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Federal Reserve Bank of New York
2008 Annual Report

Federal Reserve Bank
of New York
Annual Report
For the year ended
December 31, 2008

SECOND FEDERAL RESERVE DISTRICT

Federal Reserve Bank of New York
33 Liberty Street
New York, N.Y. 10045-0001
Phone (212) 720-5000

www.newyorkfed.org

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

August 2009

To the Depository Institutions in the
Second Federal Reserve District:

It is my pleasure to send you the ninety-fourth annual report of the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York, covering the year 2008.
The 2008 Annual Report presents detailed tables, with extensive notes, on the Bank’s
financial condition.
I hope you will find the information we present interesting and useful.

William C. Dudley
President

Contents
Management’s Report on Internal Control
over Financial Reporting

1

External Auditor Independence

5

Consolidated Financial Statements

9

Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

81

Advisory Groups

87

Officers of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

93

Map of the Second Federal Reserve District

107

Management’s Report
on Internal Control
over Financial Reporting

1

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

To the Board of Directors of the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York:

April 2, 2009

The management of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“FRBNY”) is responsible for the
preparation and fair presentation of the Statement of Financial Condition, Statements of Income
and Comprehensive Income, and Statement of Changes in Capital as of December 31, 2008 (the
“Financial Statements”). The Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with the
accounting principles, policies, and practices established by the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System and as set forth in the Financial Accounting Manual for the Federal Reserve Banks
(“Manual”), and as such, include amounts, some of which are based on management judgments and
estimates. To our knowledge, the Financial Statements are, in all material respects, fairly presented
in conformity with the accounting principles, policies, and practices documented in the Manual
and include all disclosures necessary for such fair presentation.
The management of the FRBNY is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting as it relates to the Financial Statements. Such internal control
is designed to provide reasonable assurance to management and to the Board of Directors regarding the preparation of the Financial Statements in accordance with the Manual. Internal control
contains self-monitoring mechanisms, including, but not limited to, divisions of responsibility and
a code of conduct. Once identified, any material deficiencies in internal control are reported to
management and appropriate corrective measures are implemented.
Even effective internal control, no matter how well designed, has inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, and therefore can provide only reasonable assurance with respect
to the preparation of reliable financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of
changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may
deteriorate.
The management of the FRBNY assessed its internal control over financial reporting reflected
in the Financial Statements, based upon the criteria established in the “Internal Control —
Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway
Commission. Based on this assessment, we believe that the FRBNY maintained effective internal
control over financial reporting as it relates to the Financial Statements.

William C. Dudley
President

Christine M. Cumming
First Vice President

Edward F. Murphy
Principal Financial Officer

3

External Auditor
Independence

5

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

EXTERNAL AUDITOR INDEPENDENCE
In 2008, the Board of Governors engaged
Deloitte & Touche LLP (D&T) for the audits
of the individual and combined financial statements of the Reserve Banks. Fees for D&T’s
services are estimated to be $10.2 million.
Approximately $2.7 million of the estimated
total fees was for the audits of the limited liability companies (LLCs) that are associated
with recent Federal Reserve actions to address
the financial crisis, and is consolidated in the
financial statements of the Federal Reserve

†Each

Bank of New York.† To ensure auditor independence, the Board of Governors requires
that D&T be independent in all matters relating to the audit. Specifically, D&T may not
perform services for the Reserve Banks or others that would place it in a position of auditing
its own work, making management decisions
on behalf of Reserve Banks, or in any other way
impairing its audit independence. In 2008, the
Bank engaged D&T for non-audit services, the
fees for which were immaterial.

LLC will reimburse the Board of Governors for the fees related to the audit of its financial statements
from the entity’s available net assets.

7

Consolidated Financial
Statements†

†Separate

financial statements for the Commercial Paper Funding Facility LLC, Maiden Lane LLC, Maiden Lane II LLC,
and Maiden Lane III LLC are available at <http://www.newyorkfed.org/aboutthefed/annualreports.html>.

9

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Report of Independent Auditors

To the Board of Governors
of the Federal Reserve System
and the Board of Directors
of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of condition of the Federal Reserve
Bank of New York and its subsidiaries (collectively “FRBNY”) as of December 31, 2008 and 2007,
and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income and changes in capital
for the years then ended, which have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles established by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We also have audited the internal
control over financial reporting of FRBNY as of December 31, 2008, based on criteria established in
Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission. FRBNY’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for
maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report
on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the FRBNY’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to
obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement
and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the
amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and
evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our
audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
FRBNY’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, FRBNY’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar
functions, and effected by FRBNY’s board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial
statements for external purposes in accordance with the accounting principles established by the
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. FRBNY’s internal control over financial reporting
includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of FRBNY;

11

(2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of
financial statements in accordance with the accounting principles established by the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and that receipts and expenditures of FRBNY are being
made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of FRBNY; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use,
or disposition of FRBNY’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to
error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation
of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the
risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
As described in Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements, FRBNY has prepared these
financial statements in conformity with accounting principles established by the Board of Governors
of the Federal Reserve System, as set forth in the Financial Accounting Manual for Federal Reserve
Banks, which is a comprehensive basis of accounting other than accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America. The effects on such consolidated financial statements of
the differences between the accounting principles established by the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System and accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
are also described in Note 4.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects,
the financial position of FRBNY as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and the results of its operations for the years then ended, on the basis of accounting described in Note 4. Also, in our opinion,
FRBNY maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2008, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework
issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

April 2, 2009
New York, New York

12

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CONDITION
as of December 31, 2008, and December 31, 2007
(in millions)
ASSETS

2008

Gold certificates
Special drawing rights certificates
Coin
Items in process of collection
Loans to depository institutions
Other loans
System Open Market Account:
Securities purchased under agreements to resell
U.S. government, federal agency, and
government-sponsored-enterprise securities, net
Investments denominated in foreign currencies
Central bank liquidity swaps
Consolidated variable interest entities:
Investments held by consolidated variable interest
entities (of which $74,570 is measured at fair value
at December 31, 2008)
Interdistrict settlement account
Bank premises, equipment, and software, net
Prepaid interest on Federal Reserve notes due
from U.S. Treasury
Federal Reserve System prepaid pension benefit costs
Accrued interest receivable
Other assets
Total assets

$

3,935
874
76
—
300,665
76,318

2007
$

4,053
874
55
42
39,845
—

28,464

16,838

178,676
6,210
138,622

269,990
5,573
5,570

411,996
110,091
254

—
—
256

2,860
—
2,511
168

—
1,279
2,355
139

$1,261,720

$346,869

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

13

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CONDITION
as of December 31, 2008, and December 31, 2007
(in millions)
LIABILITIES AND CAPITAL

2008

Federal Reserve notes outstanding, net
$
System Open Market Account:
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase
Consolidated variable interest entities:
Beneficial interest in consolidated variable interest entities
Other liabilities
Deposits:
Depository institutions
U.S. Treasury, general account
U.S. Treasury, supplementary financing account
Other deposits
Deferred credit items
Interest on Federal Reserve notes due to U.S. Treasury
Interest due to depository institutions
Interdistrict settlement account
Accrued benefit costs
Other liabilities

311,129

$ 282,644

31,435

15,927

2,824
5,813

—
—

509,858
106,123
259,325
21,527
—
—
88
—
2,278
106

9,158
16,120
—
239
51
524
—
12,606
269
93

1,250,506

337,631

5,607

4,619

5,607

4,619

11,214

9,238

$1,261,720

$346,869

Total liabilities
Capital paid-in
Surplus (including accumulated other comprehensive
loss of $4,471 million and $1,338 million at
December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively)
Total capital
Total liabilities and capital

14

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

2007

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
for the years ended December 31, 2008, and December 31, 2007
(in millions)
2008
Interest income:
Loans to depository institutions
$ 2,442
Other loans
2,877
System Open Market Account:
Securities purchased under agreements to resell
676
U.S. government, federal agency, and
government-sponsored-enterprise securities
9,179
Investments denominated in foreign currencies
155
Central bank liquidity swaps
903
Consolidated variable interest entities:
Investments held by consolidated variable interest entities
4,087
Total interest income

2007

$

55
—
686

14,106
134
7
—

20,319

14,988

264
457

616
—

463

—

Total interest expense

1,184

616

Net interest income

$19,135

14,372

1,357
313

—
447

(5,237)
61
11
114
346

—
65
29
109
78

(3,035)

728

Interest expense:
System Open Market Account:
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase
Depository institutions deposits
Other interest expense related to consolidated
variable interest entities

Non-interest income (loss):
System Open Market Account:
U.S. government, federal agency, and
government-sponsored-enterprise securities gains, net
Foreign currency gains, net
Investments held by consolidated variable interest
entities (losses), net
Income from services
Compensation received for services provided
Reimbursable services to government agencies
Other income
Total non-interest income (loss)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

15

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
for the years ended December 31, 2008, and December 31, 2007
(in millions)
2008
Operating expenses:
Salaries and other benefits
Occupancy expense
Equipment expense
Compensation paid for services costs incurred
Assessments by the Board of Governors
Net periodic pension expense
Professional fees related to consolidated variable
interest entities
Other expenses

426
52
23
30
198
148

391
51
22
29
198
103

80
150

—
182

Total operating expenses

1,107

976

Net income prior to distribution
Change in funded status of benefit plans

14,993
(3,133)

14,124
229

$11,860

$14,353

$

$

Comprehensive income prior to distribution
Distribution of comprehensive income:
Dividends paid to member banks
Transferred to surplus and change in
accumulated other comprehensive loss
Payments to U.S. Treasury as interest on
Federal Reserve notes
Total distribution

16

2007

301

253

988

892

10,571

13,208

$11,860

$14,353

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN CAPITAL
for the years ended December 31, 2008, and December 31, 2007
(in millions, except share data)
Surplus

Balance at January 1, 2007
(74.5 million shares)
Net change in capital stock issued
(17.8 million shares)

Capital
Paid-In

Accumulated
Net
Other
Income Comprehensive Total
Retained
Loss
Surplus

$3,727

$ 5,294

$(1,567)

892

—

—

—

892

892

892

Total
Capital

$3,727 $ 7,454

Transferred to surplus and change
in accumulated other
comprehensive loss
Balance at December 31, 2007
(92.3 million shares)

—

663

229

$4,619

$ 5,957

$(1,338)

Net change in capital stock issued
(19.8 million shares)

988

—

—

—

988

—

4,121

(3,133)

988

988

$5,607

$10,078

$(4,471)

Transferred to surplus and change in
accumulated other comprehensive loss
Balance at December 31, 2008
(112.1 million shares)

$4,619 $ 9,238

$5,607 $11,214

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

17

PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK.

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
Notes to Financial Statements
1. STRUCTURE
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“Bank”) is part of the Federal Reserve
System (“System”) and is one of the twelve Reserve Banks (“Reserve Banks”) created
by Congress under the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 (“Federal Reserve Act”), which
established the central bank of the United States. The Reserve Banks are chartered
by the federal government and possess a unique set of governmental, corporate, and
central bank characteristics. The Bank serves the Second Federal Reserve District,
which includes the state of New York; the twelve northern counties of New Jersey;
Fairfield County, Connecticut; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and the U.S.
Virgin Islands.
In accordance with the Federal Reserve Act, supervision and control of the Bank
is exercised by a board of directors. The Federal Reserve Act specifies the composition of the board of directors for each of the Reserve Banks. Each board is composed
of nine members serving three-year terms: three directors, including those designated
as chairman and deputy chairman, are appointed by the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System (“Board of Governors”) to represent the public, and six
directors are elected by member banks. Banks that are members of the System
include all national banks and any state-chartered banks that apply and are approved
for membership in the System. Member banks are divided into three classes according
to size. Member banks in each class elect one director representing member banks
and one representing the public. In any election of directors, each member bank
receives one vote, regardless of the number of shares of Reserve Bank stock it holds.
The System also consists, in part, of the Board of Governors and the Federal
Open Market Committee (“FOMC”). The Board of Governors, an independent
federal agency, is charged by the Federal Reserve Act with a number of specific
duties, including general supervision over the Reserve Banks. The FOMC is composed of members of the Board of Governors, the president of the Bank, and on a
rotating basis four other Reserve Bank presidents.

19

2. OPERATIONS AND SERVICES
The Reserve Banks perform a variety of services and operations. Functions include
participation in formulating and conducting monetary policy; participation in the
payments system, including large-dollar transfers of funds, automated clearinghouse
(“ACH”) operations, and check collection; distribution of coin and currency; performance of fiscal agency functions for the U.S. Treasury, certain federal agencies,
and other entities; serving as the federal government’s bank; provision of short-term
loans to depository institutions; provision of loans to individuals, partnerships, and
corporations in unusual and exigent circumstances; service to consumers and communities by providing educational materials and information regarding consumer
laws; and supervision of bank holding companies, state member banks, and U.S.
offices of foreign banking organizations. Certain services are provided to foreign and
international monetary authorities, primarily by the Bank.
The FOMC, in the conduct of monetary policy, establishes policy regarding
domestic open market operations, oversees these operations, and annually issues
authorizations and directives to the Bank to execute transactions. The Bank is authorized and directed by the FOMC to conduct operations in domestic markets,
including the direct purchase and sale of securities of the U.S. government, federal
agencies, and government-sponsored enterprises (“GSEs”), the purchase of these
securities under agreements to resell, the sale of these securities under agreements to
repurchase, and the lending of these securities. The Bank executes these transactions
at the direction of the FOMC and holds the resulting securities and agreements in
the portfolio known as the System Open Market Account (“SOMA”).
In addition to authorizing and directing operations in the domestic securities
market, the FOMC authorizes and directs the Bank to execute operations in foreign
markets in order to counter disorderly conditions in exchange markets or to meet
other needs specified by the FOMC in carrying out the System’s central bank
responsibilities. The Bank is authorized by the FOMC to hold balances of, and to
execute spot and forward foreign exchange and securities contracts for, fourteen foreign currencies and to invest such foreign currency holdings, ensuring adequate liquidity is maintained. The Bank is also authorized and directed by the FOMC to
maintain liquidity currency arrangements with fourteen central banks and to “warehouse” foreign currencies for the U.S. Treasury and Exchange Stabilization Fund
(“ESF”) through the Reserve Banks.

20

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Although the Reserve Banks are separate legal entities, they collaborate in the
delivery of certain services to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness. This collaboration takes the form of centralized operations and product or function offices
that have responsibility for the delivery of certain services on behalf of the Reserve
Banks. Various operational and management models are used and are supported by
service agreements between the Reserve Banks providing the service and the other
Reserve Banks. In some cases, costs incurred by a Reserve Bank for services provided
to other Reserve Banks are not shared; in other cases, the Reserve Banks reimburse
other Reserve Banks for services provided to them.
Major services provided by the Bank on behalf of the System and for which the
costs were not reimbursed by the other Reserve Banks include the management of
SOMA, the Wholesale Product Office, the System Credit Risk Technology Support
function, centralized business administration functions for wholesale payments services, and three national information technology operations dealing with incident
response, remote access, and enterprise search.
3. RECENT FINANCIAL STABILITY ACTIVITIES
The System has implemented a number of programs designed to support the liquidity of financial institutions and to foster improved conditions in financial markets. These new programs, which are set forth below, have resulted in significant
changes to the Bank’s consolidated financial statements.
Expanded Open Market Operations and Support for Mortgage-Related Securities
The Single-Tranche Open Market Operations Program, announced on March 7,
2008, allows primary dealers to initiate a series of term repurchase transactions that
are expected to accumulate to $100 billion in total. Under the provisions of the program, these transactions are conducted as twenty-eight-day term repurchase agreements for which primary dealers pledge U.S. Treasury and agency securities and
agency mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) as collateral. The Bank can elect to
increase the size of the term repurchase program if conditions warrant. The repurchase transactions are reported as “System Open Market Account: Securities purchased under agreements to resell” in the Consolidated Statements of Condition.
The GSE and Agency Securities and MBS Purchase Program was announced on
November 25, 2008. The primary goal of the program is to provide support to the
mortgage and housing markets and to foster improved conditions in financial markets. Under this program, the FRBNY will purchase the direct obligations of housing-related GSEs and MBS backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association
(“Fannie Mae”), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”),

21

and the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”). Purchases of
the direct obligations of housing-related GSEs began in November 2008 and purchases of GSE and agency MBS began in January 2009. There were no purchases of
GSE and agency MBS during the period ended December 31, 2008. The program
was initially authorized to purchase up to $100 billion in GSE direct obligations and
up to $500 billion in MBS. In March 2009, the FOMC authorized the Bank to purchase up to an additional $750 billion of GSE mortgage-backed securities, $100 billion of GSE direct obligations, and $300 billion in longer term Treasury securities.
The Bank holds the resulting securities and agreements in the SOMA portfolio
and the activities of both programs are allocated to the other Reserve Banks.
Central Bank Liquidity Swaps
The FOMC authorized the Bank to establish temporary liquidity currency swap
arrangements (central bank liquidity swaps) with the European Central Bank and
the Swiss National Bank on December 12, 2007, to help provide liquidity in U.S.
dollars to overseas markets. Subsequently, the FOMC authorized liquidity currency
swap arrangements with additional foreign central banks. Such arrangements are
now authorized with the following central banks: the Reserve Bank of Australia,
Banco Central do Brasil, the Bank of Canada, Danmarks Nationalbank, the Bank of
England, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of Korea, Banco
de México, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Norges Bank, the Monetary
Authority of Singapore, Sveriges Riksbank, and the Swiss National Bank. The activity related to the program is allocated to the other Reserve Banks. The maximum
amount of borrowing permissible under the swap arrangement varies by central
bank. The central bank liquidity swap arrangements are authorized through
October 30, 2009.
Lending to Depository Institutions
The Term Auction Facility (“TAF”) program was announced on December 12,
2007. The goal of TAF is to help promote the efficient dissemination of liquidity,
which is achieved by the Reserve Banks injecting term funds through a broader
range of counterparties and against a broader range of collateral than open market
operations. Under the TAF program, Reserve Banks auction term funds to depository institutions against a wide variety of collateral. All depository institutions that
are eligible to borrow under the primary credit program are eligible to participate in
TAF auctions. All advances must be fully collateralized. The loans are reported as
“Loans to depository institutions” in the Consolidated Statements of Condition.

