[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 221 (Tuesday, November 17, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 71681-71684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29336]


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FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

12 CFR Part 204

[Regulation D; Docket No. R-1524]
RIN 7100 AE-38


Reserve Requirements of Depository Institutions

AGENCY: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Board is amending Regulation D, Reserve Requirements of 
Depository Institutions, to reflect the annual indexing of the reserve 
requirement exemption amount and the low reserve tranche for 2016. The 
Regulation D amendments set the amount of total reservable liabilities 
of each depository institution that is subject to a zero percent 
reserve

[[Page 71682]]

requirement in 2016 at $15.2 million (from $14.5 million in 2015). This 
amount is known as the reserve requirement exemption amount. The 
Regulation D amendments also set the amount of net transaction accounts 
at each depository institution (over the reserve requirement exemption 
amount) that is subject to a three percent reserve requirement in 2016 
at $110.2 million (from $103.6 million in 2015). This amount is known 
as the low reserve tranche. The adjustments to both of these amounts 
are derived using statutory formulas specified in the Federal Reserve 
Act.
    The Board is also announcing changes in two other amounts, the 
nonexempt deposit cutoff level and the reduced reporting limit, that 
are used to determine the frequency at which depository institutions 
must submit deposit reports.

DATES: Effective date: December 17, 2015.
    Compliance dates: The new low reserve tranche and reserve 
requirement exemption amount will apply to the fourteen-day reserve 
maintenance period that begins January 21, 2016. For depository 
institutions that report deposit data weekly, this maintenance period 
corresponds to the fourteen-day computation period that begins December 
22, 2015. For depository institutions that report deposit data 
quarterly, this maintenance period corresponds to the seven-day 
computation period that begins December 15, 2015. The new values of the 
nonexempt deposit cutoff level, the reserve requirement exemption 
amount, and the reduced reporting limit will be used to determine the 
frequency at which a depository institution submits deposit reports 
effective in either June or September 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Clinton N. Chen, Attorney (202/452-
3952), Legal Division, or Ezra A. Kidane, Financial Analyst (202/973-
6161), Division of Monetary Affairs; for users of Telecommunications 
Device for the Deaf (TDD) only, contact (202/263-4869); Board of 
Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th and C Streets NW., 
Washington, DC 20551.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 19(b)(2) of the Federal Reserve Act 
(12 U.S.C. 461(b)(2)) requires each depository institution to maintain 
reserves against its transaction accounts and nonpersonal time 
deposits, as prescribed by Board regulations, for the purpose of 
implementing monetary policy. Section 11(a)(2) of the Federal Reserve 
Act (12 U.S.C. 248(a)(2)) authorizes the Board to require reports of 
liabilities and assets from depository institutions to enable the Board 
to conduct monetary policy. The Board's actions with respect to each of 
these provisions are discussed in turn below.

