bureau
of Labor Statistics [off-site].
Where can I find H-15 Selected Interest
Rates?
The Federal Reserve Board of Governors
provides current releases
for various interest rates [off-site]. The Dallas Fed
publishes the Selected Interest
Rates booklet [PDF] (updated monthly online), which contains
selected interest rates on U.S. Treasury bills, U.S. Treasury
constant maturity indexes, and federal funds, prime rate and
discount rate.
|