22

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Lending to Primary Dealers
The Term Securities Lending Facility (“TSLF”), announced on March 11, 2008,
promotes liquidity in the financing markets for U.S. Treasuries and other collateral.
Under the TSLF, the Bank will lend up to an aggregate amount of $200 billion of
U.S. Treasury securities to primary dealers for a term of twenty-eight days. Securities
loaned are collateralized by a pledge of other securities, including federal agency
debt, federal agency residential-mortgage-backed securities, and non-agency
AAA/Aaa-rated private-label residential-mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”), and
are awarded to primary dealers through a competitive single-price auction. In
February 2009, the System announced the extension through October 30, 2009, of
TSLF. The fees related to these securities lending transactions are reported as a component of “Non-interest income (loss): Other income” in the Consolidated
Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.
The Primary Dealer Credit Facility (“PDCF”) was announced on March 16,
2008. The goal of the PDCF is to improve the ability of primary dealers to provide
financing to participants in the securitization markets. Primary dealers may obtain
secured overnight financing under the PDCF, in the form of repurchase transactions. Eligible collateral is that which is eligible for pledge in tri-party funding
arrangements. The program became operational on September 12, 2008, and the
interest rate charged on the secured financing is the Bank’s primary credit rate.
Participants pay a frequency-based fee if they access the program on more than fortyfive business days during the term of the program. Secured financing made under
the PDCF is made with recourse to the primary dealer. Financing provided under
the PDCF is included in “Other loans” in the Consolidated Statements of
Condition. In February 2009, the System announced the extension through
October 30, 2009, of the PDCF.
The Term Securities Lending Facility Options Program (“TOP”), announced on
July 30, 2008, offers primary dealers the option to draw upon short-term, fixed-rate
TSLF loans in exchange for eligible collateral. The options are awarded through a
competitive auction. The program is intended to enhance the effectiveness of the
TSLF by ensuring additional securities liquidity during periods of heightened collateral market pressures, such as around quarter-end dates. TOP auction dates are
determined by the Bank, and the program authorization ends concurrently with the TSLF.
The Transitional Credit Extensions, announced on September 21, 2008, provide
liquidity support to broker-dealers that were in the process of transitioning to the
bank holding company structure. The credit extensions under this program are
aimed at providing the firms with increased liquidity and are collateralized similarly

23

to loans made under either the Bank’s primary credit programs or through the existing PDCF. Financing provided under the Transitional Credit Extensions is included
in “Other loans” in the Consolidated Statements of Condition.
Other Lending Facilities
The Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity
Facility (“AMLF”), announced on September 19, 2008, is a lending facility that provides funding under certain conditions to U.S. depository institutions and bank
holding companies to finance the purchase of high-quality asset-backed commercial
paper (“ABCP”) from money market mutual funds. The program is intended to
assist money market mutual funds that hold such paper to meet the demands for
investor redemptions and to foster liquidity in the ABCP market and in money markets more generally. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (“FRBB”) administers the
AMLF and is authorized to extend these loans to eligible borrowers on behalf of the
other Reserve Banks. All loans extended under the AMLF are recorded as assets by
the FRBB and, if the borrowing institution settles to a depository account in the
Second Reserve District, the funds are credited to the institution’s depository
account and settled between the Banks through the interdistrict settlement account.
The credit risk related to the AMLF is assumed by the FRBB. The FRBB is authorized to finance the purchase of commercial paper through October 30, 2009.
The Commercial Paper Funding Facility (the “CPFF Program”), announced
on October 7, 2008, provides liquidity to the commercial paper market in the
United States by increasing the availability of term commercial paper funding to
issuers and by providing greater assurance to both issuers and investors that issuers
will be able to roll over their maturing commercial paper. The CPFF Program
became operational on October 27, 2008, and was originally authorized to purchase
commercial paper through April 30, 2009, but authorization was subsequently
extended through October 30, 2009. The Commercial Paper Funding Facility LLC
(“CPFF”), is a limited liability company that was formed on October 14, 2008, in
connection with the implementation of the CPFF Program, to purchase eligible
three-month unsecured and asset-backed commercial paper directly from eligible
issuers using the proceeds of loans made to the CPFF. The CPFF is a single member limited liability company with the Bank as the sole and managing member. The
Bank will continue to provide funding to the CPFF after such date, if necessary,
until the CPFF’s underlying assets mature.

24

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

All loans made by the Bank to the CPFF are on a full recourse basis and all the
assets in the CPFF serve as collateral. The rate of interest on the loan is the target
federal funds rate and is fixed through the life of the loan. If the target federal funds
rate is a range, then the rate of interest is set at the maximum rate within such range.
Principal and accrued interest are payable, in full, at the maturity date of the commercial paper. The Bank’s loan to the CPFF is eliminated during consolidation.
To be eligible for purchases by the CPFF, commercial paper must, among other
things, be (i) issued by a U.S. issuer (which includes U.S. issuers with a foreign parent
company and U.S. branches of foreign banks) and (ii) be rated at least A-1/P-1/F1
by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) or if rated
by multiple NRSROs, rated at least A-1/P-1/F1 by two or more. The commercial
paper must also be U.S.-dollar-denominated and have a three-month maturity.
Commercial paper purchased by the CPFF is discounted when purchased and
carried at amortized cost. The maximum amount of a single issuer’s commercial
paper that the CPFF may own at any time (the “maximum face value”) will be the
greatest amount of U.S.-dollar-denominated commercial paper the issuer had outstanding on any day between January 1 and August 31, 2008. The CPFF will not
purchase additional commercial paper from an issuer whose total commercial paper
outstanding to all investors (including the CPFF) equals or exceeds the issuer’s maximum face value limit.
All issuers must pay a non-refundable facility fee upon registration with the
CPFF equal to 10 basis points of the issuer’s maximum face value. CPFF Program
participants that issue unsecured commercial paper to the CPFF are required to pay
a surcharge of 100 basis points per annum of the face value. The CPFF is authorized
to reinvest cash in short-term and highly liquid assets, which include U.S. Treasury
and agency securities (excluding mortgage-backed securities), money market funds,
repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Treasuries and agencies as well as U.S.dollar-denominated overnight deposits. In January 2009, the Bank announced that
ABCP issuers that were inactive prior to the creation of the CPFF Program are ineligible for participation in the program. An issuer is considered inactive if it did not
issue ABCP to institutions other than the sponsoring institution for any consecutive
period of three months or longer between January 1 and August 31, 2008.
The Money Market Investor Funding Facility (“MMIFF”), announced on
October 21, 2008, supports a private-sector initiative designed to provide liquidity
to U.S. money market investors. Under the MMIFF, the Bank provides senior
secured funding to a series of limited liability companies (“LLC”) that were established by the private sector to finance the purchase of eligible assets from eligible

25

investors. Eligible assets include U.S.-dollar-denominated certificates of deposit and
commercial paper issued by highly rated financial institutions with remaining maturities of ninety days or less. During 2008, only U.S. money market mutual funds
were eligible investors. The MMIFF will purchase these assets by issuing subordinated ABCP equal to 10 percent of the asset’s purchase price and by borrowing, on
a secured basis, 90 percent of the price. The MMIFF may purchase up to $600 billion in money market instruments, with up to $540 billion of the funding provided
by the Bank. MMIFF purchases will be recorded at amortized cost. Although there
were no material transactions for the period ended December 31, 2008, the MMIFF
LLCs are consolidated on the Bank’s financial statements. In January 2009, the
System announced that the set of institutions eligible to participate in MMIFF
would be expanded from U.S. money market mutual funds to also include a number of other money market investors. The newly eligible participants include U.S.based securities-lending cash-collateral reinvestment funds, portfolios, and accounts
(securities lenders); and U.S.-based investment funds that operate in a manner similar to money market mutual funds, such as certain local government investment
pools, common trust funds, and collective investment funds. Additionally, the
System authorized the adjustment of several of the economic parameters of the
MMIFF, including the minimum yield on assets eligible to be sold to the MMIFF.
In February 2009, the System announced the extension of MMIFF through
October 30, 2009.
The Board of Governors announced the creation of the Term Asset-Backed
Securities Loan Facility (“TALF”) on November 25, 2008. The goal of the TALF is
to help market participants meet the credit needs of households and small businesses
by supporting the issuance of asset-backed securities (ABS) collateralized by student
loans, auto loans, credit card loans, and loans guaranteed by the Small Business
Administration (“SBA”). Under the TALF, the Bank will lend up to $200 billion on
a non-recourse basis to holders of certain AAA-rated ABS backed by newly and
recently originated consumer and small business loans. ABS accepted as collateral for
the loans extended by the Bank are assigned a lending value (fair value reduced by a
margin) deemed appropriate by the Bank. The Treasury, under the Troubled Asset
Relief Program (TARP) of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, will
provide $20 billion of credit protection to the Bank in connection with the TALF.
All U.S. persons that own eligible collateral may participate in the TALF. The TALF
will cease making new loans on December 31, 2009, unless the Board of Governors
agrees to extend it. There were no transactions during the period ended December 31,
2008. On February 10, 2009, the Board of Governors announced that it is prepared
to expand the size of the TALF to as much as $1 trillion and potentially broaden the

26

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

eligible collateral to encompass other types of newly issued AAA-rated ABS, such as
ABS backed by commercial mortgages or private-label ABS backed by residential
mortgages. If the size of the TALF is expanded, the U.S. Treasury will increase its
credit protection to the Bank. On March 23, 2009, the U.S. Treasury, in conjunction with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and Federal Reserve,
announced the Public-Private Investment Program for Legacy Assets. One part of
the program, the Legacy Securities Program, would involve an expansion of the
TALF program to include the provision of non-recourse loans to fund purchases of
eligible legacy securitization assets, including certain non-agency RMBS that were
originally rated AAA and certain collateralized mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”)
and other ABS that are rated AAA.
Support for Specific Institutions
In connection with and to facilitate the merger of The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc.
(“Bear Stearns”) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (“JPMC”), the Bank formed Maiden
Lane LLC (“ML”). Credit was extended to ML on June 26, 2008. ML is a limited
liability company formed by the Bank to acquire certain assets of Bear Stearns and
to manage those assets over time, in order to maximize the repayment of credit
extended to ML and to minimize disruption to the financial markets. The assets
acquired by ML were valued at $29.9 billion as of March 14, 2008, the date that the
Bank committed to the transaction, and largely consisted of mortgage-related securities, mortgage loans and the associated hedges, which included credit and interest
rate derivatives, as well as mortgage commitments (“To Be Announced,” or “TBAs”).
The Bank extended approximately a $28.8 billion senior loan and JPMC extended
a $1.15 billion subordinated loan to finance the acquisition of assets. The loans are
collateralized by all the assets of ML. The Bank is the sole and managing member of
ML. The Bank is the controlling party of the assets of ML and will remain as such
as long as the Bank retains an economic interest. The interest rate on the senior loan
is the primary credit rate in effect from time to time. JPMC will bear the first
$1.2 billion of any losses associated with the portfolio through its subordinated loan
and any realized gains will accrue to the Bank. The interest on the JPMC subordinated loan is the primary credit rate plus 450 basis points. The Bank consolidates ML.
The Board of Governors announced on September 16, 2008, that the Bank was
authorized to lend to American International Group, Inc. (“AIG”). Initially, the
Bank provided AIG with a line of credit collateralized by the pledge of a substantial
portion of the assets of AIG. Under the provisions of the original agreement, the
Bank was authorized to lend up to $85 billion to AIG for two years at a rate of threemonth London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) plus 850 basis points. In addition,

27

AIG was assessed a one-time commitment fee of 200 basis points on the full amount
of the commitment and a fee of 850 basis points per annum on the undrawn credit
line. A condition of the credit agreement was that AIG would issue to a trust, for the
sole benefit of the federal treasury, preferred shares convertible to approximately
78 percent of the issued and outstanding shares of the common stock of AIG. The
AIG Credit Facility Trust was formed January 16, 2009, and the preferred shares
were issued to the Trust on March 4, 2009. The Trust has three independent trustees
who control the trust’s voting and consent rights. The Bank cannot exercise voting
or consent rights.
On October 8, 2008, the Bank began providing cash collateral to certain AIG
insurance subsidiaries in connection with AIG’s domestic securities lending program.
On November 10, 2008, the Bank and the U.S. Treasury announced a restructuring of the government’s financial support to AIG. As part of the restructuring, the
U.S. Treasury purchased $40 billion of newly issued AIG preferred shares under the
TARP. TARP funds were used to pay down the majority of AIG’s debt to the Bank
and the terms of the original agreement were modified. The restructuring also
reduced the line of credit to $60 billion, reduced the interest rate to the three-month
LIBOR (subject to a floor of 350 basis points), reduced the fee on undrawn funds
to 75 basis points, and extended the length of the agreement to five years. The other
material terms of the funding were unchanged. These revised terms were more consistent with terms granted to other entities with similar credit risk.
Concurrent with the November 10, 2008, announcement of the restructuring of
its financial support to AIG, the Bank announced the planned formation of two new
special purpose vehicles (“SPVs”). On December 12, 2008, the Bank extended credit
to Maiden Lane II LLC (“ML II”), a limited liability company formed to purchase
RMBS from the reinvestment pool of the securities lending portfolio of several regulated U.S. insurance subsidiaries of AIG. ML II borrowed $19.5 billion from the
Bank and (after certain adjustments including payments on the RMBS totaling
$0.3 billion between October 31, 2008, and December 12, 2008) used the proceeds
to purchase from AIG’s domestic insurance subsidiaries, RMBS, which had an
approximate fair value of $20.8 billion as of October 31, 2008. The Bank’s loan and
the fixed deferred purchase price of the AIG subsidiaries are collateralized by all of
the assets of ML II. The Bank is the sole and managing member of ML II. The Bank
is the controlling party of the assets of ML II and will remain as such as long as the
Bank retains an economic interest. Net proceeds received by ML II will be applied
to pay the Bank’s senior loan plus interest at a rate of one-month LIBOR plus 100

28

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

basis points. As part of the agreement, the AIG subsidiaries also became entitled to
receive from ML II a fixed deferred purchase price of up to $1.0 billion, plus interest on any such fixed deferred purchase price outstanding at a rate of one-month
LIBOR plus 300 basis points, payable from net proceeds received by ML II and only
to the extent that the Bank’s senior loan has been paid in full. After ML II has paid
the Bank’s senior loan and the fixed deferred purchase price in full, including
accrued and unpaid interest, the Bank will be entitled to receive five-sixths of any
additional net proceeds received by ML II as contingent interest on the senior loan
and the AIG subsidiaries will be entitled to receive one-sixth of any net proceeds
received by ML II as variable deferred purchase price. As a result of the formation
and commencement of operations of ML II, the Bank’s lending in connection with
AIG’s securities lending program initiated on October 8, 2008, was terminated. The
Bank consolidates ML II.
On November 25, 2008, the Bank extended credit to Maiden Lane III LLC
(“ML III”), a limited liability company formed to purchase asset-backed securities
collateralized debt obligations (“ABS CDOs”) from certain third-party counterparties of AIG Financial Products Corp. (“AIGFP”). In connection with the acquisitions, the third-party counterparties agreed to terminate their related credit derivative contracts with AIGFP. In connection with the credit agreement, on November 25,
2008, ML III borrowed approximately $15.1 billion from the Bank, and AIG provided an equity contribution of $5 billion to ML III. The proceeds were used to purchase ABS CDOs with a fair value of $21.1 billion as of October 31, 2008. The
counterparties received $20.1 billion net of principal, interest received, and finance
charges paid.
Subsequently, on December 18, 2008, ML III borrowed an additional $9.2 billion from the Bank to fund the acquisition of additional ABS CDOs with a fair
value of $8.5 billion as of October 31, 2008. The net payment to counterparties for
this subsequent transaction was $6.7 billion. ML III also made a payment to AIGFP
of $2.5 billion representing the over collateralization previously posted by AIGFP
and retained by counterparties in respect of the terminated credit default swaps
(“CDS”) as compared to ML III’s fair value acquisition prices calculated as of
October 31, 2008. The Bank is the managing member of ML III. The Bank is the
controlling party of the assets of ML III and will remain as such as long as the Bank
retains an economic interest. Net proceeds received by ML III will be applied to pay
the Bank’s senior loan plus interest at a rate of one-month LIBOR plus 100 basis
points. The Bank’s senior loan is collateralized by all of the assets of ML III. After
payment of principal and interest on the Bank’s senior loan in full, including accrued

29

and unpaid interest, AIG is entitled to receive from ML III repayment of its equity
contribution of $5 billion, plus interest at a rate of one-month LIBOR plus 300
basis points, payable from net proceeds received by ML III. After ML III has paid
the Bank’s senior loan and AIG’s equity contribution in full, the Bank will be entitled to receive two-thirds of any additional net proceeds received by ML III as contingent interest on the senior loan and AIG will be entitled to receive one-third of
any net proceeds received by ML III as contingent distributions on its equity interest. The Bank consolidates ML III.
On March 2, 2009, the Bank and U.S. Treasury announced their intent to
restructure the financial assistance provided to AIG. The restructuring is expected to
further the U.S. government’s commitment to the orderly restructuring of AIG over
time in the face of continuing market dislocations and economic deterioration and
to provide evidence of its commitment to continue to work with AIG to ensure that
the company can meet its obligations as they come due. Under the proposed new
agreement, the line of credit would be reduced in exchange for preferred interest in
two SPVs created to hold all of the outstanding common stock of American Life
Insurance Company (ALICO) and American International Assurance Company
Ltd. (AIA), two life insurance holding company subsidiaries of AIG. Although the
Bank would have certain governance rights to protect its interests, AIG would retain
control of ALICO and AIA. The initial valuation of the Bank’s preferred interests,
which may be up to $26 billion, will be a percentage of the fair market value of
ALICO and AIA based on measurements of value acceptable to the Bank. The Bank
is evaluating the accounting implications of these changes on its 2009 consolidated
financial statements.
In addition, the Bank has been authorized to make loans of up to $8.5 billion to
SPVs that may be established by the domestic life insurance subsidiaries of AIG. The
SPVs would repay the loans from the net cash flows they receive from designated
blocks of existing life insurance policies held by the parent insurance companies.
The proceeds of the Bank’s loans would pay down an equivalent amount of outstanding debt under the line of credit. The amounts lent, the size of the haircuts
taken by the Bank, and other terms of the loans would be determined based on valuations acceptable to the Bank. Also, the interest rate on the line of credit would be
modified, removing the existing floor on the LIBOR rate and the total amount available under the line of credit would be reduced from $60 billion to no less than
$25 billion. The line would continue to be collateralized by a lien on a substantial
portion of AIG’s assets, including the equity interest in businesses AIG plans to

30

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

retain. The other material terms of the line would remain unchanged. As of April 2,
2009, the agreements necessary to effect this restructuring had not been executed.
The Board of Governors, the U.S. Treasury, and the FDIC jointly announced on
November 23, 2008, that the U.S. government would provide financial support to
Citigroup, Inc. (“Citigroup”). The agreement provides funding support for possible
principal future losses on up to $301 billion of Citigroup’s assets. It extends for ten
years for residential assets and five years for non-residential assets. Under the agreement, a loss on a portfolio asset includes a charge-off or realized loss upon collection, through a permitted disposition or exchange, or upon a foreclosure or shortsale loss, but not through a change in Citigroup’s mark-to-market accounting for the
asset or the creation or increase of a related loss reserve. The Bank’s commitment to
lend under the agreement is triggered at the time that qualifying losses of $56.2 billion have been recognized in the covered assets pool. At that point, if Citigroup
makes a proper election, the Bank would make a single non-recourse loan to
Citigroup in an amount equal to the aggregate adjusted baseline value of the remaining covered assets, as defined in the relevant agreements. The loan would be collateralized by the remaining covered asset pool. The interest rate on the loan would be
equal to the rate on the three-month overnight index swap rate (“OIS rate”) plus
300 basis points. Citigroup would be required to make mandatory principal prepayments of the loan in an amount equal to 10 percent of any further covered losses on the remaining covered assets and that obligation plus the interest on the loan
is with recourse to Citigroup. The loan matures in 2018 (or 2019 if extended by the
Bank).
4. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Accounting principles for entities with the unique powers and responsibilities of a
nation’s central bank have not been formulated by accounting standard-setting bodies. The Board of Governors has developed specialized accounting principles and
practices that it considers to be appropriate for the nature and function of a central
bank. These accounting principles and practices are documented in the Financial
Accounting Manual for Federal Reserve Banks (“Financial Accounting Manual,” or
“FAM”), which is issued by the Board of Governors. All of the Reserve Banks are
required to adopt and apply accounting policies and practices that are consistent
with the FAM and the consolidated financial statements have been prepared in
accordance with the FAM.