1. Reserve Requirements

    Pursuant to section 19(b) of the Federal Reserve Act (Act), 
transaction account balances maintained at each depository institution 
are subject to reserve requirement ratios of zero, three, or ten 
percent. Section 19(b)(11)(A) of the Act (12 U.S.C. 461(b)(11)(A)) 
provides that a zero percent reserve requirement shall apply at each 
depository institution to total reservable liabilities that do not 
exceed a certain amount, known as the reserve requirement exemption 
amount. Section 19(b)(11)(B) provides that, before December 31 of each 
year, the Board shall issue a regulation adjusting the reserve 
requirement exemption amount for the next calendar year if total 
reservable liabilities held at all depository institutions increase 
from one year to the next. No adjustment is made to the reserve 
requirement exemption amount if total reservable liabilities held at 
all depository institutions should decrease during the applicable time 
period. The Act requires the percentage increase in the reserve 
requirement exemption amount to be 80 percent of the increase in total 
reservable liabilities of all depository institutions over the one-year 
period that ends on the June 30 prior to the adjustment.
    Total reservable liabilities of all depository institutions 
increased by 6.4 percent, from $7,026 billion to $7,476 billion between 
June 30, 2014, and June 30, 2015. Accordingly, the Board is amending 
Regulation D to set the reserve requirement exemption amount for 2016 
at $15.2 million, an increase of $0.7 million from its level in 
2015.\1\
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    \1\ Consistent with Board practice, the low reserve tranche and 
reserve requirement exemption amounts have been rounded to the 
nearest $0.1 million.
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    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Act (12 U.S.C. 461(b)(2)), 
transaction account balances maintained at each depository institution 
over the reserve requirement exemption amount and up to a certain 
amount, known as the low reserve tranche, are subject to a three 
percent reserve requirement. Transaction account balances over the low 
reserve tranche are subject to a ten percent reserve requirement. 
Section 19(b)(2) also provides that, before December 31 of each year, 
the Board shall issue a regulation adjusting the low reserve tranche 
for the next calendar year. The Act requires the adjustment in the low 
reserve tranche to be 80 percent of the percentage increase or decrease 
in total transaction accounts of all depository institutions over the 
one-year period that ends on the June 30 prior to the adjustment.
    Net transaction accounts of all depository institutions increased 
8.0 percent, from $1,904 billion to $2,056 billion between June 30, 
2014 and June 30, 2015. Accordingly, the Board is amending Regulation D 
to increase the low reserve tranche for net transaction accounts by 
$6.6 million, from $103.6 million for 2015 to $110.2 million for 2016.
    The new low reserve tranche and reserve requirement exemption 
amount will be effective for all depository institutions for the 
fourteen-day reserve maintenance period beginning Thursday, January 21, 
2016. For depository institutions that report deposit data weekly, this 
maintenance period corresponds to the fourteen-day computation period 
that begins December 22, 2015. For depository institutions that report 
deposit data quarterly, this maintenance period corresponds to the 
seven-day computation period that begins December 15, 2015.

2. Deposit Reports

    Section 11(b)(2) of the Federal Reserve Act authorizes the Board to 
require depository institutions to file reports of their liabilities 
and assets as the Board may determine to be necessary or desirable to 
enable it to discharge its responsibility to monitor and control the 
monetary and credit aggregates. The Board screens depository 
institutions each year and assigns them to one of four deposit 
reporting panels (weekly reporters, quarterly reporters, annual 
reporters, or nonreporters). The panel assignment for annual reporters 
is effective in June of the screening year; the panel assignment for 
weekly and quarterly reporters is effective in September of the 
screening year.
    In order to ease reporting burden, the Board permits smaller 
depository institutions to submit deposit reports less frequently than 
larger depository institutions. The Board permits depository 
institutions with net transaction accounts above the reserve 
requirement exemption amount but total transaction accounts, savings 
deposits, and small time deposits below a specified level (the 
``nonexempt deposit cutoff'') to report deposit data quarterly. 
Depository institutions with net transaction accounts above the reserve 
requirement exemption amount and

[[Page 71683]]

