Page:Banking Act of 1933 (Federal Reserve Circular 1248).djvu/8

[] bank capital and surplus which may be represented by loans secured by stock or bond collateral made by member banks within such district, but no such loan shall be made by any such bank to any person in an amount in excess of 10 per centum of the unimpaired capital and surplus of such bank. Any percentage so fixed by the Federal Reserve Board shall be subject to change from time to time upon ten days' notice, and it shall be the duty of the Board to establish such percentages with a view to preventing the undue use of bank loans for the speculative carrying of securities. The Federal Reserve Board shall have power to direct any member bank to refrain from further increase of its loans secured by stock or bond collateral for any period up to one year under penalty of suspension of all rediscount privileges at Federal reserve banks."

Sec. 8. The Federal Reserve Act, as amended, is amended by inserting between sections 12 and 13 (U.S.C., title 12, secs. 261, 262, and 342), thereof the following new sections:

". 12A. (a) There is hereby created a Federal Open Market Committee (hereinafter referred to as the 'committee'), which shall consist of as many members as there are Federal reserve districts. Each Federal reserve bank by its board of directors shall annually select one member of said committee. The meetings of said committee shall be held at Washington, District of Columbia, at least four times each year, upon the call of the governor of the Federal Reserve Board or at the request of any three members of the committee, and, in the discretion of the Board, may be attended by the members of the Board.

"(b) No Federal reserve bank shall engage in open-market operations under section 14 of this Act except in accordance with regulations adopted by the Federal Reserve Board. The Board shall consider, adopt, and transmit to the committee and to the several Federal reserve banks regulations relating to the open-market transactions of such banks and the relations of the Federal Reserve System with foreign central or other foreign banks.

"(c) The time, character, and volume of all purchases and sales of paper described in section 14 of this Act as eligible for open-market operations shall be governed with a view to accommodating commerce and business and with regard to their bearing upon the general credit situation of the country.

"(d) If any Federal reserve bank shall decide not to participate in open-market operations recommended and approved as provided in paragraph (b) hereof, it shall file with the chairman of the committee within thirty days a notice of its decision, and transmit a copy thereof to the Federal Reserve Board.

". 12B. (a) There is hereby created a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the 'Corporation'), whose duty it shall be to purchase, hold, and liquidate, as hereinafter provided, the assets of national banks which have been closed by action of the Comptroller of the Currency, or by vote of their directors, and the assets of State member banks which have been closed by action of the appropriate State authorities, or by vote of their directors; and to insure, as hereinafter provided, the deposits of all banks which are entitled to the benefits of insurance under this section.