31

Differences exist between the accounting principles and practices in the FAM
and generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), primarily due to the unique nature of the Bank’s powers and responsibilities as part of
the nation’s central bank. The primary difference is the presentation of all SOMA
securities holdings at amortized cost, rather than using the fair value presentation
as required by GAAP. U.S. government, and federal agency, and GSE securities and
investments denominated in foreign currencies comprising the SOMA are recorded
at cost, on a settlement-date basis, and are adjusted for amortization of premiums
or accretion of discounts on a straight-line basis. Amortized cost more appropriately
reflects the Bank’s securities holdings, given the System’s unique responsibility to
conduct monetary policy. Although application of fair value measurements to the
securities holdings may result in values substantially above or below their carrying
values, these unrealized changes in value would have no direct effect on the quantity of reserves available to the banking system or on the prospects for future Bank
earnings or capital. Both the domestic and foreign components of the SOMA portfolio may involve transactions that result in gains or losses when holdings are sold
prior to maturity. Decisions regarding securities and foreign currency transactions,
including their purchase and sale, are motivated by monetary policy objectives
rather than profit. Accordingly, fair values, earnings, and any gains or losses resulting from the sale of such securities and currencies are incidental to the open
market operations and do not motivate decisions related to policy or open market
activities.
In addition, the Bank has elected not to present a Statement of Cash Flows
because the liquidity and cash positions of the Bank are not a primary concern
given their Reserve Banks’ unique powers and responsibilities. Other information
regarding the Bank’s activities is provided in, or may be derived from, the
Consolidated Statements of Condition, Income and Comprehensive Income, and
Changes in Capital. There are no other significant differences between the policies
outlined in the FAM and GAAP.
Preparing the consolidated financial statements in conformity with the FAM
requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported
amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could
differ from those estimates. Certain amounts relating to the prior year have been
reclassified to conform to the current-year presentation. Unique accounts and significant accounting policies are explained below.

32

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

a. Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and results of operations of the
Bank as well as several variable interest entities (“VIEs”), which include ML, ML II, ML III,
and CPFF. The consolidation of the VIEs was assessed in accordance with FASB
Interpretation No. 46 (revised), “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities” (“FIN 46R”),
which requires a variable interest entity to be consolidated by its primary beneficiary.
The Bank consolidates a VIE if the Bank is the primary beneficiary because it will absorb
a majority of the entity’s expected losses, receive a majority of the entity’s expected residual
returns, or both. To determine whether it is the primary beneficiary of a VIE, the Bank evaluates the VIEs design, capital structure, and the relationships among the variable interest
holders. The Bank reconsiders whether it is the primary beneficiary of a VIE when certain
events occur as required by FIN 46R. Intercompany balances and transactions have been
eliminated in consolidation.
b. Gold and Special Drawing Rights Certificates
The Secretary of the U.S. Treasury is authorized to issue gold and special drawing rights
(“SDR”) certificates to the Reserve Banks.
Payment for the gold certificates by the Reserve Banks is made by crediting equivalent
amounts in dollars into the account established for the U.S. Treasury. The gold certificates
held by the Reserve Banks are required to be backed by the gold of the U.S. Treasury. The
U.S. Treasury may reacquire the gold certificates at any time, and the Reserve Banks must
deliver them to the U.S. Treasury. At such time, the U.S. Treasury’s account is charged, and
the Reserve Banks’ gold certificate accounts are reduced. The value of gold for purposes of
backing the gold certificates is set by law at $42 2/9 a fine troy ounce. The Board of
Governors allocates the gold certificates among the Reserve Banks once a year based on the
average Federal Reserve notes outstanding in each Reserve Bank.
SDR certificates are issued by the International Monetary Fund (the “Fund”) to its members in proportion to each member’s quota in the Fund at the time of issuance. SDR certificates serve as a supplement to international monetary reserves and may be transferred from
one national monetary authority to another. Under the law providing for U.S. participation
in the SDR system, the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury is authorized to issue SDR certificates
somewhat like gold certificates to the Reserve Banks. When SDR certificates are issued to the
Reserve Banks, equivalent amounts in dollars are credited to the account established for the
U.S. Treasury, and the Reserve Banks’ SDR certificate accounts are increased. The Reserve
Banks are required to purchase SDR certificates, at the direction of the U.S. Treasury, for the
purpose of financing SDR acquisitions or for financing exchange stabilization operations. At
the time SDR transactions occur, the Board of Governors allocates SDR certificate transactions
among the Reserve Banks based upon each Reserve Bank’s Federal Reserve notes outstanding
at the end of the preceding year. There were no SDR transactions in 2008 or 2007.

33

c. Loans to Depository Institutions and Other Loans
Loans are reported at their outstanding principal balances net of unamortized commitment fees. Interest income is recognized on an accrual basis. Loan commitment
fees are generally deferred and amortized on a straight-line basis over the commitment period, which is not materially different from the interest method.
Outstanding loans are evaluated to determine whether an allowance for loan
losses is required. The Bank has developed procedures for assessing the adequacy of
the allowance for loan losses that reflect the assessment of credit risk considering all
available information. This assessment includes monitoring information obtained
from banking supervisors, borrowers, and other sources to assess the credit condition of the borrowers.
Loans are considered to be impaired when it is probable that the Bank will not
receive principal and interest due in accordance with the contractual terms of the
loan agreement. The amount of the impairment is the difference between the
recorded amount of the loan and the amount expected to be collected, after consideration of the fair value of the collateral. Recognition of interest income is discontinued for any loans that are considered to be impaired. Cash payments made by
borrowers on impaired loans are applied to principal until the balance is reduced to
zero; subsequent payments are recorded as recoveries of amounts previously charged
off and then to interest income.
d. Securities Purchased under Agreements to Resell, Securities Sold under
Agreements to Repurchase, and Securities Lending
The Bank may engage in tri-party purchases of securities under agreements to resell
(“tri-party agreements”). Tri-party agreements are conducted with two commercial
custodial banks that manage the clearing and settlement of collateral. Collateral is
held in excess of the contract amount. Acceptable collateral under tri-party agreements primarily includes U.S. government securities; pass-through mortgage securities of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae; STRIP securities of the U.S. government; and “stripped” securities of other government agencies. The tri-party
agreements are accounted for as financing transactions and the associated interest
income is accrued over the life of the agreement.
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase are accounted for as financing
transactions, and the associated interest expense is recognized over the life of the
transaction. These transactions are reported at their contractual amounts in the
Consolidated Statements of Condition and the related accrued interest payable is
reported as a component of “Other liabilities.”

34

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

U.S. government securities held in SOMA are lent to primary dealers to facilitate the effective functioning of the domestic securities market. Overnight securities
lending transactions are fully collateralized by other U.S. government securities.
TSLF transactions are fully collateralized with investment-grade debt securities, collateral eligible for tri-party repurchase agreements arranged by the Open Market
Trading Desk, or both. The collateral taken in both overnight and TSLF transactions
is in excess of the fair value of the securities loaned. The Bank charges the primary
dealer a fee for borrowing securities, and these fees are reported as a component of
“Other income.”
Activity related to securities purchased under agreements to resell, securities sold
under agreements to repurchase, and securities lending are allocated to each of the
Reserve Banks on a percentage basis derived from an annual settlement of the interdistrict settlement account.
e. U.S. Government, Federal Agency, and Government-Sponsored-Enterprise
Securities; Investments Denominated in Foreign Currencies; and Warehousing
Agreements
Interest income on U.S. government, federal agency and GSE securities and investments denominated in foreign currencies comprising the SOMA is accrued on a
straight-line basis. Gains and losses resulting from sales of securities are determined
by specific issue based on average cost. Foreign-currency-denominated assets are
revalued daily at current foreign currency market exchange rates in order to report
these assets in U.S. dollars. Realized and unrealized gains and losses on investments
denominated in foreign currencies are reported as “Foreign currency gains, net” in
the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.
Activity related to U.S. government, federal agency and GSE securities, including the premiums, discounts, and realized gains and losses, is allocated to each
Reserve Bank on a percentage basis derived from an annual settlement of the interdistrict settlement account that occurs in April of each year. The settlement also
equalizes Reserve Bank gold certificate holdings to Federal Reserve notes outstanding in each District. Activity related to investments denominated in foreign currencies, including the premiums, discounts, and realized and unrealized gains and losses,
is allocated to each Reserve Bank based on the ratio of each Reserve Bank’s capital
and surplus to aggregate capital and surplus at the preceding December 31.
Warehousing is an arrangement under which the FOMC agrees to exchange, at
the request of the U.S. Treasury, U.S. dollars for foreign currencies held by the U.S.
Treasury or ESF over a limited period of time. The purpose of the warehousing

35

facility is to supplement the U.S. dollar resources of the U.S. Treasury and ESF for
financing purchases of foreign currencies and related international operations.
Warehousing agreements are designated as held for trading purposes and are valued daily at current market exchange rates. Activity related to these agreements is
allocated to each Reserve Bank based on the ratio of each Reserve Bank’s capital and
surplus to aggregate capital and surplus at the preceding December 31.
f. Central Bank Liquidity Swaps
At the initiation of each central bank liquidity swap transaction, the foreign central
bank transfers a specified amount of its currency to the Bank in exchange for U.S.
dollars at the prevailing market exchange rate. Concurrent with this transaction, the
Bank and the foreign central bank agree to a second transaction that obligates the
foreign central bank to return the U.S. dollars and the Bank to return the foreign
currency on a specified future date at the same exchange rate. The foreign currency
amounts that the Bank acquires are reported as “Central bank liquidity swaps” on
the Consolidated Statements of Condition. Because the swap transaction will be
unwound at the same exchange rate used in the initial transaction, the recorded
value of the foreign currency amounts is not affected by changes in the market
exchange rate.
The foreign central bank pays interest to the Bank based on the foreign currency
amounts held by the Bank. The Bank recognizes interest income during the term of
the swap agreement and reports the interest income as a component of “Interest
income: Central bank liquidity swaps” in the Consolidated Statements of Income
and Comprehensive Income.
Activity related to these swap transactions, including the related interest income,
is allocated to each Reserve Bank based on the ratio of each Reserve Bank’s capital and
surplus to aggregate capital and surplus at the preceding December 31. Similar to
other investments denominated in foreign currencies, the foreign currency holdings
associated with these central bank liquidity swaps are revalued at current market
exchange rates. Because the swap arrangement will be unwound at the same exchange
rate that was used in the initial transaction, the obligation to return the foreign
currency is also revalued at current foreign currency market exchange rates and is
recorded in a currency exchange valuation account by the Bank. This reevaluation
method eliminates the effects from the changes in market exchange rates. As of
December 31, 2008, the Bank began allocating this currency exchange valuation
account to the other Reserve Banks and, as a result, the reported amount of central
bank liquidity swaps reflects the Bank’s allocated portion at the contract exchange

36

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

rate. The balance in the currency exchange valuation account at December 31, 2007,
was $353 million and was reclassified from “Other Liabilities” to “Central bank
liquidity swaps” in the Consolidated Statements of Condition.
g. Investments Held by Consolidated Variable Interest Entities
Investments held by the consolidated VIEs include commercial paper, agency and
non-agency collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), commercial and residential real mortgage loans, RMBS, CDOs, other investment securities, and derivatives and associated hedging activities. These investments are accounted for and
classified as follows:
■

Commercial paper held by the CPFF is designated as held-to-maturity under
Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 115, “Accounting for
Certain Instruments in Debt and Equity Securities” (“SFAS 115”), according
to the terms of the program. The Bank has the positive intent and the ability
to hold the securities to maturity, and therefore the commercial paper is
recorded at amortized cost. The amortized cost is adjusted for amortization
of premiums and accretion of discounts on a straight-line basis that the Bank
believes is not materially different from the interest method. Interest income
on the commercial paper is reported as “Interest income: Investments held by
consolidated variable interest entities” in the Consolidated Statements of
Income and Comprehensive Income. All other investments held by the
CPFF are classified as trading securities under SFAS 115 and are recorded
at fair value. Gains and losses on these trading securities are recorded as “Noninterest income (loss): Investments held by consolidated variable interest
entities (losses), net” in the Consolidated Statements of Income and
Comprehensive Income.
The Bank conducts quarterly reviews to identify and evaluate investments
held at amortized cost that have indications of possible impairment. An
investment is impaired if its fair value falls below its recorded value and the
decline is considered other-than-temporary. Impairment of investments is
evaluated using numerous factors, the relative significance of which varies on
a case-by-case basis. Factors considered include collectability, collateral, the
length of time and extent to which the fair value has been less than cost; the
financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer of a security; and
the Bank’s intent and ability to retain the security in order to allow for an
anticipated recovery in fair value. If, after analyzing each of the above factors,
the Bank determines that the impairment is other-than-temporary, the cost

37

basis of the individual security is written down to fair value and the amount
of the write-down is reported in “Non-interest income: Investments held
by consolidated variable interest entities (losses), net” in the Consolidated
Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.
■

ML follows the guidance in SFAS 115 when accounting for investments in
debt securities. ML classifies its debt securities as available-for-sale and has
elected the fair value option for all eligible assets in accordance with
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 159, “The Fair Value
Option for Financial Assets and Liabilities” (“SFAS 159”), and Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements” (“SFAS
157”). Other financial instruments, including derivatives contracts in ML,
are recorded at fair value in accordance with Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 133, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and
Hedging Activities,” as amended (“SFAS 133”). ML II and ML III qualify as
non-registered investment companies under the provisions of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Audit and Accounting Guide for
Investment Companies and, therefore, all investments are recorded at fair value
in accordance with SFAS 157.

■

Interest income, accretion of discounts, amortization of premiums on investments and paydown gains and losses on RMBS, CDOs and CMOs held by
consolidated variable interest entities are reported in “Interest income:
Investments held by consolidated variable interest entities” in the
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. Realized
and unrealized gains (losses) on investments in consolidated variable interest
entities that are recorded at fair value are reported as “Non-interest income
(loss): Investments held by consolidated variable interest entities (losses), net”
in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.

h. Interdistrict Settlement Account
At the close of business each day, each Reserve Bank aggregates the payments due to
or from other Reserve Banks. These payments result from transactions between the
Reserve Banks and transactions that involve depository institution accounts held by
other Reserve Banks, such as Fedwire funds and securities transfers, and check and
ACH transactions. In addition, AMLF loans are passed through this account. The
cumulative net amount due to or from the other Reserve Banks is reflected in the
“Interdistrict settlement account” in the Consolidated Statements of Condition.

38

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

i. Bank Premises, Equipment, and Software
Bank premises and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation.
Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of
the assets, which range from two to fifty years. Major alterations, renovations, and
improvements are capitalized at cost as additions to the asset accounts and are depreciated over the remaining useful life of the asset or, if appropriate, over the unique
useful life of the alteration, renovation, or improvement. Maintenance, repairs, and
minor replacements are charged to operating expense in the year incurred.
Costs incurred for software during the application development stage, whether
developed internally or acquired for internal use, are capitalized based on the cost of
direct services and materials associated with designing, coding, installing, and testing the software. Capitalized software costs are amortized on a straight-line basis
over the estimated useful lives of the software applications, which range from two to
five years. Maintenance costs related to software are charged to expense in the year
incurred.
Capitalized assets, including software, buildings, leasehold improvements, furniture, and equipment, are evaluated for impairment, and an adjustment is recorded
when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of assets
or asset groups is not recoverable and significantly exceeds the assets’ fair value.
j. Federal Reserve Notes
Federal Reserve notes are the circulating currency of the United States. These notes
are issued through the various Federal Reserve agents (the chairman of the board of
directors of each Reserve Bank and their designees) to the Reserve Banks upon
deposit with such agents of specified classes of collateral security, typically U.S. government securities. These notes are identified as issued to a specific Reserve Bank.
The Federal Reserve Act provides that the collateral security tendered by the Reserve
Bank to the Federal Reserve agent must be at least equal to the sum of the notes
applied for by such Reserve Bank.
Assets eligible to be pledged as collateral security include all of the Bank’s assets.
The collateral value is equal to the book value of the collateral tendered, with the
exception of securities, for which the collateral value is equal to the par value of the
securities tendered. The par value of securities pledged for securities sold under
agreements to repurchase is deducted.

39

The Board of Governors may, at any time, call upon a Reserve Bank for additional security to adequately collateralize the outstanding Federal Reserve notes. To
satisfy the obligation to provide sufficient collateral for outstanding Federal Reserve
notes, the Reserve Banks have entered into an agreement that provides for certain
assets of the Reserve Banks to be jointly pledged as collateral for the Federal Reserve
notes issued to all Reserve Banks. In the event that this collateral is insufficient, the
Federal Reserve Act provides that Federal Reserve notes become a first and paramount lien on all the assets of the Reserve Banks. Finally, Federal Reserve notes are
obligations of the United States government. At December 31, 2008 and 2007, all
Federal Reserve notes issued to the Reserve Banks were fully collateralized.
“Federal Reserve notes outstanding, net” in the Consolidated Statements of
Condition represents the Bank’s Federal Reserve notes outstanding, reduced by the
Bank’s currency holdings of $46,609 million and $74,297 million at December 31,
2008 and 2007, respectively.
k. Beneficial Interest in Consolidated Variable Interest Entities
ML, ML II, and ML III have issued senior and subordinated debt, inclusive of a
fixed deferred purchase price in ML II and an equity contribution in ML III. Upon
issuance of the senior and subordinated debt, ML, ML II, and ML III each elected
to measure these obligations at fair value in accordance with SFAS 159. Principal,
interest, and changes in fair value on the senior debt, which were extended by the
Bank, are eliminated in consolidation. The subordinated debt is recorded at fair
value as “Beneficial interest in consolidated variable interest entities” in the
Consolidated Statements of Condition. Interest expense and changes in fair value of
the subordinated debt are recorded in “Interest expense: Other interest expense related to consolidated variable interest entities” and “Non-interest income (loss):
Investments held by consolidated variable interest entities (losses), net,” respectively,
in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.
l. U.S. Treasury Supplemental Financing Account and Other Deposits
The U.S. Treasury initiated a temporary supplementary program that consists of a
series of Treasury bill auctions, in addition to Treasury’s standard borrowing program. The proceeds of this debt are held in an account at the Bank that is separate
from the Treasury’s general account. The effect of placing funds in this account is to
drain reserves from the banking system and partially offset the reserve impact of the
System’s lending and liquidity initiatives. The new account is defined as the “U.S.
Treasury, supplementary financing account” in the Consolidated Statements of
Condition.
Other deposits represent amounts held in accounts at the Bank by GSEs and foreign central banks and governments.

40

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

m. Items in Process of Collection and Deferred Credit Items
Items in process of collection in the Consolidated Statements of Condition primarily represent amounts attributable to checks that have been deposited for collection
and that, as of the balance sheet date, have not yet been presented to the paying
bank. Deferred credit items are the counterpart liability to items in process of collection, and the amounts in this account arise from deferring credit for deposited
items until the amounts are collected. The balances in both accounts can vary
significantly.
n. Capital Paid-in
The Federal Reserve Act requires that each member bank subscribe to the capital
stock of the Reserve Bank in an amount equal to 6 percent of the capital and surplus of the member bank. These shares are nonvoting with a par value of $100 and
may not be transferred or hypothecated. As a member bank’s capital and surplus
change, its holdings of Reserve Bank stock must be adjusted. Currently, only onehalf of the subscription is paid-in and the remainder is subject to call. A member
bank is liable for Reserve Bank liabilities up to twice the par value of stock subscribed by it.
By law, each Reserve Bank is required to pay each member bank an annual dividend of 6 percent on the paid-in capital stock. This cumulative dividend is paid
semiannually. To reflect the Federal Reserve Act requirement that annual dividends
be deducted from net earnings, dividends are presented as a distribution of comprehensive income in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive
Income.
o. Surplus
The Board of Governors requires the Reserve Banks to maintain a surplus equal to
the amount of capital paid-in as of December 31 of each year. This amount is
intended to provide additional capital and reduce the possibility that the Reserve
Banks will be required to call on member banks for additional capital.
Accumulated other comprehensive income is reported as a component of surplus
in the Consolidated Statements of Condition and the Consolidated Statements of
Changes in Capital. The balance of accumulated other comprehensive income is
comprised of expenses, gains, and losses related to the System retirement plan and
other postretirement benefit plans that, under accounting standards, are included in
other comprehensive income, but excluded from net income. Additional information regarding the classifications of accumulated other comprehensive income is provided in Notes 12, 13, and 14.

