USC - Powers and duties of banks

View all text of Chapter 11 [§ 1421 - § 1449]

§ 1431. Powers and duties of banks

(a) Borrowing money; issuing bonds and debentures; general powers

(b) Issuance of consolidated Federal Home Loan Bank debentures; restrictions

(d) Additional or substituted collateral on adjustment of equities

(e) Acceptance of deposits; restrictions on transaction of banking business; collection and settlement of checks, drafts, etc.; charges; rules and regulations

(1) Each Federal Home Loan Bank shall have power to accept deposits made by members of such bank or by any other Federal Home Loan Bank or other instrumentality of the United States, upon such terms and conditions as the Director may prescribe, but no Federal Home Loan Bank shall transact any banking or other business not incidental to activities authorized by this chapter.

(2)

(A) The Director may, subject to such rules and regulations, including definitions of terms used in this paragraph, as the Director shall from time to time prescribe, authorize Federal Home Loan Banks to be drawees of, and to engage in, or be agents or intermediaries for, or otherwise participate or assist in, the collection and settlement of (including presentment, clearing, and payment of, and remitting for), checks, drafts, or any other negotiable or nonnegotiable items or instruments of payment drawn on or issued by members of any Federal Home Loan Bank or by institutions which are eligible to make application to become members pursuant to section 1424 of this title, and to have such incidental powers as the Director shall find necessary for the exercise of any such authorization.

(B) A Federal Home Loan Bank shall make charges, to be determined and regulated by the Director consistent with the principles set forth in section 248a(c) of this title, or utilize the services of, or act as agent for, or be a member of, a Federal Reserve bank, clearinghouse, or any other public or private financial institution or other agency, in the exercise of any powers or functions pursuant to this paragraph.

(C) The Director is authorized, with respect to participation in the collection and settlement of any items by Federal Home Loan Banks, and with respect to the collection and settlement (including payment by the payor institution) of items payable by Federal savings and loan associations and Federal mutual savings banks, to prescribe rules and regulations regarding the rights, powers, responsibilities, duties, and liabilities, including standards relating thereto, of such Federal Home Loan Banks, associations, or banks and other parties to any such items or their collection and settlement. In prescribing such rules and regulations, the Director may adopt or apply, in whole or in part, general banking usage and practices, and, in instances or respects in which they would otherwise not be applicable, Federal Reserve regulations and operating letters, the Uniform Commercial Code, and clearinghouse rules.

(f) Rediscount of notes held by other banks; purchase of bonds of other banks

(g) Reserves

(h) Investment of surplus funds

(i) Treasury purchase of banks’ obligations; exercise of authority

(j) Audits

(k) Bank loans to the Deposit Insurance Fund

(1) Loans authorized

(2) Liability of the Fund

(3) Interest on and security for such loans

Any loan by a Federal Home Loan Bank pursuant to paragraph (1) shall—

(A) bear a rate of interest not less than such Bank’s current marginal cost of funds, taking into account the maturities involved; and

(B) be adequately secured.

(l) Temporary authority of Treasury to purchase obligations; conditions

(1) Authority to purchase

(A) General authority

(B) Emergency determination required

In connection with any use of this authority, the Secretary must determine that such actions are necessary to—

(i) provide stability to the financial markets;

(ii) prevent disruptions in the availability of mortgage finance; and

(iii) protect the taxpayer.

To protect the taxpayers, the Secretary of the Treasury shall take into consideration the following in connection with exercising the authority contained in this paragraph:

(i) The need for preferences or priorities regarding payments to the Government.

(ii) Limits on maturity or disposition of obligations or securities to be purchased.

(iii) The Federal Home Loan Bank’s plan for the orderly resumption of private market funding or capital market access.

(iv) The probability of the Federal Home Loan Bank fulfilling the terms of any such obligation or other security, including repayment.

(v) The need to maintain the Federal Home Loan Bank’s status as a private shareholder-owned company.

(vi) Restrictions on the use of Federal Home Loan Bank resources, including limitations on the payment of dividends and executive compensation and any such other terms and conditions as appropriate for those purposes.

(D) Reports to Congress

(2) Rights; sale of obligations and securities

(A) Exercise of rights

(B) Sale of obligations

The Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit in the General Fund of the Treasury any amounts received by the Secretary from the sale of any obligation acquired by the Secretary under this subsection, where such amounts shall be—

(i) dedicated for the sole purpose of deficit reduction; and

(ii) prohibited from use as an offset for other spending increases or revenue reductions.

(D) Application of sunset to purchased obligations

(3) Funding

(4) Termination of authority

(5) Authority of the Director with respect to executive compensation

(July 22, 1932, ch. 522, § 11, 47 Stat. 733; June 27, 1934, ch. 847, § 503, 48 Stat. 1261; June 27, 1950, ch. 369, §§ 3, 4, 64 Stat. 257; Aug. 2, 1954, ch. 649, title II, § 204(a), 68 Stat. 622; Pub. L. 88–560, title VII, § 701(d)(1), Sept. 2, 1964, 78 Stat. 800; Pub. L. 90–448, title VIII, § 807(k), Aug. 1, 1968, 82 Stat. 545; Pub. L. 91–151, title I, § 3, Dec. 23, 1969, 83 Stat. 374; Pub. L. 91–609, title IX, § 914, Dec. 31, 1970, 84 Stat. 1815; Pub. L. 93–383, title VIII, § 805(c)(2), Aug. 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 727; Pub. L. 93–495, title I, § 112, Oct. 28, 1974, 88 Stat. 1506; Pub. L. 96–153, title III, § 324, Dec. 21, 1979, 93 Stat. 1121; Pub. L. 96–221, title III, § 311, Mar. 31, 1980, 94 Stat. 149; Pub. L. 97–320, title I, § 125(c), Oct. 15, 1982, 96 Stat. 1485; Pub. L. 101–73, title VII, §§ 701(b)(1)–(3)(A), (c), 709, 710(b)(6), Aug. 9, 1989, 103 Stat. 412, 418; Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title II, § 2704(d)(11)(A), div. D, title II, § 208(h)(2), Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–489, 3009–747; Pub. L. 108–271, § 8(b), July 7, 2004, 118 Stat. 814; Pub. L. 109–171, title II, § 2102(b), Feb. 8, 2006, 120 Stat. 9; Pub. L. 109–173, § 9(d)(1), Feb. 15, 2006, 119 Stat. 3616; Pub. L. 110–289, div. A, title I, § 1117(c), title II, § 1204(3), (8), (9), July 30, 2008, 122 Stat. 2686, 2786; Pub. L. 111–203, title XIII, § 1304(c), July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 2134.)