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281

BOARD O F G O V E R N O R S

S-380

OF THE

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
WASHINGTON

ADORfll OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE
TO THE BOARD
September 8, 1939.

Dear Sir:
In its letter of January 24, 19.38, S-70, the
Board set forth reasons why it was believed to be undesirable for a member of the board of directors of a Federal Reserve bank to serve at the same time as a director
of a branch of the bank. The amendment to the Board's
regulation with respect to the appointment of directors
of branches of Federal Reserve banks, to which reference
was made in that letter, provided that no director of a
Federal Reserve bank should be appointed to serve as a
director of a branch during the period of his service as
a director of the Federal Reserve bank. It will be noted
that this provision does not cover the case where a director of a branch is appointed to serve as a director of
the Federal Reserve bank and in order to give full effect
to the policy of the Board in this matter the last sentence of the second paragraph of the regulation has been
amended to read as follows:
"No director of a Federal Reserve bank
shall serve as a director of a branch
of the bank during the period of his
service as a director of the Federal
Reserve bank."
A copy of the amended regulation is attached to
this letter..
Very truly yours,

)Y)oVU£?
Chester Morrill,
Secretary.
Enclosure.

http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ TO CHAIRMEN
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

OF ALL FEDERAL RESERVE BANKS.

282

S-180-a

1. The board of directors of each branch of a Federal Reserve
bank shall consist either of seven members or of five members, as may be
determined by the Federal Reserve bank, subject to the approval of the
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Where the board of directors of the branch consists of seven members, four shall be appointed
by the Federal Reserve bank and three by the Board of Governors, and,
where the board consists of five members, three shall be appointed by
the Federal Reserve bank and two by the Board of Governors.
2. All directors shall be persons of high character and standing who have established reputations and ability to meet their financial
obligations. They shall be persons whose business and financial interests are primarily within and representative of the branch territory
rather than of interests controlled or owned outside the territory. The
directors appointed by the Federal Reserve banks shall be persons who
are either well qualified and experienced in banking or actively engaged
in agriculture, industry or commerce. The directors appointed by the
Board of Governors shall be persons who are actively engaged in agriculture, industry or commerce and who are not primarily engaged in banking
(although they may be stockholders or directors of banks). No director
of a Federal Reserve bank shall serve as a director of a branch of the
bank during the period of his service as a director of the Federal Reserve bank.
3. All directors shall be citizens of the district and shall
reside within the territory served by the branch, but at least one of
the directors appointed by the banK shall reside outside of the city in
which the branch is located.
,
?• 0 n e o f the directors appointed by the Reserve bank shall
be the active manager of the branch and shall have the title "Managing
Director".
^
^ke term of office for the director chosen by the Reserve
bank to act as Managing Director of the branch shall be one year, subject to reappointment from year to year, if such action be desirable,
full term for other directors shall be three years where
he brancn board consists of seven members and two years where the branch
board consists of five members. In order to make practicable an orderly
rotation of branch directorships, the terms of directors, other than the
Managing Director, shall be so arranged that the term of a director apB ard of
°
S e n i o r s m i d the term of a director appointed by
the federal Reserve bank shall expire at the end of each year. No director, other than the Managing Director, who has had six or more years of
continuous service, shall be reappointed as a director to take effect before uhe expiration of a period, immediately following such service, of




-2-

S-180-a

283

at least two years at any branch having five directors or three years at
any branch having seven directors.
7. The board of directors of each branch shall annually elect
as chairman of the board the member appointed by the Board of Governors
whose term of office expires with the current year.
8. In
tors of a branch
vacancy shall be
such appointment

the event of a vacancy occurring in the board of direcof a Federal Reserve bank, the appointment to fill such
made by the body making the original appointment and
shall be for the unexpired term,

9. As provided in Section 3 of the Federal Reserve Act, directors of branches of Federal Reserve banks hold office at the pleasure
of the Board of Governors,