41

p. Interest on Federal Reserve Notes
The Board of Governors requires the Reserve Banks to transfer excess earnings to the
U.S. Treasury as interest on Federal Reserve notes, after providing for the costs of
operations, payment of dividends, and reservation of an amount necessary to equate
surplus with capital paid-in. This amount is reported as “Payments to U.S. Treasury
as interest on Federal Reserve notes” in the Consolidated Statements of Income and
Comprehensive Income and is reported as a liability, or as an asset if overpaid during the year, in the Consolidated Statements of Condition. Weekly payments to the
U.S. Treasury may vary significantly.
q. Interest on Depository Institutions Deposits
Beginning October 9, 2008, the Reserve Banks pay interest to depository institutions on qualifying balances held at the Banks. Authorization for payment of interest on these balances was granted by Title II of the Financial Services Regulatory
Relief Act of 2006, which had an effective date of 2011. Section 128 of the
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, enacted on October 3, 2008, made
that authority immediately effective. The interest rates paid on required reserve balances and excess balances are based on an FOMC established target range for the
effective federal funds rate.
r. Income and Costs Related to U.S. Treasury Services
The Bank is required by the Federal Reserve Act to serve as fiscal agent and depository of the United States Government. By statute, the Department of the Treasury
has appropriations to pay for these services. During the years ended December 31,
2008 and 2007, the Bank was reimbursed for substantially all services provided to
the Department of the Treasury as its fiscal agent.
s. Compensation Received for Services Provided and Compensation Paid
for Services Costs Incurred
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (“FRBA”) has overall responsibility for managing the Reserve Banks’ provision of check and ACH services to depository institutions, and, as a result, recognizes total System revenue for these services on its
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. The Bank manages the Reserve Banks’ provision of Fedwire funds and securities transfer services,
and recognizes total System revenue for these services on its Consolidated
Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. Similarly, the Federal Reserve
Bank of Chicago (“FRBC”) has overall responsibility for managing the Reserve
Banks’ provision of electronic access services to depository institutions, and, as a
result, recognizes total System revenue for these services on its Consolidated

42

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. The FRBA, the Bank, and
FRBC compensate the other Reserve Banks for the costs incurred to provide these
services. Compensation received by the Bank for providing check and ACH services
is reported as “Compensation received for services provided” in the Consolidated
Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. Compensation paid by the Bank
for Fedwire funds transfer and securities transfer services is reported as
“Compensation paid for services costs incurred” in the Consolidated Statements of
Income and Comprehensive Income.
t. Assessments by the Board of Governors
The Board of Governors assesses the Reserve Banks to fund its operations based on
each Reserve Bank’s capital and surplus balances as of December 31 of the prior year.
The Board of Governors also assesses each Reserve Bank for the expenses incurred
for the U.S. Treasury to prepare and retire Federal Reserve notes based on each
Reserve Bank’s share of the number of notes comprising the System’s net liability for
Federal Reserve notes on December 31 of the prior year.
u. Taxes
The Reserve Banks are exempt from federal, state, and local taxes, except for taxes
on real property and, in some states, sales taxes on construction-related materials.
The Bank’s real property taxes were $5 million for each of the years ended
December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively, and are reported as a component of
“Occupancy expense.”
v. Restructuring Charges
The Reserve Banks recognize restructuring charges for exit or disposal costs incurred
as part of the closure of business activities in a particular location, the relocation of
business activities, or a fundamental reorganization that affects the nature of operations. Restructuring charges may include costs associated with employee separations,
contract terminations, and asset impairments. Expenses are recognized in the period
in which the Bank commits to a formalized restructuring plan or executes the specific actions contemplated in the plan and all criteria for financial statement recognition have been met.
Note 15 describes the Bank’s restructuring initiatives and provides information
about the costs and liabilities associated with employee separations and contract terminations. The costs associated with the impairment of certain of the Bank’s assets
are discussed in Note 10. Costs and liabilities associated with enhanced pension benefits in connection with the restructuring activities for all of the Reserve Banks are
recorded on the books of the Bank. Costs and liabilities associated with enhanced
postretirement benefits are discussed in Note 13.

43

w. Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In December 2008, FASB issued FASB Staff Position (FSP) FAS 140-4 and FIN
46(R)-8, “Disclosures by Public Entities (Enterprises) about Transfers of Financial
Assets and Interests in Variable Interest Entities.” FSP FAS 140-4 and FIN 46(R)-8
amend FASB Statement No. 140 to require public entities to provide additional disclosures about transfers of financial assets. They also amend FASB Interpretation
No. 46(R) to require public entities, including sponsors that have a variable interest
in a VIE, to provide additional disclosures about their involvement with VIEs. The
adoption of the additional disclosure requirements of FSP FAS 140-4 and FIN
46(R)-8 did not materially impact the Bank’s consolidated financial statements.
In December 2008, FASB issued FSP 132(R)-1, “Employers’ Disclosures about
Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets.” FSP 132(R)-1 provides rules for the disclosure
of information about assets held in a defined benefit plan in the financial statements
of the employer sponsoring that plan. This FSP applies SFAS 157 to defined benefit plans and provides rules for additional disclosures about asset categories and concentrations of risk. It is effective for financial statements with fiscal years ending after
December 15, 2009. The provisions of FSP 132(R)-1 will be applied prospectively
effective January 1, 2009, and are not expected to have a material effect on the
Bank’s consolidated financial statements.
In October 2008, FASB issued FSP 157-3, “Determining the Fair Value of a
Financial Asset When the Market for That Asset Is Not Active,” with an effective
date of October 10, 2008. FSP 157-3 clarifies how SFAS No. 157 should be applied
when valuing securities in markets that are not active. For additional information on
the effects of the adoption of this accounting pronouncement, see Note 9.
In September 2008, FASB issued FSP 133-1 and FIN 45-4, “Disclosures about
Credit Derivatives and Certain Guarantees: An Amendment of FASB Statement No.
133 and FASB Interpretation No. 45; and Clarification of the Effective Date of
FASB Statement No. 161.” This FSP requires expanded disclosures about credit
derivatives and guarantees. The expanded disclosure requirements of the FSP, which
are effective for the Bank’s consolidated financial statements for the year ending
December 31, 2008, are incorporated in the accompanying notes.
In March 2008, FASB issued SFAS No. 161, “Disclosures about Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities” (“SFAS 161”), which requires expanded qualitative, quantitative, and credit-risk disclosures about derivatives and hedging activities and their effects on a company’s financial position, financial performance, and
cash flows. SFAS 161 is effective for the Bank’s consolidated financial statements for
the year beginning on January 1, 2009, and is not expected to have a material effect
on the Bank’s consolidated financial statements.

44

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

In February 2008, FASB issued FSP FAS 140-3, “Accounting for Transfers of
Financial Assets and Repurchase Financing Transactions.” FSP FAS 140-3 requires
that an initial transfer of a financial asset and a repurchase financing that was entered
into contemporaneously with, or in contemplation of, the initial transfer be evaluated together as a linked transaction under SFAS 140, unless certain criteria are met.
FSP FAS 140-3 is effective for the Bank’s consolidated financial statements for the
year beginning on January 1, 2009, and earlier adoption is not permitted. The provisions of this standard are not expected to have a material effect on the Bank’s consolidated financial statements.
In February 2007, FASB issued SFAS No. 159, which provides companies with
an irrevocable option to elect fair value as the measurement for selected financial
assets, financial liabilities, unrecognized firm commitments and written loan commitments that are not subject to fair value under other accounting standards. There
was a one-time election available to apply this standard to existing financial instruments as of January 1, 2008; otherwise, the fair value option will be available for
financial instruments on their initial transaction date. The Bank adopted SFAS 159
on January 1, 2008, and the effect of the Bank’s election for certain assets and liabilities is reflected in Note 9.
In September 2006, FASB issued SFAS No. 157, which establishes a single
authoritative definition of fair value, and a framework for measuring fair value, and
expands the required disclosures for assets and liabilities measured at fair value. SFAS
157 was effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, with early
adoption permitted. The Bank adopted SFAS 157 on January 1, 2008, and the effect
of the Bank’s adoption of this standard is reflected in Note 9.
5. LOANS
The loan amounts outstanding to depository institutions and others at December 31
were as follows (in millions):
2008
Primary, secondary, and seasonal credit $ 80,230
TAF
220,435
Total loans to
depository institutions
300,665
PDCF
Other (AIG)
Total other loans

37,404
38,914
$ 76,318

2007
$ 5,888
33,957
39,845

$

—
—
—

45

Loans to Depository Institutions
The Bank offers primary, secondary, and seasonal credit to eligible borrowers. Each
program has its own interest rate. Interest is accrued using the applicable interest
rate established at least every fourteen days by the board of directors of the Bank,
subject to review and determination by the Board of Governors. Primary and secondary credits are extended on a short-term basis, typically overnight, whereas seasonal credit may be extended for a period up to nine months.
Primary, secondary and seasonal credit lending is collateralized to the satisfaction
of the Bank to reduce credit risk. Assets eligible to collateralize these loans include
consumer, business and real estate loans, U.S. Treasury securities, federal agency
securities, GSE obligations, foreign sovereign debt obligations, municipal or corporate obligations, state and local government obligations, asset-backed securities,
corporate bonds, commercial paper, and bank-issued assets, such as certificates of
deposit, bank notes, and deposit notes. Collateral is assigned a lending value deemed
appropriate by the Bank, which is typically fair value or face value reduced by a
margin.
Depository institutions that are eligible to borrow under a Reserve Bank’s primary credit program are also eligible to participate in the temporary TAF program.
Under the TAF program, the Reserve Banks conduct auctions for a fixed amount
of funds, with the interest rate determined by the auction process, subject to a
minimum bid rate. TAF loans are extended on a short-term basis, with terms of
either twenty-eight or eighty-four days. All advances under the TAF must be fully
collateralized. Assets eligible to collateralize TAF loans include the complete list
noted above for loans to depository institutions. Similar to the process used for
primary, secondary and seasonal credit, a lending value is assigned to each asset
accepted as collateral for TAF loans.
Loans to depository institutions are monitored on a daily basis to ensure that
borrowers continue to meet eligibility requirements for these programs. The financial condition of borrowers is monitored by the Bank on a daily basis and, if a borrower no longer qualifies for these programs, the Bank will generally request full
repayment of the outstanding loan or may convert a primary credit loan to a secondary credit loan.
Collateral levels are reviewed daily against outstanding obligations and borrowers that no longer have sufficient collateral to support outstanding loans are required
to provide additional collateral or to make partial or full repayment.

46

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Other Loans
The PDCF provides secured overnight financing to primary dealers in exchange for
a specified range of collateral, including U.S. Treasuries, federal agency securities,
agency MBS, investment-grade corporate securities, municipal securities, mortgagebacked securities, and other asset-backed securities for which a price is available.
Interest on PDCF secured financing is accrued using the primary credit rate offered
to depository institutions. The secured financing is reported as “Other loans” in the
Consolidated Statements of Condition. The frequency-based fees are reported as
“Other income” in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive
Income.
The $38.9 billion extended to AIG under the revolving line of credit is net of
unamortized deferred commitment fees and includes unpaid commitment fees and
accrued interest. Unamortized deferred commitment fees were $1.5 billion and
unpaid commitment fees and accrued interest were $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion,
respectively, at December 31, 2008. The AIG loan is reported as “Other loans” in
the Consolidated Statements of Condition.
The remaining maturity distribution of loans outstanding at December 31,
2008, was as follows (in millions):

Within 15 days
16 days to 90 days
Over 1 year to 5 years
Total loans

Primary, Secondary,
and Seasonal Credit

TAF

Other Loans

$ 75,300

$131,690

$37,404

4,930

88,745

—

—

—

38,914

$ 80,230

$220,435

$76,318

At December 31, 2008 and 2007, no loans were considered to be impaired and
the Bank determined that no allowance for loan losses was required.

47

6. U.S. GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL AGENCY, AND GOVERNMENTSPONSORED-ENTERPRISE SECURITIES; SECURITIES PURCHASED
UNDER AGREEMENTS TO RESELL; SECURITIES SOLD UNDER
AGREEMENTS TO REPURCHASE; AND SECURITIES LENDING
The Bank, on behalf of the Reserve Banks, holds securities bought outright in the
SOMA. The Bank’s allocated share of SOMA balances was approximately 35.579
percent and 36.210 percent at December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
The Bank’s allocated share of U.S. government, federal agency, and GSE securities, net, held in the SOMA at December 31 was as follows (in millions):
2008
U.S. government securities:
Bills

6,555

$ 82,500

Notes

119,112

145,482

Bonds

43,663

40,191

7,012

—

176,342

268,173

Unamortized premiums

2,864

2,892

Unaccreted discounts

(530)

(1,075)

$178,676

$269,990

Federal agency and GSE securities
Total par value

Total allocated to the Bank

$

2007

At December 31, 2008 and 2007, the fair value of the U.S. government, federal
agency, and GSE securities allocated to the Bank, excluding accrued interest, was
$201,531 million and $281,401 million, respectively, as determined by reference to
quoted prices for identical securities.
The total of the U.S. government, federal agency and GSE securities, net, held
in the SOMA was $502,189 million and $745,629 million at December 31, 2008
and 2007, respectively. At December 31, 2008 and 2007, the fair value of the U.S.
government, federal agency, and GSE securities held in the SOMA, excluding
accrued interest, was $566,427 million and $777,141 million, respectively, as determined by reference to quoted prices for identical securities.

48

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Although the fair value of security holdings can be substantially greater than or
less than the recorded value at any point in time, these unrealized gains or losses have
no effect on the ability of the Reserve Banks, as a central bank, to meet their financial obligations and responsibilities and do not represent a risk to the Reserve Banks,
their shareholders, or the public. The fair value is presented solely for informational
purposes.
Financial information related to securities purchased under agreements to resell
and securities sold under agreements to repurchase for the years ended December 31,
2008 and 2007, was as follows (in millions):
Securities
Purchased under
Agreements to
Resell
2008
Allocated to the Bank:
Contract amount outstanding,
end of year
$ 28,464
Weighted-average amount
outstanding, during the year
34,525
Maximum month-end balance
outstanding, during the year
42,339
Securities pledged, end of year
—
System total:
Contract amount outstanding,
end of year
$ 80,000
Weighted-average amount
outstanding, during the year
97,037
Maximum month-end balance
outstanding, during the year
119,000
Securities pledged, end of year
—

Securities
Sold under
Agreements to
Repurchase

2007

2008

2007

$ 16,838

$31,435

$15,927

12,700

23,290

12,618

18,648
—

35,067
28,071

15,927
15,950

$ 46,500

$88,352

$43,985

35,073

65,461

34,846

51,500
—

98,559
78,896

43,985
44,048

The contract amounts for securities purchased under agreements to resell and
securities sold under agreements to repurchase approximate fair value.

49

The remaining maturity distribution of U.S. government, federal agency, and
GSE securities bought outright, securities purchased under agreements to resell, and
securities sold under agreements to repurchase that were allocated to the Bank at
December 31, 2008, was as follows (in millions):
Total: U.S.
Federal Government,
Securities
Securities
U.S.
Agency
Federal
Purchased under
Sold under
Government and GSE Agency, and
Agreements
Agreements
Securities Securities GSE Securities
to Resell
to Repurchase
(Par Value) (Par Value) (Par Value) (Contract Amount)(Contract Amount)
Within 15 days
$ 6,809 $ 160
$ 6,969
$14,232
$31,435
16 days to 90 days
7,459
1,167
8,626
14,232
91 days to 1 year
22,532
347
22,879
—
—
Over 1 year to 5 years
61,670
4,043
65,713
—
—
Over 5 years to 10 years 34,628
1,295
35,923
—
—
Over 10 years
36,232
—
36,232
—
—
Total allocated to
the Bank
$169,330 $7,012
$176,342
$28,464
$31,435

At December 31, 2008 and 2007, U.S. government securities with par values of
$180,765 million and $16,649 million, respectively, were loaned from the SOMA,
of which $64,315 million and $6,029 million, respectively, were allocated to the
Bank.
7. INVESTMENTS DENOMINATED IN FOREIGN CURRENCIES
The Bank, on behalf of the Reserve Banks, holds foreign currency deposits with
foreign central banks and with the Bank for International Settlements and invests
in foreign government debt instruments. These investments are guaranteed as to
principal and interest by the issuing foreign governments.
The Bank’s allocated share of investments denominated in foreign currencies was
approximately 25.034 percent and 24.320 percent at December 31, 2008 and 2007,
respectively.