with total transaction accounts, savings deposits, and small time 
deposits greater than or equal to the nonexempt deposit cutoff are 
required to report deposit data weekly. The Board requires certain 
large depository institutions to report weekly regardless of the level 
of their net transaction accounts if the depository institution's total 
transaction accounts, savings deposits, and small time deposits exceeds 
or is equal to a specified level (the ``reduced reporting limit''). The 
nonexempt deposit cutoff level and the reduced reporting limit are 
adjusted annually, by an amount equal to 80 percent of the increase, if 
any, in total transaction accounts, savings deposits, and small time 
deposits of all depository institutions over the one-year period that 
ends on the June 30 prior to the adjustment.
    From June 30, 2014 to June 30, 2015, total transaction accounts, 
savings deposits, and small time deposits at all depository 
institutions increased 5.3 percent, from $10,256 billion to $10,798 
billion. Accordingly, the Board is increasing the nonexempt deposit 
cutoff level by $16.9 million to $416.9 million in 2016 (from $400.0 
million for 2015). The Board is also increasing the reduced reporting 
limit by $77 million to $1.901 billion for 2016 (from $1.824 billion in 
2015).\2\
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    \2\ Consistent with Board practice, the nonexempt deposit cutoff 
level has been rounded to the nearest $0.1 million, and the reduced 
reporting limit has been rounded to the nearest $1 million.
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    Beginning in 2016, the boundaries of the four deposit reporting 
panels will be defined as follows. Those depository institutions with 
net transaction accounts over $15.2 million (the reserve requirement 
exemption amount) or with total transaction accounts, savings deposits, 
and small time deposits greater than or equal to $1.901 billion (the 
reduced reporting limit) are subject to detailed reporting, and must 
file a Report of Transaction Accounts, Other Deposits and Vault Cash 
(FR 2900 report) either weekly or quarterly. Of this group, those with 
total transaction accounts, savings deposits, and small time deposits 
greater than or equal to $416.9 million (the nonexempt deposit cutoff 
level) are required to file the FR 2900 report each week, while those 
with total transaction accounts, savings deposits, and small time 
deposits less than $416.9 million are required to file the FR 2900 
report each quarter. Those depository institutions with net transaction 
accounts less than or equal to $15.2 million (the reserve requirement 
exemption amount) and with total transaction accounts, savings 
deposits, and small time deposits less than $1.901 billion (the reduced 
reporting limit) are eligible for reduced reporting, and must either 
file a deposit report annually or not at all. Of this group, those with 
total deposits greater than $15.2 million (but with total transaction 
accounts, savings deposits, and small time deposits less than $1.901 
billion) are required to file the Annual Report of Deposits and 
Reservable Liabilities (FR 2910a) report annually, while those with 
total deposits less than or equal to $15.2 million are not required to 
file a deposit report. A depository institution that adjusts reported 
values on its FR 2910a report in order to qualify for reduced reporting 
will be shifted to an FR 2900 reporting panel.

3. Notice and Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(b) relating to notice of proposed 
rulemaking have not been followed in connection with the adoption of 
these amendments. The amendments involve expected, ministerial 
adjustments prescribed by statute and by the Board's policy concerning 
reporting practices. The adjustments in the reserve requirement 
exemption amount, the low reserve tranche, the nonexempt deposit cutoff 
level, and the reduced reporting limit serve to reduce regulatory 
burdens on depository institutions. Accordingly, the Board finds good 
cause for determining, and so determines, that notice in accordance 
with 5 U.S.C. 553(b) is unnecessary. Consequently, the provisions of 
the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601, do not apply to these 
amendments.

List of Subjects in 12 CFR Part 204

    Banks, Banking, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Board is amending 12 
CFR part 204 as follows:

PART 204--RESERVE REQUIREMENTS OF DEPOSITORY INSTITUTIONS 
(REGULATION D)

0
1. The authority citation for part 204 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 12 U.S.C. 248(a), 248(c), 371a, 461, 601, 611, and 
3105.


0
2. In Sec.  204.4, paragraph (f) is revised to read as follows:


Sec.  204.4  Computation of required reserves.

* * * * *
    (f) For all depository institutions, Edge and Agreement 
corporations, and United States branches and agencies of foreign banks, 
required reserves are computed by applying the reserve requirement 
ratios below to net transaction accounts, nonpersonal time deposits, 
and Eurocurrency liabilities of the institution during the computation 
period.

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          Reservable liability                 Reserve requirement
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Net Transaction Accounts:
    $0 to reserve requirement exemption  0 percent of amount.
     amount ($15.2 million).
    Over reserve requirement exemption   3 percent of amount.
     amount ($15.2 million) and up to
     low reserve tranche ($110.2
     million).
    Over low reserve tranche ($110.2     $2,850,000 plus 10 percent of
     million).                            amount over $110.2 million.
Nonpersonal time deposits..............  0 percent.
Eurocurrency liabilities...............  0 percent.
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[[Page 71684]]

    By order of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 
System, acting through the Director of the Division of Monetary 
Affairs under delegated authority, November 12, 2015.
Robert deV. Frierson,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2015-29336 Filed 11-16-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6210-01-P