Federal Reserve (Fed)
The US central bank and the supervisor of bank holding companies, state member banks and the largest financial institutions.
Overview
Besides monetary policy, the Federal Reserve supervises and regulates bank holding companies, state-chartered member banks and the US operations of foreign banks, sets prudential standards for large institutions and runs stress tests.
Its powers include writing binding rules, supervising and examining the organisations it oversees, investigating and imposing penalties and restricting activities or withdrawing permissions.
In the United States it works at federal level, alongside OCC, FDIC and CFPB. Instruments connected to it in this glossary include Dodd-Frank.
Check the official sources below for legal scope, applicable dates and exceptions. This entry is an explanatory reference, not legal advice.
Why it matters
It can both set the rules and punish breaches of them, so its priorities shape compliance risk directly.
Who it affects
Organisations in banking in the United States.
Where it sits
Ten linked steps connect where you operate to the proof that you complied.
- 01Jurisdiction
- 02Industry
- 03Activity
- 04Authority
- 05Regulation
- 06Requirement
- 07Guidance
- 08Control
- 09Evidence
- 10Enforcement
Connections
The terms most closely tied to Fed. Select one to open it.
What to do about it
- 1Confirm whether Fed has power over you, and through which licence, registration, membership or activity.
- 2Follow its rules, guidance and enforcement publications as they are issued.
- 3Map each obligation it creates to a control with a named owner.
- 4Keep examination-ready evidence for its highest-risk obligations.
From requirement to evidence.
Regulation Layer tracks its publications in the change feed, maps its obligations to your controls, and links its enforcement actions to the obligations they cite.
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