50

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

The Bank’s allocated share of investments denominated in foreign currencies,
including accrued interest, valued at amortized cost and foreign currency market
exchange rates at December 31, was as follows (in millions):

European Union euro:
Foreign currency deposits
Securities purchased under
agreements to resell
Government debt instruments

2008

2007

$ 1,393

$1,746

1,020
1,154

620
1,135

872
1,771

684
1,388

$ 6,210

$5,573

Japanese yen:
Foreign currency deposits
Government debt instruments
Total allocated to the Bank

At December 31, 2008 and 2007, the fair value of investments denominated in
foreign currencies, including accrued interest, allocated to the Bank was $6,264 million and $5,568 million, respectively. The fair value of government debt instruments
was determined by reference to quoted prices for identical securities. The cost basis
of foreign currency deposits and securities purchased under agreements to resell,
adjusted for accrued interest, approximates fair value. Similar to the U.S. government, federal agency, and GSE securities discussed in Note 6, unrealized gains or
losses have no effect on the ability of a Reserve Bank, as central bank, to meet its
financial obligations and responsibilities.
Total System investments denominated in foreign currencies were $24,804 million and $22,914 million at December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. At
December 31, 2008 and 2007, the fair value of the total System investments denominated in foreign currencies, including accrued interest, was $25,021 million and
$22,892 million, respectively.
The remaining maturity distributions of investments denominated in foreign
currencies that were allocated to the Bank at December 31, 2008, were as follows
(in millions):

Within 15 days
16 days to 90 days
91 days to 1 year
Over 1 year to 5 years
Total allocated to the Bank

European Euro
$1,901
293
438

Japanese Yen
$ 872
158
497

Total
$2,773
451
935

935

1,116

2,051

$3,567

$2,643

$6,210

51

At December 31, 2008 and 2007, the authorized warehousing facility was
$5 billion, with no balance outstanding.
In connection with its foreign currency activities, the Bank may enter into transactions that contain varying degrees of off-balance-sheet market risk that result from
their future settlement and counter-party credit risk. The Bank controls credit risk
by obtaining credit approvals, establishing transaction limits, in some cases receiving
collateral, and performing daily monitoring procedures.
8. CENTRAL BANK LIQUIDITY SWAPS
Central bank liquidity swap arrangements are contractual agreements between two
parties, the Bank and an authorized foreign central bank, whereby the parties agree
to exchange their currencies up to a prearranged maximum amount and for an
agreed-upon period of time. At the end of that period of time, the currencies are
returned at the original contractual exchange rate and the foreign central bank pays
interest to the Federal Reserve at an agreed-upon rate. These arrangements give the
authorized foreign central bank temporary access to U.S. dollars. Drawings under
the swap arrangements are initiated by the foreign central bank and must be agreed
to by the Federal Reserve.
The Bank’s allocated share of central bank liquidity swaps was approximately
25.034 percent and 24.320 percent at December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
At December 31, 2008 and 2007, the total System amounts of foreign currency
held under central bank liquidity swaps were $553,728 million and $24,353 million, respectively, of which $138,622 million and $5,570 million, respectively, were
allocated to the Bank.
The remaining maturity distribution of central bank liquidity swaps allocated to
the Bank at December 31 was as follows (in millions):
2008
Within 15
Days
Australian dollar
$ 2,503
Danish krone
—
Euro
37,794
Japanese yen
11,990
Korean won
—
Norwegian krone
551
Swedish krona
2,503
Swiss franc
4,812
U.K. pound
30
Total
$60,183

52

16 to 90
Days
$ 3,212
3,755
35,144
18,731
2,592
1,508
3,755
1,491
8,251
$78,439

2007
Total
$ 5,715
3,755
72,938
30,721
2,592
2,059
6,258
6,303
8,281
$138,622

Total
$ —
—
4,648
—
—
—
—
922
—
$5,570

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

9. INVESTMENTS HELD BY CONSOLIDATED VARIABLE
INTEREST ENTITIES
a. Summary Information for Consolidated Variable Interest Entities
The total assets of consolidated VIEs including cash, cash equivalents, and accrued
interest, at December 31, 2008, were as follows (in millions):
Total Assets
$ 334,910
30,635
19,195
27,256
$ 411,996

CPFF
ML
ML II
ML III
Total

The Bank’s maximum exposure to loss was $405.4 billion and incorporates
potential losses associated with assets recorded on the Bank’s balance sheet, net of the
fair value of subordinated interests.
The net income (loss) attributable to consolidated VIEs for the period ended
December 31, 2008, was as follows (in millions):
ML
Interest income:
Portfolio interest income $ 1,561
Less: Interest expense
332
Net interest income
Non-interest income:
Portfolio holdings
gains (losses)
Less: Unrealized gains
on beneficial interest
in consolidated VIEs
Non-interest
income (loss)
Total interest income
and non-interest
income
Less: Professional fees
Net income (loss)
attributable to
consolidated
VIEs

ML II
$

302
103

ML III
$

CPFF

Total

517 $1,707 $ 4,087
28
—
463

1,229

199

489

1,707

3,624

(5,497)

(1,499)

(2,633)

3

(9,626)

1,188

1,003

2,198

—

4,389

(4,309)

(496)

(435)

3

(5,237)

(3,080)
54

(297)
5

54
9

1,710
12

(1,613)
80

$(3,134)

$ (302)

$

45 $1,698 $(1,693)

53

The classification of significant assets and liabilities of the consolidated VIEs at
December 31, 2008, was as follows (in millions):
Assets Recorded at
Amortized Cost Fair Value
Assets:
Commercial paper
CDOs
RMBS
Agency CMOs
Non-agency CMOs
Commercial and residential
mortgage loans
Swap contracts
TBA commitments
Other investments
Subtotal

$333,631
—
—
—
—

$

—
26,957
18,839
13,565
1,836

$333,631
26,957
18,839
13,565
1,836

—
—
—
—
$333,631

6,490
2,454
2,089
2,340
$74,570

6,490
2,454
2,089
2,340
$408,201

Cash, cash equivalents, and
accrued interest receivable
Total investments held
by consolidated variable
interest entities
Liabilities:
Beneficial interest in
consolidated variable
interest entities
Other liabilities (actual value)1
1 The

Total

$ 3,795

$411,996

$(2,824)
$ (5,813)

amount reported as “Consolidated variable interest entities: Other liabilities” in the
Consolidated Statements of Condition includes $2.6 billion related to cash collateral
received on swap contracts and $2.4 billion payable for investments purchased by VIEs.
The amount also includes accrued interest, unearned registration fees, and accrued
professional fees.

54

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Total realized gains (losses) and unrealized gains (losses) associated with the
investments held by consolidated VIEs at December 31, 2008, were as follows
(in millions):
Fair Value Changes
Total
Total Realized Unrealized Gains Realized/Unrealized
Gains (Losses)
(Losses)
Gains (Losses)
CDOs
RMBS
Agency CMOs
Non-agency CMOs
Commercial and
residential mortgage
loans
Swap contracts
TBA commitments
Other investments
Total

$ —
—
(109)
(4)

$(3,281)
(1,499)
60
(1,502)

$(3,281)
(1,499)
(49)
(1,506)

39
(70)
(57)
237

(2,693)
155
(10)
(892)

(2,654)
85
(67)
(655)

$ 36

$(9,662)

$(9,626)

b. Commercial Paper Funding Facility LLC
The interest rate for unsecured commercial paper held by the CPFF is the threemonth OIS rate plus 100 basis points, along with an additional surcharge (“credit
enhancement fee”) of 100 basis points. The interest rate for asset-backed commercial paper is the three-month OIS rate plus 300 basis points.
The non-refundable facility fee (“registration fee’) is equal to 10 basis points
times the maximum amount of the participant’s commercial paper that the CPFF
may purchase, which equals the greatest amount of U.S.-dollar-denominated commercial paper that the issuer had outstanding on the days between January 1 and
August 31, 2008. The registration fee is recognized on a straight-line basis over the
life of the program.
The credit enhancement fee is equal to 100 basis points per annum of the face
value of the unsecured commercial paper purchased. Unsecured commercial paper
issuers covered by the FDIC Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program are viewed as
having a satisfactory guarantee and the credit enhancement fee for those participants
is waived. The credit enhancement fee is recognized on a straight-line basis over the
term of the commercial paper, which is not materially different from the interest
method.

55

The Bank conducts a periodic review of the CPFF’s commercial paper to determine if impairment is other-than-temporary such that a loss should be recognized.
At December 31, 2008, there were no commercial paper securities for which management considered impairment to be other-than-temporary.
The remaining maturity distribution of the commercial paper and trading securities held by the CPFF, excluding interest receivable, at December 31, 2008, was as
follows (in millions):
Commercial Paper
AssetBacked
0 to 15 days
16 to 60 days
61 to 92 days
Total

$

—
95,306
25,625

$ 120,931

Non-AssetBacked
$

Trading
Securities

Total

—
201,660
11,040

$ 233
473
565

$

233
297,439
37,230

$212,700

$1,271

$334,902

Top-tier commercial paper has received investment-grade ratings from all rating
agencies (A-1, P-1, F1). Split-rated commercial paper has received a top tier rating
from two rating agencies and second-tier rating (A-2, P-2, F2) from a third rating
agency. Second-tier commercial paper has received non-investment-grade ratings
from two or more rating agencies (A-2, P-2, F2). The credit ratings profile of the
commercial paper held by the CPFF, by asset type, issuer type, and industry sector
at December 31, 2008, was as follows (in millions):
Top-Tier
Asset-backed
Multi-seller
Hybrid
Single-seller
Other

Non-asset-backed
Diversified financial
Insurance
Other

Total

56

$ 58,879
24,625
23,129
14,298

Split-Rated Second-Tier
$

Total

—
—
—
—

$ —
—
—
—

$ 58,879
24,625
23,129
14,298

120,931

—

—

120,931

179,651
17,647
8,051

1,685
1,805
3,657

204
—

181,336
19,656
11,708

205,349

7,147

204

212,700

$ 326,280

$7,147

$ 204

$333,631

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Commercial paper that is rated other than top tier results from ratings changes
after acquisition of the commercial paper.
The top ten issuers of commercial paper held by the CPFF accounted for 43.5 percent of the total commercial paper portfolio holdings at December 31, 2008. The
largest issuer, a diversified financial company, represents 10.8 percent of the total
commercial paper at December 31, 2008.
c. Maiden Lane LLC
ML’s investment portfolio consists primarily of agency and non-agency CMOs,
commercial and residential mortgage loans, and derivatives and associated hedges.
A synopsis of the significant holdings at December 31, 2008, and the associated
credit risk for each holding follows.
i. Agency CMOs and Non-Agency CMOs
CMOs represent fractional ownership interests in residential mortgage-backed securities issued by either U.S. government agencies or private entities. The rate of delinquencies and defaults on the underlying residential mortgage loans and the aggregate amount of the resulting losses will be affected by a number of factors, including general economic conditions, particularly those in the area where the related
mortgaged property is located, the level of the borrower’s equity in the mortgaged
property and the individual financial circumstances of the borrower. Changes in economic conditions, including delinquencies or defaults on assets underlying these
securities, can affect the value, income, or liquidity of such positions.
At December 31, 2008, the ratings breakdown of the $16.8 billion of securities
recorded at fair value in the ML portfolio (as a percentage of aggregate fair value of
all securities in the portfolio) was as follows:
Ratings1
AA+ to
BBB+ to BB+ and Government/
AAA AA- A+ to A- BBBLower
Agency Total
Security type:2
Agency
CMOs
Non-agency
CMOs
Other3
Total
1 Lowest

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

80.9%

80.9%

6.7%
3.2%
9.9%

0.7%
1.3%
2.0%

0.7%
1.0%
1.7%

0.7%
1.5%
2.2%

2.2%
1.1%
3.3%

0.0%
0.0%
80.9%

11.0%
8.1%
100.0%

of all ratings is used for the purposes of this table.

2

This table does not include ML swaps and other derivative contracts, commercial and
residential mortgage loans, and TBA investments.

3

Includes all asset sectors that, individually, represent less than 5 percent of aggregate
portfolio fair value.

57

At December 31, 2008, non-agency CMOs held by ML were collateralized by
properties at the locations identified below:

1Based
2No

Geographic Location

Percentage1

California
Florida
Other2
Total

39.1%
11.7%
49.2%
100.0%

on a percentage of the total unpaid principal balance of the underlying loans.

other individual state comprises more than 5 percent of the total.

ii. Commercial and Residential Mortgage Loans
Commercial and residential mortgage loans are subject to a high degree of credit risk
because of exposure to loss from loan defaults. Default rates are subject to a wide
variety of factors, including, but not limited to, property performance, property
management, supply and demand factors, construction trends, consumer behavior,
regional economic conditions, interest rates, and other factors beyond the control of
the Bank.
The performance profile for the commercial and residential mortgage loans at
December 31, 2008, was as follows (in millions):
Remaining
Principal
Amount
Outstanding
Performing loans
Commercial
Residential
Subtotal
Non-performing loans
(past due greater than
60 days)
Commercial
Residential
Subtotal
Total
Commercial
Residential
Total loans

58

Fair Value

Fair Value
as Percentage
of Principal
Remaining

$ 8,406
1,288

$5,529
817

65.8%
63.4%

9,694

6,346

65.5%

79
380

24
120

30.3%
31.7%

459

144

31.4%

8,485
1,668

5,553
937

65.4%
56.2%

$10,153

$6,490

63.9%

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

The following table summarizes the state in which residential mortgage loans are
collateralized and the property types of the commercial mortgage loans held in the
ML at December 31, 2008:
Concentration of Unpaid Principal Balances
Residential
By state:
California
Florida
Other1
By property:
Hospitality
Office
Other1
1 No

Commercial2

35.8%
9.1%
55.1%
100.0%
80.3%
10.2%
9.5%
100.0%

other individual state or property type comprises more than 5 percent of the total.

2 At

December 31, 2008, one issuer represented approximately 48 percent of total unpaid
principal balance of the commercial mortgage loan portfolio.

iii. Derivative Instruments
The ML portfolio included various derivative financial instruments, primarily consisting of a total return swap agreement (“TRS”) with JPMC. ML may enter into
additional derivative contracts during the normal course of business to economically
hedge its exposure to interest rates. Losses may arise if the value of the derivative
contracts acquired decrease because of an unfavorable change in the market price of
the underlying security, or if the counterparty does not perform under the contract.
Total return swaps are agreements in which one party commits to pay a fee in
exchange for a return linked to the market performance of an underlying security or,
group of securities, index, or other asset (“reference obligation”). Risks may arise if
the value of the swap acquired decreases because of an unfavorable change in the
price of the reference obligation or because of the inability of the counterparty to
meet the terms of its contracts.
During the term of a swap contract, unrealized gains or losses are recorded as a
result of marking the swap to fair value. When a swap is settled or terminated, a
realized gain or loss is recorded equal to the difference, if any, between the contractual amount and the actual proceeds on settlement of the contract.
At closing, ML and JPMC entered into the TRS with reference obligations representing a basket of CDS and interest rate swaps (“IRS”). The TRS is structured
such that ML’s economic position for each CDS and IRS replicates Bear Stearns’
economic position. JPMC is the calculation agent for the TRS and the underlying

59

values are also monitored by the Investment Manager on behalf of the Bank. ML
made an initial payment to JPMC of $3.3 billion, which was included in the
purchase price of the assets.
At December 31, 2008, the cash collateral liability associated with the TRS is
invested in cash and cash equivalents and investments in the amounts of $2.1 billion and $0.5 billion, respectively. In addition, the ML has pledged $3.0 billion of
agency CMOs to JPMC.
CDS are agreements that provide protection against a credit event on one or
more referenced obligations. The nature of a credit event is established by the protection buyer and protection seller at the inception of a transaction, and such events
include bankruptcy, insolvency or failure to meet payment obligations when due.
The buyer of the CDS pays a premium in return for payment protection upon the
occurrence, if any, of a credit event. Upon the occurrence of a triggering credit event,
the maximum potential amount of future payments the seller could be required to
make under a CDS is equal to the notional amount of the contract. Such future payments could be reduced or offset by amounts recovered under recourse or collateral
provisions outlined in the contract, including seizure and liquidation of collateral
pledged by the buyer.
The following table summarizes the maximum credit exposure (notional
amount, as described above) and fair value as of December 31, 2008, related to those
CDS for which ML was the protection seller or guarantor (in millions):
Notional
Amount
Single-name CDS:2
ABS
$ 2,530
CMBS
621
CMO
83
Corporate debt
358

Maturity Range
(Date)1

Fair
Value

04/20/10-11/07/47
01/25/36-10/12/52
07/25/34-10/25/44
12/20/10-03/20/18

$ (2,158)
(371)
(61)
(150)

$ 3,592
Index CDS
CMBS
Totals

17

$ (2,740)

2/17/51

$ 3,609

1 The

(12)
$ (2,752)

maturity date range represents a range of legal final maturity dates of single-name
CDS within the corresponding CDS sector. Due to the fact that most of the reference
obligations may be prepaid prior to the respective legal final maturity dates, the term of
ML’s obligation under a given CDS contract may terminate sooner than the legal final
maturity date.

60

2 Included

in the reference obligations of the TRS with JPMC.

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Interest rate swaps obligate two parties to exchange one or more payments typically calculated with reference to fixed or periodically reset rates of interest applied
to a specified notional principal amount. Notional principal is the amount to which
interest rates are applied to determine the payment streams under interest rate swaps.
Such notional principal amounts often are used to express the volume of these transactions but are not actually exchanged between the counterparties. ML entered into
interest rate swaps as part of its interest rate risk management strategy. Additionally,
there is exposure to credit risk in the event of nonperformance by the counterparty
to the swap. The notional value of the interest rate swaps in ML, including those
embedded in the TRS, totals approximately $11.2 billion at December 31, 2008.
Futures contracts are agreements to buy and sell financial instruments for a set
price on a future date. Initial margin deposits are made upon entering into futures
contracts in the form of cash or securities. During the period that a futures contract
is open, changes in the value of the contract are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by “marking-to-market” on a daily basis to reflect the market value of the contract
at the end of each day’s trading. Variation margin payments are paid or received,
depending upon whether unrealized gains or losses result. When the contract is
closed, ML will record a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the proceeds from (or cost of ) the closing transaction and ML’s cost basis in the contract.
The use of futures transactions involves the risk of imperfect correlation in movements in the price of futures contracts, interest rates, and the underlying hedged
assets. ML is also at risk of not being able to enter into a closing transaction for the
futures contract because of an illiquid secondary market. At December 31, 2008,
ML had pledged collateral related to future contracts of $69.0 million.
d. Maiden Lane II LLC
ML II’s RMBS investment portfolio has risks related to credit, interest rate, general
market, and concentration risk. Credit-related risk on RMBS arises from losses due
to delinquencies and defaults by borrowers on the underlying mortgage loans and
breaches by originators and servicers of their obligations under the underlying documentation pursuant to which the RMBS are issued. The rate of delinquencies and
defaults on residential mortgage loans and the aggregate amount of the resulting
losses will be affected by a number of factors, including general economic conditions, particularly those in the area where the related mortgaged property is located,
the level of the borrower’s equity in the mortgaged property, and the individual
financial circumstances of the borrower.

61

The rate of interest payable on certain RMBS may be set or effectively capped at
the weighted-average net coupon of the underlying mortgage loans themselves, often
referred to as an “available funds cap.” As a result of this cap, the return to the holder of such RMBS is dependent on the relative timing and rate of delinquencies and
prepayments of mortgage loans bearing a higher rate of interest.
The fair value of any particular RMBS asset may be subject to substantial variation. The entire market or particular instruments traded on a market may decline
even if projected cash flow or other factors improve inasmuch as the prices of such
instruments are subject to numerous other factors that have little or no correlation
to the performance of a particular instrument.
Since ML II concentrates its investments in RMBS, the overall impact on ML II
as a result of adverse developments in the RMBS market could be considerably
greater than if ML II did not concentrate its investments in RMBS.
At December 31, 2008, the sector/rating composition of ML II’s $18.8 billion RMBS
portfolio, recorded at fair value, as a percentage of aggregate fair value, was as follows:

AAA
Asset type
Alt-A (adjustable rate)
Subprime
Other2
Total3
1 Lowest

10.6%
22.5%
7.1%
40.1%

Ratings1
AA+ to
BBB+ to BB+ and
AA- A+ to A- BBBLower
5.4%
8.5%
1.1%
15.0%

4.1%
6.7%
0.8%
11.6%

3.1%
6.8%
4.4%
14.3%

4.7%
12.7%
1.5%
18.9%

Total
27.7%
57.3%
15.0%
100.0%

of all ratings is used for the purposes of this table.

2 Includes

all asset sectors that, individually, represent less than 5 percent of aggregate
outstanding fair value of the portfolio.

3 Rows

and columns may not total due to rounding.

At December 31, 2008, the RMBS held by the ML II were collateralized by
properties at the locations identified below, as a percentage of the total unpaid principal balance of the underlying loans:
Geographic Location

Percentage1

California
Florida
Other2
Total

32.5%
12.6%
54.9%
100.0%

1 Based

on geographic location information that was available for approximately 88 percent
of underlying mortgage loans by outstanding unpaid principal balance.

2 Includes

62

all geographic locations that, individually, represent less than 5 percent of total
aggregate outstanding unpaid principal balance of the underlying loans.

