§ 234.5 Access to Federal Reserve Bank accounts and services. ( a ) This section applies to any designated financial market utility for which the Board may authorize a Federal Reserve Bank to open an account or provide services in accordance with section 806(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act. Upon receipt of Board authorization and subject to any limitations, restrictions, or other requirements established by the Board, a Federal Reserve Bank may enter into agreements governing the details of its accounts and services with a designated financial market utility, consistent with this section and any other applicable Board direction. The agreements may include, among other things, provisions regarding documentation to establish the account and receive services, conditions imposed on the account and services, service charges, reporting, accounting for activity in the account, liability and duty of care, and termination.
( b ) A Federal Reserve Bank should ensure that its establishment and maintenance of an account for or provision of services to a designated financial market utility does not create undue credit, settlement, or other risk to the Reserve Bank. In order to establish and maintain an account with a Federal Reserve Bank or receive financial services from a Federal Reserve Bank, the designated financial market utility must be in compliance with the Supervisory Agency's regulatory and supervisory requirements regarding financial resources, liquidity, participant default management, and other aspects of risk management, as determined by the Supervisory Agency. In addition, at a minimum, the designated financial market utility must, in the Federal Reserve Bank's judgment— ( 1 ) Be in generally sound financial condition, including maintenance of sufficient working capital and cash flow to permit the designated financial market utility to continue as a going concern and to meet its current and projected operating expenses under a range of scenarios;
( 2 ) Be in compliance with Board orders and policies, Federal Reserve Bank account agreements and, as applicable, operating circulars, and other applicable Federal Reserve requirements regarding the establishment and maintenance of an account at a Federal Reserve Bank and the receipt of financial services from a Federal Reserve Bank; and
( 3 ) Have an ongoing ability, including during periods of market stress or a participant default, to meet all of its obligations under its agreement for a Federal Reserve Bank account and services, including by maintaining— ( i ) Sufficient liquid resources to meet its obligations under the account agreement;
( ii ) The operational capacity to ensure that such liquid resources are available to satisfy the account obligations on a timely basis in accordance with the account agreement; and
( iii ) Sound money settlement processes designed to adequately monitor its Federal Reserve Bank account on an intraday basis, process money transfers through its account in an orderly manner, and complete final money settlement no later than the value date.
( c ) The Board will consult with the Supervisory Agency of a designated financial market utility prior to authorizing a Federal Reserve Bank to open an account, and periodically thereafter, to ascertain the views of the Supervisory Agency regarding the designated financial market utility's compliance with the requirements in paragraph (b) of this section.
( d ) In addition to any right that a Reserve Bank has to limit or terminate an account or the use of a service pursuant to its account agreement, the Board may direct the Federal Reserve Bank to impose limits, restrictions, or other conditions on the availability or use of a Federal Reserve Bank account or service by a designated financial market utility, including directing the Reserve Bank to terminate the use of a particular service or to close the account. If the Reserve Bank determines that a designated financial market utility no longer complies with one or more of the minimum conditions in subsection (b), the Reserve Bank will consult with the Board regarding continued maintenance of the account and provision of services.
[78 FR 76979, Dec. 20, 2013. Redesignated and amended at 79 FR 65562, Nov. 5, 2014]