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

e. Maiden Lane III LLC
The primary holdings within ML III are ABS CDOs. An ABS CDO is a security
issued by a bankruptcy remote entity that is backed by a diversified pool of debt
securities, which in the case of ML III are primarily RMBS and CMBS. The cash
flows of ABS CDOs can be split into multiple segments, called “tranches,” which
will vary in risk profile and yield. The junior tranches will bear the initial risk of loss
followed by the more senior tranches. The ABS CDOs in the ML III portfolio represent senior tranches. Because they are shielded from defaults by the subordinated
tranches, senior tranches will typically have higher credit ratings and lower yields
than their underlying securities, and will often receive investment grade ratings from
one or more of the nationally recognized rating agencies. Despite the protection
afforded by the subordinated tranches, senior tranches can experience substantial
losses from actual defaults on the underlying RMBS or CMBS.
Over the past several years, default rates, delinquencies, and rating downgrades
on RMBS and CMBS have increased significantly. This trend has reduced the
amount of credit support available for the ABS CDOs. Such diminished credit support increases the likelihood that payments may not be made to holders of ABS
CDOs.
ABS CDO issuers can issue short-term eligible investments under Rule 2a-7 of
the Investment Company Act of 1940 if the ABS CDO contains arrangements to
remarket the securities at defined periods. The investments must contain put
options (“2a-7 Puts”), which allow the purchasers to sell the ABS CDO at par to a
third-party (“Put Provider”), if a scheduled remarketing is unsuccessful due to reasons other than a credit or bankruptcy event. As of December 31, 2008, the total
notional value of ABS CDOs held by the ML III with embedded 2a-7 Puts for
which AIGFP was, directly or indirectly, the Put Provider was $2.7 billion. ML III
has agreed, in return for the put premiums, to either convert the ABS CDOs to
long-term notes or extinguish the 2a-7 Puts, to not exercise the 2a-7 Puts, or only
to exercise the 2a-7 Puts if it simultaneously re-purchases the ABS CDOs at par. The
maturity dates of these agreements are on or before December 31, 2009.

63

At December 31, 2008, the ABS CDO type/vintage and rating composition of
the ML III’s $26.7 billion portfolio, recorded at fair value, as a percentage of aggregate fair value of all securities in the portfolio, was as follows:

CDO type/vintage
AAA
High-grade ABS CDO 0.2%
2003-2004
0.2%
2005
0.0%
2006
0.0%
Mezzanine ABS CDO 0.3%
2003-2004
0.3%
2005
0.0%
2006
0.0%
Commercialreal-estate CDO
17.6%
2002-2005
2.8%
2006
2.3%
2007
12.5%
Total2
18.1%
1 Lowest
2 Rows

AA+ to
AA24.2%
9.4%
3.8%
11.1%
2.4%
1.2%
1.2%
0.0%
0.4%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
27.0%

Ratings1
BBB+ to BB+ and
A+ to A- BBBLower
Total
7.4% 12.5% 26.1% 70.4%
5.1%
3.9%
7.8%
26.3%
2.3%
8.6% 15.9%
30.6%
0.0%
0.0%
2.4%
13.5%
1.6%
0.2%
7.1% 11.6%
0.9%
0.0%
1.3%
3.7%
0.7%
0.2%
5.8%
7.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
9.0%

0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
12.6%

0.0% 18.0%
0.0%
3.2%
0.0%
2.3%
0.0%
12.5%
33.2% 100.0%

of all ratings is used for the purpose of this table.

and columns may not total due to rounding.

f. Fair Value Measurement
The Bank has adopted SFAS 159 and SFAS 157, and has elected the fair value
option for all securities and commercial and residential mortgages held in ML. ML II
and ML III qualify as non-registered investment companies under the provisions of
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Audit and Accounting Guide
for Investment Companies and, therefore, all investments are recorded at fair value in
accordance with SFAS 157. In addition, the Bank has elected to record the beneficial interests in ML, ML II, and ML III at fair value.
The accounting and classification of these investments appropriately reflect the
VIEs’ and the Bank’s intent with respect to the purpose of the investments and most
closely reflects the amount of the assets available to liquidate the entities’ obligations.

64

i. Fair Value Hierarchy
SFAS 157 establishes a three-level fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between
market participant assumptions developed using market data obtained from independent sources (observable inputs) and the Bank’s own assumptions about market
participant assumptions developed using the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable inputs).

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

The three levels established by SFAS 157 are described below:
■

Level 1 – Valuation is based on quoted prices for identical instruments traded
in active markets.

■

Level 2 – Valuation is based on quoted prices for similar instruments in active
markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are
not active, and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant
assumptions are observable in the market.

■

Level 3 – Valuation is based on inputs from model-based techniques that use
significant assumptions not observable in the market. These unobservable
assumptions reflect the Bank’s own estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset and liability. Valuation techniques
include the use of option pricing models, discounted cash flow models, and
similar techniques.

The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an
indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
ii. Determination of Fair Value
The Bank values its investments on the basis of the last available bid prices or current market quotations provided by dealers, or pricing services selected by the Bank’s
designated investment managers. To determine the value of a particular investment,
pricing services may use certain information with respect to transactions in such
investments, quotations from dealers, pricing metrics, market transactions in comparable investments, various relationships observed in the market between investments, and calculated yield measures based on valuation methodologies commonly
employed in the market for such investments.
Market quotations may not represent fair value in certain circumstances in
which the investment manager believes that facts and circumstances applicable to an
issuer, a seller or a purchaser, or the market for a particular security cause current
market quotations to not reflect the fair value of the security. The investment manager applies proprietary valuation models that use collateral performance scenarios
and pricing metrics derived from reported performance of the universe of bonds
with similar characteristics as well as observable market data to determine fair value.
Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that
do not have a readily available fair value, the fair value of these investments may

65

differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a readily available
fair value existed for these investments and may differ materially from the values that
may ultimately be realized.
The fair value of the liability for the beneficial interests of consolidated VIEs is
estimated based upon the fair value of the underlying assets held by the VIEs. The
holders of these beneficial interests do not have recourse to the general credit of the
Bank.
iii. Valuation Methodologies for Level 3 Assets and Liabilities
In certain cases where there is limited activity or less transparency around inputs to
the valuation, securities are classified within level 3 of the valuation hierarchy. For
instance, in valuing collateralized debt obligations, certain collateralized mortgage
obligations, and commercial and residential mortgage loans, the determination of
fair value is based on collateral performance scenarios. These valuations also incorporate pricing metrics derived from the reported performance of the universe of
bonds as well as observations and estimates of market data. Because external price
information is not available, market-based models are used to value these securities.
Key inputs to the model are market spreads, data for each credit rating, collateral
type, and other relevant contractual features. Because there is lack of observable
pricing, loans carried at fair value are classified within level 3.
The following table presents the financial instruments recorded in VIEs at fair
value as of December 31, 2008, by SFAS 157 hierarchy (in millions):
Level 1
Assets
CDOs
RMBS
Agency CMOs
Non-agency CMOs
Commercial and
residential
mortgage loans
Swap contracts
TBA commitments
Other investments
Total assets
Liabilities
Beneficial interest
in consolidated
variable interest
entities

66

Level 2

Level 3

Total Fair Value

$—
—
—
—

$

155
7,406
12,670
759

$26,802
11,433
895
1,077

$ 26,957
18,839
13,565
1,836

—
—
—
—
$—

—
—
2,089
1,992
$25,071

6,490
2,454
—
348
$49,499

6,490
2,454
2,089
2,340
$ 74,570

$(2,824)

$(2,824)

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

The table below presents a reconciliation of all assets and liabilities measured at
fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (level 3) during
the year ended December 31, 2008, including realized and unrealized gains (losses)
(in millions):
Net
Total
Purchases,
Realized/
Fair Value,
Sales, and
Unrealized Transfers In December 31,
Settlements Gains/(Losses) or Out
2008
Assets
CDOs
RMBS
Agency CMOs
Non-agency CMOs
Commercial and
residential
mortgage loans
Swap contracts
Other investments
Total assets

$29,740
12,606
891
2,062

$(2,938)
(1,173)
4
(985)

$ —
—
—
—

$ 26,802
11,433
895
1,077

9,183
2,369
625
$57,476

(2,693)
85
(277)
$(7,977)

—
—
—
$ —

6,490
2,454
348
$ 49,499

Liabilities
Beneficial interest in
consolidated variable
1($7,213)
interest entities
1 Includes

$ 4,389

$(2,824)

$63 million in capitalized interest.

g. Professional Fees
The Bank has contracted with several nationally recognized institutions to serve as
Investment Manager, Administrator, and Custodian for the VIE’s assets. Service
providers to the VIEs operate under multi-year contracts that include provisions
governing termination.
The fees charged by the investment managers, custodians, administrators, auditors, other service providers and organization costs are recorded in “Professional
fees” in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.

67

10. BANK PREMISES, EQUIPMENT, AND SOFTWARE
Bank premises and equipment at December 31, 2008, were as follows (in millions):
2008
Bank premises and equipment:
Land
Buildings
Building machinery and equipment
Construction in progress
Furniture and equipment
Subtotal
Accumulated depreciation
Bank premises and equipment, net
Depreciation expense, for the year
ended December 31

$

2007

20
257
70
15
100
462

$ 20
261
70
7
128
486

(208)
$ 254

(230)
$ 256

$

$ 25

25

The Bank has capitalized software assets, net of amortization, of $43 million and
$54 million at December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. Amortization expense
was $14 million and $11 million for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007,
respectively. Capitalized software assets are reported as a component of “Other
assets” and the related amortization is reported as a component of “Other expenses.”
Assets impaired as a result of the Bank’s restructuring plan, as discussed in Note 15,
include check equipment. Asset impairment losses of $1.2 million for the year ended
December 31, 2007, were determined using fair values based on quoted fair values
or other valuation techniques and are reported as a component of “Other expenses.”
The Bank had no impairment losses in 2008.
11. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
In the normal course of its operation, the Bank enters into contractual commitments, normally with fixed expiration dates or termination provisions, at specific
rates and for specific purposes.
Operating Leases
At December 31, 2008, the Bank was obligated under noncancelable leases for
premises and equipment with remaining terms ranging from one to approximately
fifteen years. These leases provide for increased rental payments based upon increases
in real estate taxes, operating costs, or selected price indices.
Rental expense under operating leases for certain operating facilities, warehouses,
and data processing and office equipment (including taxes, insurance and maintenance

68

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

when included in rent), net of sublease rentals (reported as a component of “Other
income”), was $14 million for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007,
respectively. Certain of the Bank’s leases have options to renew.
Future minimum rental payments under noncancelable operating leases, net of
sublease rentals, with remaining terms of one year or more, at December 31, 2008,
were as follows (in millions):
Operating
Leases
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Thereafter

$

7
7
8
8
8
88

Future minimum rental payments

$

126

Under the Insurance Agreement of the Federal Reserve Banks, each of the
Reserve Banks has agreed to bear, on a per-incident basis, a pro rata share of losses
in excess of 1 percent of the capital paid-in of the claiming Reserve Bank, up to
50 percent of the total capital paid-in of all Reserve Banks. Losses are borne in the
ratio of a Reserve Bank’s capital paid-in to the total capital paid-in of all Reserve
Banks at the beginning of the calendar year in which the loss is shared. No claims
were outstanding under the agreement at December 31, 2008 or 2007.
The Bank is involved in certain legal actions and claims arising in the ordinary
course of business. Although it is difficult to predict the ultimate outcome of these
actions, in management’s opinion, based on discussions with counsel, the aforementioned litigation and claims will be resolved without material adverse effect on
the financial position or results of operations of the Bank.
Other Commitments
In support of financial market stability activities, the Bank entered into commitments to provide financial assistance and backstop support to financial institutions.
The contractual amount represents the Bank’s maximum exposure to loss, in the
event of default by the borrower or total loss in value of pledged collateral. Total
commitments at December 31, 2008, were as follows (in millions):

Loan commitment (Citigroup)
Secured line of credit (AIG)
Commercial loan commitments (ML)
Total

Contractual
Amount
$ 244,800
60,000
266
$305,066

Unfunded
Amount
$ 244,800
23,200
266
$ 268,266

69

The agreement with Citigroup, while legally a loan commitment, is accounted
for in accordance with FIN 45, “Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure
Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of
Others.” As of December 31, 2008, both the probable loss and the fair value of the
Bank’s loan commitment were deemed to be zero, because under a range of scenarios it is unlikely that the Bank will be required to make the loan.
The secured line of credit relates to the undrawn portion of the line of credit
provided to AIG to assist it with meeting obligations as they come due. Collateral
to secure the line of credit includes the equity in AIG’s subsidiaries. The Bank does
not expect to incur any losses related to the unfunded commitment as of
December 31, 2008.
The commercial loan commitments relate to commercial mortgage loans
acquired by ML that have underlying unfunded commitments due to the borrower.
12. RETIREMENT AND THRIFT PLANS
Retirement Plans
The Bank currently offers three defined benefit retirement plans to its employees,
based on length of service and level of compensation. Substantially all of the Bank’s
employees participate in the Retirement Plan for Employees of the Federal Reserve
System (“System Plan”). Employees at certain compensation levels participate in the
Benefit Equalization Retirement Plan (“BEP”) and certain Reserve Bank officers
participate in the Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan (“SERP”).
The System Plan provides retirement benefits to employees of the Federal
Reserve Banks, the Board of Governors, and the Office of Employee Benefits of the
Federal Reserve Employee Benefits System. The Bank, on behalf of the System, recognizes the net asset or net liability and costs associated with the System Plan in its
consolidated financial statements. Costs associated with the System Plan are not
reimbursed by other participating employers.

70

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the System
Plan benefit obligation (in millions):

Estimated actuarial present value of projected
benefit obligation at January 1
Service cost - benefits earned during the period
Interest cost on projected benefit obligation
Actuarial loss (gain)
Contributions by plan participants
Special termination benefits
Benefits paid
Plan amendments
Estimated actuarial present value of projected
benefit obligation at December 31

2008

2007

$5,325
150
357
599
3
9
(280)
868

$ 5,147
146
317
(46)
3
22
(264)
—

$7,031

$ 5,325

Following is a reconciliation showing the beginning and ending balance of the
System Plan assets, the funded status, and the prepaid pension benefit costs (in millions):

Estimated fair value of plan assets at January 1
Actual return on plan assets
Contributions by plan participants
Benefits paid

2008
$ 6,604
(1,274)
3
(280)

2007
$ 6,330
535
3
(264)

Estimated fair value of plan assets at December 31

$ 5,053

$ 6,604

Funded status and (accrued) prepaid
pension benefit costs

$ (1,978)

$ 1,279

Amounts included in accumulated other
comprehensive loss are shown below:
Prior service cost
Net actuarial loss
Total accumulated other comprehensive loss

$ (989)
(3,429)
$ (4,418)

$ (163)
(1,135)
$(1,298)

Accrued and prepaid pension benefit costs are reported as “Accrued benefit cost”
and “Federal Reserve System prepaid pension benefit costs,” respectively, in the
Consolidated Statements of Condition.
The accumulated benefit obligation for the System Plan, which differs from
the estimated actuarial present value of projected benefit obligation because it is
based on current rather than future compensation levels, was $6,143 million and
$4,621 million at December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.

71

The weighted-average assumptions used in developing the accumulated pension
benefit obligation for the System Plan as of December 31 were as follows:

Discount rate
Rate of compensation increase

2008
6.00%
5.00%

2007
6.25%
5.00%

In 2008, the System approved several Plan amendments. As a result, the actuarially determined net periodic benefit expenses for the year ended December 31,
2008, were remeasured, using a 7.75 percent discount rate, as of November 1.
The approved plan amendments, the most significant of which was to incorporate
annual, rather than ad hoc, cost-of-living adjustments to the plan benefit, resulted
in a $60 million increase in net periodic benefit expenses for the year ended
December 31, 2008.
Net periodic benefit expenses for the year ended December 31, 2007, were
actuarially determined using a January 1 measurement date. The weighted-average
assumptions used in developing net periodic benefit expenses for the System Plan
for the years were as follows:

Discount rate
Expected asset return
Rate of compensation increase

2008
6.50%
8.00%
5.00%

2007
6.00%
8.00%
4.50%

Discount rates reflect yields available on high-quality corporate bonds that
would generate the cash flows necessary to pay the plan’s benefits when due. The
expected long-term rate of return on assets was based on a combination of methodologies including the System Plan’s historical returns; surveys of expected rates of
return for other entities’ plans; building a projected return for equities and fixed
income investments based on real interest rates, inflation expectations and equity
risk premiums; and surveys of expected returns in equity and fixed income markets.

72

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

The components of net periodic pension benefit expense for the System Plan for
the years ended December 31 are shown below (in millions):

Service cost - benefits earned during the period
Interest cost on accumulated benefit obligation
Amortization of prior service cost
Amortization of net loss
Expected return on plan assets
Net periodic pension benefit expense
Special termination benefits
Total periodic pension benefit expense

2008
$ 150
357
41
78
(497)
129
9
$ 138

Estimated amounts that will be amortized from
accumulated other comprehensive loss into net
periodic pension benefit expense in 2009 are
shown below:
Prior service cost
Actuarial loss
Total

$ 116
284
$ 400

2007
$ 146
317
29
79
(496)
75
22
$ 97

The recognition of special termination losses is the result of enhanced retirement
benefits provided to employees during the restructuring described in Note 15.
Following is a summary of expected benefit payments excluding enhanced retirement benefits (in millions):
Expected Benefit
Payments
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014-2018
Total

$

$

315
330
346
368
391
2,278
4,028

The System’s Committee on Investment Performance (“CIP”) is responsible for
establishing investment policies, selecting investment managers, and monitoring the
investment managers’ compliance with the policies. In 2008, the CIP reassessed the
System Plan investment strategies and the resulting target allocations evolved considerably. The System Plan’s assets were held in five investment vehicles: actively

73

managed balanced accounts, a constant mix asset allocation account, a liabilitylinked account, indexed commingled trusts, and a money market fund. The actively
managed balanced accounts have equity, fixed income, and temporary investment
segments, with a performance benchmark for these assets based upon 60 percent of
the return of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index and 40 percent of the return
of the Barclays Aggregate Bond Index, with required equity segment exposures in
the range of 40 percent to 80 percent of each account. The constant mix account is
comprised of two index funds, one tracking the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index
and the other tracking the Barclays Aggregate Bond Index, and is automatically
rebalanced. The liability-linked account, funded in April 2008, seeks to defease a
portion of the System Plan’s liability related to retired lives using a Treasury securities portfolio. The policy governing this account calls for cash-matching the next
two years of a portion of retiree benefits payments and immunizing the remaining
obligation. The three indexed commingled trust investments, initially funded in
October 2008, are intended to provide the System Plan with-low cost broadly diversified exposures to U.S. equities, U.S. investment-grade bonds, and international
equities. The money market fund is the repository for cash balances and adheres to
a constant dollar accounting methodology.
The System’s Plan weighted-average asset allocations at December 31, by asset
category were as follows:

Equities
Fixed income
Cash
Total

2008
55.4%
42.8%
1.8%
100.0%

2007
65.7%
33.2%
1.1%
100.0%

Contributions to the System Plan may be determined using different assumptions than those required for financial reporting. The System Plan’s actuarial funding method is expected to produce a recommended annual funding range between
$150 million and $200 million. Beginning in January 2009, the System will make
monthly contributions of $20 million and will reevaluate funding upon completion
of the 2009 actuarial valuation. The Bank’s projected benefit obligation, funded
status, and net pension expenses for the BEP and the SERP at December 31, 2008
and 2007, and for the years then ended, were not material.

74

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Thrift Plan
Employees of the Bank may also participate in the defined contribution Thrift
Plan for Employees of the Federal Reserve System (“Thrift Plan”). The Bank
matches employee contributions based on a specified formula. For the years ended
December 31, 2008 and 2007, the Bank matched 80 percent on the first 6 percent
of employee contributions for employees with less than five years of service and
100 percent on the first 6 percent of employee contributions for employees with five
or more years of service. The Bank’s Thrift Plan contributions totaled $15 million
and $14 million for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively, and
are reported as a component of “Salaries and other benefits” in the Consolidated
Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. Beginning in 2009, the Bank
will match 100 percent of the first 6 percent of employee contributions from the
date of hire and provide an automatic employer contribution of 1 percent of eligible pay.
13. POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS OTHER THAN PENSIONS
AND POSTEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions
In addition to the Bank’s retirement plans, employees who have met certain age and
length-of-service requirements are eligible for both medical benefits and life insurance coverage during retirement.
The Bank funds benefits payable under the medical and life insurance plans as
due and, accordingly, has no plan assets.
Following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the benefit obligation (in millions):

Accumulated postretirement benefit obligation
at January 1
Service cost - benefits earned during the period
Interest cost on accumulated benefit obligation
Net actuarial loss (gain)
Curtailment gain
Contributions by plan participants
Benefits paid
Medicare Part D subsidies
Accumulated postretirement benefit obligation
at December 31

2008

2007

$ 226.7
5.5
14.1
14.4
(0.6)
1.7
(15.5)
0.8

$247.9
6.1
14.0
(29.6)
—
1.6
(14.1)
0.8

$ 247.1

$226.7

75

At December 31, 2008 and 2007, the weighted-average discount rate assumptions used in developing the postretirement benefit obligation were 6.00 percent and
6.25 percent, respectively.
Discount rates reflect yields available on high-quality corporate bonds that
would generate the cash flows necessary to pay the plan’s benefits when due.
Following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of the plan
assets, the unfunded postretirement benefit obligation, and the accrued postretirement benefit costs (in millions):
2008
—
13.0
1.7
(15.5)
0.8

2007

Fair value of plan assets at January 1
Contributions by the employer
Contributions by plan participants
Benefits paid
Medicate Part D subsidies

$

Fair value of plan assets at December 31

$

Unfunded obligation and accrued postretirement
benefit cost

$ 247.1

$226.7

Amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive
loss are shown below:
Prior service cost
Net actuarial loss

$ 10.7
(64.0)

$ 14.8
(55.6)

Total accumulated other comprehensive loss

$(53.3)

$(40.8)

—

$

—
11.7
1.6
(14.1)
0.8

$

—

Accrued postretirement benefit costs are reported as a component of “Accrued
benefit costs” in the Consolidated Statements of Condition.
For measurement purposes, the assumed health care cost trend rates at
December 31 were as follows:

Health care cost trend rate assumed for next year
Rate to which the cost trend rate is assumed to decline
(the ultimate trend rate)
Year that the rate reaches the ultimate trend rate

76

2008

2007

7.50%

8.00%

5.00%
2014

5.00%
2013

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Assumed health care cost trend rates have a significant effect on the amounts
reported for health care plans. A one-percentage-point change in assumed health
care cost trend rates would have the following effects for the year ended December 31,
2008 (in millions):
One-PercentagePoint Increase

One-PercentagePoint Decrease

$ 2.8

$ (2.3)

28.6

(24.0)

Effect on aggregate of service and interest
cost components of net periodic
postretirement benefit costs
Effect on accumulated postretirement
benefit obligation

The following is a summary of the components of net periodic postretirement
benefit expense for the years ended December 31 (in millions):
2008
Service cost - benefits earned during the period
Interest cost on accumulated benefit obligation
Amortization of prior service cost
Amortization of actuarial loss
Total periodic expense
Curtailment loss
Net periodic postretirement benefit expense

2007

$ 5.5
14.1
(5.3)
4.9

$ 6.1
14.0
(5.2)
10.1

19.2
0.6

25.0
—

$ 19.8

$ 25.0

Estimated amounts that will be amortized from
accumulated other comprehensive loss
into net periodic postretirement benefit expense
in 2009 are shown below:
Prior service cost
Actuarial loss

$ (5.4)
6.1

Total

$ 0.7

Net postretirement benefit costs are actuarially determined using a January 1
measurement date. At January 1, 2008 and 2007, the weighted-average discount
rate assumptions used to determine net periodic postretirement benefit costs were
6.25 percent and 5.75 percent, respectively.
Net periodic postretirement benefit expense is reported as a component of
“Salaries and other benefits” in the Consolidated Statements of Income and
Comprehensive Income.

77

The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003
established a prescription drug benefit under Medicare (“Medicare Part D”) and a
federal subsidy to sponsors of retiree health care benefit plans that provide benefits
that are at least actuarially equivalent to Medicare Part D. The benefits provided
under the Bank’s plan to certain participants are at least actuarially equivalent to the
Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. The estimated effects of the subsidy are
reflected in actuarial loss in the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation and
net periodic postretirement benefit expense.
Federal Medicare Part D subsidy receipts were $0.4 million and $0.5 million in
the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. Expected receipts in
2009, related to benefits paid in the year ended December 31, 2008, are $0.4 million.
Following is a summary of expected postretirement benefit payments (in millions):

2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014-2018
Total

Without
Subsidy

With
Subsidy

$ 15.6
16.7
17.6
18.2
19.0
102.6

$ 14.6
15.5
16.4
16.9
17.5
93.2

$189.7

$174.1

Postemployment Benefits
The Bank offers benefits to former or inactive employees. Postemployment benefit
costs are actuarially determined using a December 31 measurement date and include
the cost of medical and dental insurance, survivor income, and disability benefits.
The accrued postemployment benefit costs recognized by the Bank were $29 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. This
cost is included as a component of “Accrued benefit costs” in the Consolidated
Statements of Condition. Net periodic postemployment benefit expenses included
in 2008 and 2007 operating expenses were $4 million and $3 million, respectively,
and are recorded as a component of “Salaries and other benefits” in the Consolidated
Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.

78

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

14. ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME AND
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Following is a reconciliation of beginning and ending balances of accumulated other
comprehensive income (loss) (in millions):
Amount
Total
Amount
Related to
Accumulated
Related to
Postretirement
Other
Defined Benefit Benefits Other Comprehensive
Retirement Plan than Pensions Income (Loss)
Balance at January 1, 2007
$ (1,492)
Change in funded status of
benefit plans:
Prior service costs arising
during the year
$
—
Net actuarial gain arising
during the year
86
Amortization of prior
service cost
29
Amortization of net
actuarial loss
79
Change in funded status of
benefit plans - other
comprehensive
income
194
Balance at December 31, 2007 $ (1,298)

$ (75)

$ (1,567)

$ —

—

30

116

(5)

24

10

89

35
$ (40)

229
$ (1,338)

(868)

$ —

(868)

(2,371)
—

(14)
1

(2,385)
1

41

(5)

36

78

5

83

(3,120)

(13)

(3,133)

Balance at December 31, 2008 $ (4,418)

$ (53)

$ (4,471)

Change in funded status of
benefit plans:
Prior service costs arising
during the year
Net actuarial loss arising
during the year
Deferred curtailment gain
Amortization of prior
service cost (credit)
Amortization of net
actuarial loss
Change in funded status
of benefit plans - other
comprehensive loss

$

Additional detail regarding the classification of accumulated other comprehensive
loss is included in Notes 12 and 13.

79

15. BUSINESS RESTRUCTURING CHARGES
2007 and Prior Restructuring Plans
In 2007, the Board of Governors announced restructuring plans related to aligning
the check processing infrastructure and operations with declining processing volumes. The new infrastructure would involve consolidation of operations into four
regional Reserve Bank processing sites in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, and
Dallas. In 2006, the Bank incurred various restructuring charges related to the initial phases of restructuring of the System’s check processing and cash handling infrastructure.
Employee separation costs are primarily severance costs for identified staff reductions associated with the announced restructuring plans. Separation costs that are
provided under terms of ongoing benefit arrangements are recorded based on the
accumulated benefit earned by the employee. Separation costs that are provided
under the terms of one-time benefit arrangements are generally measured based on
the expected benefit as of the termination date and recorded ratably over the period
to termination. Restructuring costs related to employee separations are reported as
a component of “Salaries and other benefits” in the Consolidated Statements of
Income and Comprehensive Income. Restructuring costs were $0.1 million and
$5 million for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
16. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
All subsequent events are disclosed in Note 3 where applicable.
The effects of subsequent events do not require adjustment to the consolidated
financial statements as of December 31, 2008.

80

Directors of the
Federal Reserve Bank
of New York

81

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

CHANGES IN DIRECTORS
2009
Member banks in this District have reelected
CHARLES V. WAIT a class A director of this
Bank for a three-year term beginning January
2009. Mr. Wait, President, Chief Executive
Officer, and Chairman, The Adirondack Trust
Company, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., has been serving as a class A director since January 2003.
Member banks in this District have also
reelected JEFFREY R. IMMELT a class B director of this Bank for a three-year term beginning
January 2009. Mr. Immelt, who is Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer of General
Electric Company, Fairfield, Conn., has been
serving as a class B director since January 2006.
The Board of Governors has reappointed
DENIS M. HUGHES, President, New York

State AFL-CIO, New York, N.Y., a class C director of this Bank for a three-year term beginning
January 2009 and designated him Deputy
Chair for the year 2009. Mr. Hughes has been
serving as a class C director since January 2006
and Deputy Chair since January 2007. Prior to
that, Mr. Hughes served as a class B director
from January 2004 through December 2005.
The Board of Governors has also redesignated STEPHEN FRIEDMAN, Chairman,
Stone Point Capital, LLC, Greenwich, Conn.,
as Chair of the Board and Federal Reserve
Agent of this Bank for the year 2009.
Mr. Friedman has been serving as a class C
director and Chair since January 2008.

83

DIRECTORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE
BANK OF NEW YORK
DIRECTORS

84

TERM EXPIRES DEC. 31

CLASS

CHARLES V. WAIT
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman
The Adirondack Trust Company, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

2008

A

JAMES DIMON
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
JPMorgan Chase & Co., New York, N.Y.

2009

A

RICHARD L. CARRIÓN
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Popular, Inc., San Juan, P.R.

2010

A

JEFFREY R. IMMELT
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
General Electric Company, Fairfield, Conn.

2008

B

INDRA K. NOOYI
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
PepsiCo, Inc., Purchase, N.Y.

2009

B

VACANCY

2010

B

STEPHEN FRIEDMAN, Chair and Federal Reserve Agent
Chairman
Stone Point Capital, LLC, Greenwich, Conn.

2010

C

DENIS M. HUGHES, Deputy Chair
President
New York State AFL-CIO, New York, N.Y.

2008

C

LEE C. BOLLINGER
President
Columbia University, New York, N.Y.

2009

C

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

DIRECTORS
Buffalo Branch†

JAMES P. LAURITO
President and Chief Executive Officer
Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation
and New York State Electric and Gas Corporation, Rochester, N.Y.
MICHELE D. TROLLI
Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer
M&T Bank, Buffalo, N.Y.
JOSEPH J. ASHTON
Regional Director, Region 9
United Auto Workers, Amherst, N.Y.
JONATHAN J. JUDGE
President and Chief Executive Officer
Paychex, Inc., Rochester, N.Y.
ALPHONSO O’NEIL-WHITE, Chair
President and Chief Executive Officer
HealthNow New York Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.
KIM J. ZUBER
Co-Owner
Zuber Farms, LLC, Churchville, N.Y.

†The

Bank closed the Buffalo Branch on October 31, 2008.

85

Advisory
Groups

87

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

ADVISORY GROUPS
FEDERAL ADVISORY
COUNCIL

ECONOMIC ADVISORY
PANEL

Second District Member
and Alternate Members

ROBERT BARRO
Harvard University

ROBERT P. KELLY, Member
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The Bank of New York Mellon
New York, N.Y.

RICHARD BERNER
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter

GERALD L. HASSELL,
Alternate Member
President
The Bank of New York Mellon
New York, N.Y.
THOMAS P. GIBBONS,
Alternate Member
Chief Financial Officer
The Bank of New York Mellon
New York, N.Y.

J. ALFRED BROADDUS
Consultant
MARTIN FELDSTEIN
Harvard University
JEFFREY FRANKEL
Harvard University
JACOB FRENKEL
American International Group
BENJAMIN FRIEDMAN
Harvard University
MARK GERTLER
New York University
PETER HOOPER
Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc.
GLENN HUBBARD
Columbia University
CATHERINE L. MANN
Brandeis University and
Peter G. Peterson Institute
for International Economics
ALLAN H. MELTZER
Carnegie Mellon University
KENNETH ROGOFF
Harvard University
LAWRENCE SUMMERS
Harvard University
EDWIN M. TRUMAN
Peter G. Peterson Institute
for International Economics
MICHAEL WOODFORD
Columbia University

ADVISORY COUNCIL
ON SMALL BUSINESS
AND AGRICULTURE
Chair
JOHN A. NOBLE
President
Noblehurst Farms, Inc.
Linwood, N.Y.
CATHERINE C. CANDLAND
President and Chief Executive Officer
Advantage Human Resourcing
Bridgeport, Conn.
LAWRENCE S. FOX
President
Fox Valve Development Corp.
Dover, N.J.
STEVEN GOLDSTEIN
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Alacra, Inc.
New York, N.Y.
THEODORE KESTEN
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Belmay, Inc.
New Rochelle, N.Y.
RECHÉ KIRKLAND
President
BKM Resources, Inc. – Global Chemicals
Holmdel, N.J.
SHARON NEWMAN
President
Action Envelope & Printing Co., Inc.
Lindenhurst, N.Y.
VIKKI L. PRYOR
President and Chief Executive Officer
SBLI USA Mutual Life
New York, N.Y.
SERGE SEGUIN
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Shock Tech
Tallman, N.Y.
JOHN SOTO
President and Chief Executive Officer
Space-Craft Manufacturing
New Haven, Conn.

89

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
HERBERT M. ALLISON, JR.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Fannie Mae
Washington, D.C.
LLOYD C. BLANKFEIN
Chairman and Chief Operating Officer
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
New York, N.Y.
DAVID BONDERMAN
Founding Partner
TPG Capital LP
Fort Worth, Tex.
WILLIAM J. BRODSKY
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Board Options Exchange
Chicago, Ill.
STANLEY F. DRUCKENMILLER
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Duquesne Capital Management, LLC
New York, N.Y.
D. FRANCISCO GONZALEZ
RODRIGUEZ
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.
Madrid, Spain
STEPHEN K. GREEN
Group Chairman
HSBC Holdings plc
London, United Kingdom

90

LIC. ROBERTO HERNANDEZ
RAMIREZ
Chairman of the Board
Banco Nacional de Mexico, S.A.
Mexico City, Mexico
HO CHING
Executive Director and Chief
Executive Officer
Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited
Singapore
HENRY KAUFMAN
President
Henry Kaufman & Company, Inc.
New York, N.Y.
MARIE-JOSÉE KRAVIS
Senior Fellow and Member
of the Board of Trustees
Hudson Institute
New York, N.Y.
SALLIE L. KRAWCHECK
Citi Group Inc. (Former)
New York, N.Y.
DONALD H. LAYTON
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
E*Trade Financial Corporation
New York, N.Y.
DR. THE HONORABLE
DAVID K. P. LI
Chairman and Chief Executive
The Bank of East Asia, Limited
Hong Kong, China

MICHEL J. D. PEBEREAU
Chairman of the Board
BNP Paribas
Paris, France
THOMAS A. RUSSO
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (Retired)
New York, N.Y.
ROBERTO SETUBAL
President and Chief Executive Officer
Banco Itau, S.A.
São Paulo, Brazil
JOHN A. THAIN
President
Global Banking, Securities,
and Wealth Management
Bank of America
New York, N.Y.
KURT F. VIERMETZ
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Deutsche Boerse AG
Munich, Germany
and
Member of the Supervisory Board
KFW – Ipex Bank
Frankfurt, Germany

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

THRIFT INSTITUTIONS ADVISORY PANEL
ELIZABETH HANCE
President and Chief Executive Officer
Magyar Bank
New Brunswick, N.J.

PAUL PANTOZZI
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The Provident Bank
Jersey City, N.J.

GEORGE STRAYTON
President and Chief Executive Officer
Provident Bank
Montebello, N.Y.

RONALD E. HERMANCE, JR.
Chairman, President,
and Chief Executive Officer
Hudson City Savings Bank
Paramus, N.J.

ROSS PROSSNER
President and Chief Executive Officer
Beacon Federal
East Syracuse, N.Y.

THOMAS SUNG
Chairman
Abacus Federal Savings Bank
New York, N.Y.

JOHN M. SCARCHILLI
President and Chief Executive Officer
Pioneer Savings Bank
Troy, N.Y.

JOHN F. TRENTACOSTA
President and Chief Executive Officer
Newtown Savings Bank
Newtown, Conn.

WILLIAM MELLIN
President and Chief Executive Officer
New York State Credit Union League
Latham, N.Y.

91

Officers of the
Federal Reserve Bank
of New York

93

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

OFFICERS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF NEW YORK
(As of December 31, 2008)

TIMOTHY F. GEITHNER
President
CHRISTINE M. CUMMING
First Vice President

THOMAS C. BAXTER, JR.
General Counsel
and Executive Vice President
Legal
TERRENCE J. CHECKI
Executive Vice President
Emerging Markets
and International Affairs
WILLIAM T. CHRISTIE
Executive Vice President
Automation and Systems Services
WILLIAM C. DUDLEY
Executive Vice President
Markets
SANDRA C. KRIEGER
Executive Vice President
Payments Policy
and Credit Risk Management

EDWARD F. MURPHY
Executive Vice President
Corporate
WILLIAM L. RUTLEDGE
Executive Vice President
Bank Supervision
EDWARD C. SMITH
General Auditor
and Executive Vice President
Audit
JOSEPH S. TRACY
Director of Research
and Executive Vice President
Research and Statistics
CARL W. TURNIPSEED
Executive Vice President
Financial Services

CALVIN A. MITCHELL, III
Executive Vice President
Communications

95

AUDIT GROUP

AUTOMATION AND SYSTEMS SERVICES GROUP

EDWARD C. SMITH
General Auditor
and Executive Vice President

WILLIAM T. CHRISTIE
Executive Vice President

ROBERT J. AMBROSE
Assistant General Auditor

IRA KAHNER
Technical Advisor

PETER MORREALE
Automation Officer

IRA M. LEVINSON†
Assistant Vice President

Business Systems Development

KENNETH T. NORCROSS
Automation Officer

SEAN G. MAHON
Senior Vice President

Information Security

JEAN BOLWELL
Vice President

SEAN G. MAHON
Senior Vice President

JEAN M. STOLOFF
Assistant Vice President

JEFFREY C. BLYE
Vice President

CHIN Y. YEH
Assistant Vice President

JOONHO J. LEE
Assistant Vice President

YUET-MING CHAN
Automation Officer

ROY D. THETFORD, JR.
Assistant Vice President

CLIVE BLACKWOOD
Audit Officer
DONNA M. GALLO
Audit Officer
RALPH W. HESSLER
Audit Officer
MARGARET SAXENIAN
Audit Officer
ISAAC SMITH, JR.
Audit Officer

ROBERT GOODMAN
Automation Officer

Electronic Payments and Markets
Systems Development
OM P. BAGARIA
Senior Vice President
CLAUDIA H. COUCH
Vice President
SHUET H. DONG
Vice President
DIANE PILINKO
Assistant Vice President
DONNA J. CROUCH
Automation Officer
JOHN T. LINES
Automation Officer

96

†Retired

effective February 1, 2009.

Information Technology
PETER SMEJKAL
Senior Vice President
JEFFREY KLEIN
Vice President
ISAAC B. OBSTFELD
Vice President
HARRY M. ZIMBALIST
Vice President
STANLEY G. BARWINSKI
Assistant Vice President
ASSUNTA MUGLIA
Assistant Vice President
ANAT GOURJI
Automation Officer

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

BANK SUPERVISION GROUP
WILLIAM L. RUTLEDGE
Executive Vice President

Network and Data Center Operations

MICHAEL J. ALIX
Senior Vice President and Senior Advisor

LENNOX A. MYRIE
Vice President

AIG RELATIONSHIP MONITORING

GERARD P. COLLINS
Vice President

SARAH J. DAHLGREN
Senior Vice President

GEORGE T. INSERRA, JR.
Assistant Vice President

STEVEN J. MANZARI
Senior Vice President

JAMES J. LEARY
Assistant Vice President

ALEJANDRO A. LATORRE
Assistant Vice President

RICHARD I. BARRETT
Automation Officer

REGIONAL BANKS/
COMMUNITY BANKS
THOMAS A. ORAVEZ
Assistant Vice President
ARMIN LOVI
Examining Officer
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
ARTHUR G. ANGULO
Senior Vice President

FINANCIAL SECTOR
POLICY AND ANALYSIS

Foreign Banks/Technical Assistance

MARC R. SAIDENBERG
Senior Vice President

DANIEL A. MUCCIA
Senior Vice President

NAHLA S. ALY
Assistant Vice President

STEFAN WALTER†
Senior Vice President

LAURENCE C. BONNEMERE
Assistant Vice President

JAMES NARRON
Vice President

Financial Sector Analysis Department

DAVID G. DUDLEY
Examining Officer

F. CHRISTOPHER CALABIA
Vice President

RICHARD C. HEESELER
Examining Officer

Strategic Analysis
and Technical Training

KEVIN D. COFFEY
Examining Officer

Financial Sector Policy Department
JOHN E. TSCHIRHART
Assistant Vice President
RICHARD H. MEAD
Bank Supervision Officer

Large Complex Banking
Organizations
JEANMARIE DAVIS
Senior Vice President
HOMER C. HILL, III
Senior Vice President
LANCE W. AUER
Vice President
WILLIAM J. BRODOWS
Vice President

†On

leave of absence.

97

BANK SUPERVISION GROUP (CONTINUED)

DIANNE K. DOBBECK
Vice President

SHIVAJI VOHRA
Examining Officer

CAROLINE FRAWLEY
Vice President

JAN H. VOIGTS
Examining Officer

JOHN G. RICKETTI
Vice President

JAMES B. WALL
Examining Officer

PAUL D. WHYNOTT
Vice President

Quality Assurance

DENNIS A. HERBST
Assistant Vice President
JOHN J. RUOCCO
Assistant Vice President
TODD M. WASZKELEWICZ
Assistant Vice President
BARBARA J. YELCICH
Assistant Vice President
STEPHANIE JO CHALY
Examining Officer
ANNE GOLDEN
Examining Officer
LISA M. JONIAUX
Examining Officer
KAREN R. KAHRS
Examining Officer
JACQUELINE M. LOVISA
Examining Officer
ANN E. MINER
Examining Officer
JOHN F. REYNOLDS
Examining Officer

98

†On

leave of absence.

MARK E. MINDLIN
Vice President

Professional Development
MARK C. SCAPP
Examining Officer
Resource Planning and Coordination
RONALD G. HENRY
Bank Supervision Officer
RISK MANAGEMENT
BRIAN L. PETERS
Senior Vice President

RESOURCE AND LOGISTICS
MANAGEMENT

JOHN E. KAMBHU
Vice President

ZAHRA EL-MEKKAWY
Senior Vice President

Consumer Compliance Risk

Data Resources/Information
Management
ROBERT GALLETTA
Assistant Vice President
SANDRA Y. ROSARIO
Bank Supervision Officer
Office of Talent and
Organizational Management
MARGARET E. BRUSH
Bank Supervision Officer
MAYRA GONZALEZ†
Bank Supervision Officer
ANNE M. MACEWEN†
Bank Supervision Officer

JAMES K. HODGETTS
Senior Vice President
SARAH P. ADELSON
Assistant Vice President
ROBERT G. GUTIERREZ
Assistant Vice President
MARYANN CAMPBELL
Examining Officer
ALAN J. DOMBROW
Examining Officer

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
CALVIN A. MITCHELL, III
Executive Vice President

Corporate Compliance and
Anti-Money Laundering Risk
JONATHAN I. POLK
Vice President
NICHOLAS FARCO
Assistant Vice President
MARIELLA DEARMAN
Examining Officer
BRIAN E. EARLY
Examining Officer
ROBERT A. OTERO
Examining Officer

Funding and Liquidity Risk

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

DIANNE K. DOBBECK
Vice President

KAUSAR HAMDANI
Vice President

Market Risk

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

CLINTON D. LIVELY
Vice President

CHERYL A. GLEASON
Vice President

Models and Methodologies

BARRY M. SCHINDLER
Assistant Vice President

JAMES M. MAHONEY
Vice President
KAREN Y. SCHNECK
Examining Officer

MEDIA RELATIONS
AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
S. ANDREW WILLIAMS†
Vice President

Credit Risk
RICHARD C. CAHILL
Vice President
TIL SCHUERMANN
Vice President
JOHN HEINZE
Examining Officer
Financial Infrastructure
THEODORE LUBKE
Senior Vice President
MICHELLE A. MEERTENS
Assistant Vice President

Operational Risk
JOSEPH L. GALATI, II
Assistant Vice President
RONALD P. STROZ
Assistant Vice President
IRA S. ADLER
Examining Officer
ROSEANNE FARLEY
Examining Officer

REGIONAL AFFAIRS
ERICA L. GROSHEN
Director of Regional Outreach
RAE D. ROSEN
Assistant Vice President
JANE P. KATZ
Regional Affairs Officer
WEB COMMUNICATIONS
AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
MARGARET G. CARMODY
Vice President

ROGER R. GRAHAM
Examining Officer
WENDY NG
Examining Officer
LILY THAM
Examining Officer
†Resigned

effective February 17, 2009.

99

CORPORATE GROUP
EDWARD F. MURPHY
Executive Vice President
NIRMAL V. MANERIKAR
Senior Vice President
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
LEON TAUB
Senior Vice President
ROBERT M. POFSKY
Assistant Vice President
Accounting
LEON TAUB
Senior Vice President
JOSEPH J. MARRACCINO
Assistant Vice President
HUMAN RESOURCES
ELAINE D. MAURIELLO
Senior Vice President
DIANE T. ASHLEY
Vice President
and Chief Diversity Officer
CHRISTINA X. MILLER
Vice President
GERALD L. STAGG, M.D.
Medical Director and Vice President
EVELYN E. KENDER
Assistant Vice President
LOUIS J. SCENTI, JR.
Assistant Vice President

100

†Retired

effective February 1, 2009.

JOANNE M. VALKOVIC
Assistant Vice President

SUSAN G. CICIO
Real Estate and General Services Officer

SHARON T. WONG†
Assistant Vice President

JOSEPH D. J. DEMARTINI
EROC Administrative Services Officer

BETTYANN L. GRIFFITH
Human Resources Officer
MICHAEL J. HIGGINS
Human Resources Officer
MARGARET M. MULLINS
Human Resources Officer
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
LEON TAUB
Senior Vice President
SCOTT R. GURBA
Vice President
REAL ESTATE AND
GENERAL SERVICES
LOLA S. JUDGE
Vice President
THOMAS P. REILLY
Vice President
RICHARD L. PRISCO
Assistant Vice President
JANE W. THOMAS
Assistant Vice President

STRATEGIC INVESTMENT AND
RISK ASSESSMENT OFFICE
ELIZABETH IRWIN-MCCAUGHEY
Senior Vice President
NATHANIEL WUERFFEL
Vice President
SUZANNE BENVENUTO
SIRA Officer
MARIA MASSEI-ROSATO
SIRA Officer

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

EMERGING MARKETS
AND INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS GROUP

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

TERRENCE J. CHECKI
Executive Vice President

CHRISTINE M. CUMMING
First Vice President

Equal Employment Opportunity

CHRISTOPHER J. MCCURDY
Senior Advisor to the President

LENNOX A. MYRIE
Vice President

Chief of Staff ’s Office

Wholesale Product Office

MICHAEL F. SILVA
Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President

LAUREN A. HARGRAVES
Senior Vice President
and Wholesale Product Manager

Development Studies
and Foreign Research
JOHN J. CLARK, JR.
Senior Vice President
MATTHEW D. HIGGINS
Vice President

TIMOTHY F. GEITHNER
President

HUNTER L. CLARK
International Officer

MICHAEL A. HELD
Corporate Secretary, Deputy General
Counsel, and Senior Vice President

Financial Markets and Institutions

HELEN E. MUCCIOLO
Senior Vice President

ANTHONY G. FRESSOLA
Assistant Vice President

MARGARET M. MCCONNELL
Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
and Vice President

DENISE B. SCHMEDES
Assistant Vice President

B. GERARD DAGES
Senior Vice President
JENNIFER S. CRYSTAL
Vice President
International Affairs
MICHELE S. GODFREY
Senior Vice President
HOWARD J. HOWE
Assistant Vice President

KENNETH S. ISAACSON
Vice President

JANET RESELE-TIDEN
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations,
Assistant Vice President, and Assistant
Corporate Secretary
RONA B. STEIN
Assistant Corporate Secretary
and Assistant Vice President

101

FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP

LEGAL GROUP

CARL W. TURNIPSEED
Executive Vice President

THOMAS C. BAXTER, JR.
General Counsel
and Executive Vice President

Business Development

Government-Wide Accounting

THOMAS P. CONNOLLY
Assistant Vice President

THOMAS F. KLEIN
Vice President

Cash and Custody

Group Support Staff

ROSEANN STICHNOTH
Senior Vice President

ANN M. HERON
Assistant Vice President

JOYCE M. HANSEN
Deputy General Counsel
and Senior Vice President
IVAN HURWITZ
Counsel and Vice President

ROBERT G. KRAUS
Vice President

International Cash Department

ROSALIE YEE
Assistant Vice President

JOHN HOKE
Assistant Vice President

DAVID A. DUTTENHOFER, JR.
Vice President

Compliance

JOHN M. HILL
Cash and Custody Officer

EILEEN M. GOODMAN
Cash and Custody Officer

MARTIN C. GRANT
Chief Compliance Officer
and Senior Vice President

Electronic Payments

JEFFREY PRUIKSMA
Cash and Custody Officer

GAIL R. ARMENDINGER
Vice President

International Treasury Services

CARL P. LUNDGREN
Vice President

PATRICIA HILT
Vice President

ROBYN A. BRANDOW
Electronic Payments Officer

BRIAN JACK
International Treasury Services Officer

MARK S. HARRIS
Electronic Payments Officer
BELINDA WILLIAMS
Electronic Payments Officer

102

Bank Applications

MARINA I. ADAMS
Assistant Vice President
Corporate Affairs
MICHAEL A. HELD
Corporate Secretary, Deputy General
Counsel, and Senior Vice President
VALERIE K. WILDE
Counsel

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Legal
JOYCE M. HANSEN
Deputy General Counsel
and Senior Vice President
STEPHANIE A. HELLER
Assistant General Counsel
and Senior Vice President
HAERAN KIM
Assistant General Counsel
and Senior Vice President
SHARI D. LEVENTHAL
Assistant General Counsel
and Senior Vice President
THOMAS H. ROCHE
Deputy General Counsel
and Senior Vice President
RALEIGH M. TOZER
Deputy General Counsel
and Senior Vice President
YOONHI GREENE
Counsel and Vice President
DAVID L. GROSS
Counsel and Vice President
JAMES R. HENNESSY
Counsel and Vice President
MICHAEL NELSON
Counsel and Vice President
MICHAEL SCHUSSLER
Counsel and Vice President
JAMES P. BERGIN
Counsel

MICHAEL V. CAMPBELL
Counsel
JOHN S. CASSIDY
Counsel
GREGORY CAVANAGH
Counsel
RICHARD E. CHARLTON
Counsel
DENLEY Y. S. CHEW
Counsel
MICHELE H. KALSTEIN
Counsel

Protection
NICHOLAS L. PROTO
Vice President and Chief Investigator
SEAN O’MALLEY
Assistant Vice President
ROBERT N. SAMA
Assistant Vice President
CORWIN KONG
Protection Officer
Records Management
MARTIN C. GRANT
Senior Vice President

CATHERINE KUNG
Counsel
JOSEPH H. SOMMER
Counsel
SOPHIA R. VICKSMAN
Counsel
JENNIFER A. WOLGEMUTH
Counsel
ROBERTO G. AMENTA
Investigative Officer
JORDAN AVNI
Automation Officer
MARY L. COLON
Legal Administrative Officer
PATRICK J. MCARDLE
Investigative Officer
BRETT S. PHILLIPS
Counsel

103

MARKETS GROUP
WILLIAM C. DUDLEY
Executive Vice President
PATRICIA C. MOSSER
Senior Vice President

Group Shared Services

MICHAEL SCHETZEL
Chief of Staff

ANNE F. BAUM
Senior Vice President

Business Technology

MARIA GRACE AMBROSIO
Vice President

MICHAEL J. RECUPERO
Senior Vice President

MICHELE R. WALSH
Assistant Vice President

MICHAEL J. BURK
Vice President

SUSAN R. CHASE
Markets Officer

THOMAS I. PIDERIT
Vice President

R. SUSAN STIEHM
Markets Officer

PAUL KOWALENKO
Assistant Vice President
PAUL R. COPPOLA
Markets Officer

Market Operations Monitoring
and Analysis
RICHARD P. DZINA
Senior Vice President

ANNA NORDSTROM
Assistant Vice President
ANGELA L. O’CONNOR
Assistant Vice President
ANNMARIE S. ROWE-STRAKER
Assistant Vice President
WILLIAM A. WALSH
Assistant Vice President
JOSHUA L. FROST
Markets Officer
FRANK M. KEANE
Markets Officer
KARIN KIMBROUGH
Markets Officer

Central Bank and International
Account Services

R. SPENCE HILTON
Senior Policy Advisor

TIMOTHY J. FOGARTY
Vice President

HAYLEY BOESKY
Vice President

BETTY S. LAU†
Vice President

SUSAN E. MCLAUGHLIN
Vice President

DEBORAH A. PERELMUTER
Senior Vice President

VIKEN CHAKRIAN†
Markets Officer

CHRISTOPHER R. BURKE
Assistant Vice President

DEBRA L. GRUBER
Assistant Vice President

DEBORAH L. LEONARD
Markets Officer

KATHRYN B. CHEN
Assistant Vice President

NATASHA M. ZABKA
Markets Officer

STEVEN FRIEDMAN
Assistant Vice President
OLIVER A. GIANNOTTI
Assistant Vice President

104

LORIE K. LOGAN
Assistant Vice President

†On

assignment at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

JOHN C. PARTLAN
Markets Officer
Treasury Debt Management Project

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

PAYMENTS POLICY
AND CREDIT RISK
MANAGEMENT GROUP
SANDRA C. KRIEGER
Executive Vice President
Credit Risk Management
ANDREW M. DANZIG
Vice President
Payments Policy
LUCINDA M. BRICKLER
Senior Vice President
LAWRENCE M. SWEET
Senior Vice President
LAWRENCE J. RADECKI
Vice President
MARSHA TAKAGI
Assistant Vice President
MICHELE BRAUN
Payments Policy Officer
Subcommittee on Credit Risk
Management Administration
Office (SCRM)

RESEARCH AND STATISTICS GROUP

JOSEPH S. TRACY
Director of Research
and Executive Vice President

International Research

KEVIN J. STIROH
Vice President

PAOLO A. PESENTI
Vice President

Capital Markets

LINDA S. GOLDBERG
Vice President

MICHAEL J. FLEMING
Assistant Vice President
JOSHUA ROSENBERG
Assistant Vice President

THOMAS KLITGAARD
Assistant Vice President
Macroeconomic and Monetary Studies

TOBIAS ADRIAN
Research Officer

SIMON M. POTTER
Senior Vice President

Financial Intermediation

RICHARD W. PEACH
Senior Vice President

BEVERLY J. HIRTLE
Senior Vice President
ZHENYU WANG
Vice President
HAMID MEHRAN
Assistant Vice President
STAVROS PERISTIANI
Assistant Vice President

MELANIE L. HEINTZ
Vice President

ADAM B. ASHCRAFT
Research Officer

ROBERT P. ALLER
Assistant Vice President

DONALD MORGAN
Research Officer

ROBERT W. RICH
Assistant Vice President
MARCO DEL NEGRO
Research Officer
JONATHAN P. MCCARTHY
Research Officer
ARGIA M. SBORDONE
Research Officer

JOÃO A. SANTOS
Research Officer

105

Microeconomic and Regional Studies

Money and Payments Studies

Research Support

ANDREW F. HAUGHWOUT
Assistant Vice President

JAMES J. MCANDREWS
Senior Vice President

CHARLES STEINDEL
Senior Vice President

JAMES A. ORR
Assistant Vice President

KENNETH D. GARBADE
Vice President

BARBARA J. DICKINSON
Assistant Vice President

GIORGIO TOPA†
Assistant Vice President

DONALD TODD KEISTER
Research Officer

DONALD J. WENNER
Research Officer

HENDRIKUS W. VAN DER KLAAUW
Assistant Vice President

ANTOINE MARTIN†
Research Officer

Statistics

RICHARD M. DEITZ
Regional Economics Officer

ASANI SARKAR
Research Officer

KENNETH P. LAMAR
Senior Vice President

Publications

ANTHONY O. CIRILLO
Assistant Vice President

VALERIE D. LAPORTE
Research Officer

RICHARD E. MOLLOY
Statistics Officer
P. BETH SCHWARTZBERG
Statistics Officer

106

†On

leave of absence.

Map of the Second
Federal Reserve District

107

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
2008 ANNUAL REPORT

THE SECOND FEDERAL RESERVE DISTRICT
CLINTON

N

FRANKLIN
ST. LAWRENCE

NEW YORK

E

W
ESSEX

JEFFERSON

S

LEWIS
HAMILTON
WARREN
OSWEGO
NIAGARA

MONROE

BUFFALO

WAYNE

MADISON

ONTARIO
LIVINGSTON

CAYUGA

YATES SENECA

CATTARAUGUS

ALLEGANY

OTSEGO

CHEMUNG

RENSSELAER
ALBANY
SCHOHARIE

CHENANGO
GREENE

STEUBEN
TIOGA

SARATOGA

MONTGOMERY
SC'NECT'Y

CORTLAND

TOMPKINS
SCHUYLER
CHAUTAUQUA

UTICA

ONONDAGA

WYOMING

HERKIMER
FULTON

GENESEE

ERIE

WASHINGTON

ONEIDA

ORLEANS

COLUMBIA

DELAWARE
BROOME
ULSTER

CONN.

DUTCHESS

SULLIVAN
PUTNAM

FAIRFIELD

ORANGE

Buffalo Branch territory†

SUSSEX

WESTCHESTER
ROCKLAND

PASSAIC

SUFFOLK

BERGEN

EROC

WARREN

Head Office territory

HUNTERDON

MORRIS

BRONX
ESSEX HUDSON

QUEENS

UNION
SOMERSET

KINGS
STATEN
ISLAND

MIDDLESEX

NEW JERSEY

NASSAU

HEAD OFFICE
(N.Y.C.)

MONMOUTH
PUERTO RICO
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

† The

Bank closed the Buffalo Branch on October 31, 2008.

109