[United States Government Manual]
[June 01, 2005]
[Pages 391-394]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



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FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION

1501 Farm Credit Drive, McLean, VA 22102-5090

Phone, 703-883-4000. Fax, 703-734-5784. Internet, www.fca.gov.
Farm Credit Administration Board:                   

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer              Nancy C. Pellett
Members of the Board                              Douglas L. Flory, 
                                                          Dallas P. 
                                                          Tonsager
    Secretary to the Board                        Jeanette C. Brinkley

Staff:                                              

Chief of Staff                                    Keith Heffernan
Executive Director for Planning and Projects      Roland E. Smith
Director, Congressional Affairs                   Martha Schober
Director, Office of Communications and Public     Carl Clinefelter, 
        Affairs                                           Acting
General Counsel                                   Charles R. Rawls
    Associate General Counsels                    Kathleen V. Buffon, 
                                                          Victor A. 
                                                          Cohen
Inspector General                                 Stephen G. Smith
Director, Office of Examination and Chief         Thomas G. McKenzie
        Examiner
Director, Office of Policy and Analysis           C. Edward Harshbarger, 
                                                          Acting
Director, Office of Secondary Market Oversight    Andrew D. Jacob
Director, Office of the Chief Administrative      Philip J. Shebest
        Officer
Director, Office of the Chief Financial Officer   W.B. Erwin
Director, Office of the Chief Information         Doug Valcour
        Officer
Director, Equal Employment Opportunity and        Eric Howard
        Ombudsman
Designated Agency Ethics Official                 Kathleen V. Buffon

[For the Farm Credit Administration statement of organization, see the 
        Code of Federal Regulations, Title 12, Parts 600 and 611]

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The Farm Credit Administration is responsible for ensuring the safe and 
sound operation of the banks, associations, affiliated service 
organizations, and other entities that collectively comprise what is 
known as the Farm Credit System, and for protecting the interests of the 
public and those who borrow from Farm Credit institutions or invest in 
Farm Credit securities.


The FarmCredit Administration (FCA) was established as an independent 
financial regulatory agency in the executive branch of the Federal 
Government by Executive Order 6084 on March 27, 1933. The Administration 
carries out its responsibilities by conducting examinations of the 
various Farm Credit lending institutions, which are Farm Credit Banks, 
the Agricultural Credit Bank, Agricultural Credit Associations, and 
Federal Land Credit Associations. It also examines the service 
organizations owned by the Farm Credit lending institutions, as well as 
the National Consumer Cooperative Bank(also known as the National 
Cooperative Bank).
    FCA policymaking is vested in the Farm Credit Administration Board,

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whose three full-time members are appointed to 6-year terms by the 
President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. One member of the 
Board is designated by the President as Chairman and serves as the 
Administration's chief executive officer. The Board is responsible for 
approving rules and regulations, providing for the examination and 
regulation of and reporting by Farm Credit institutions, and 
establishing the policies under which the Administration operates. Board 
meetings are regularly held on the second Thursday of the month and are 
subject to the Government in the Sunshine Act. Public announcements of 
these meetings are published in the Federal Register.
    The lendinginstitutions of the Farm Credit System were established 
to provide adequate and dependable credit and closely related services 
to farmers, ranchers, and producers or harvesters of aquatic products; 
persons engaged in providing on-the-farm services; rural homeowners; and 
associations of farmers, ranchers, and producers or harvesters of 
aquatic products, or federations of such associations that operate on a 
cooperative basis and are engaged in marketing, processing, supply, or 
business service functions for the benefit of their members. Initially 
capitalized by the United States Government, the Farm Credit lending 
institutions are organized as cooperatives and are completely owned by 
their borrowers. The loanfunds provided to borrowers by these 
institutions are obtained primarily through the sale of securities to 
investorsin the Nation's capital markets.
    The Agricultural Credit Act of 1987, as amended (12 U.S.C. 2279aa-
1), established the Federal Agricultural MortgageCorporation(commonly 
known as ``Farmer Mac''). The Corporation, designated as part of the 
Farm Credit System, is a federally chartered instrumentality of the 
United States and promotes the development of a secondary market for 
agricultural real estate and rural housing loans. Farmer Mac also 
provides guarantees for the timely payment of principal and interest on 
securities, representing interests in or obligations backed by pools of 
agricultural real estate loans. The Administration is responsible for 
the examination and regulation of Farmer Mac to ensure the safety and 
soundness of its operations.
    The Administration manages regulations under which Farm Credit 
institutions operate. These regulations implement the Farm Credit Act of 
1971, as amended (12 U.S.C. 2001), and have the force and effect of law. 
Similar to other Federal regulators of financial institutions, the 
Administration's authorities include the power to issue cease-and-desist 
orders, to levy civil monetary penalties, to remove officers and 
directors of Farm Credit institutions, and to establish financial and 
operating reporting requirements. Although it is prohibited from 
participation in routine management or operations of Farm Credit 
institutions, the Administration is authorized to become involved in 
these institutions' management and operations when the Farm Credit Act 
or its regulations have been violated, when taking an action to correct 
an unsafe or unsound practice, or when assuming a formal conservatorship 
over an institution.
    The Administration does not operate on funds appropriated by 
Congress. Its income is derived from assessments collected from the 
institutions it regulates and examines. In addition to the headquarters 
office located in McLean, VA, the Administration maintains four field 
offices located in Aurora, CO; Bloomington, MN; Irving, TX; and 
Sacramento, CA.
    Authority for the organization and activities of the institutions 
comprising the cooperative Farm Credit System which operate under the 
regulation of the Farm Credit Administration may be found in the Farm 
Credit Act of 1971, as amended.

Sources of Information

Inquiries for information on the following subjects may be directed to 
the specified office, Farm Credit Administration, 1501 Farm Credit 
Drive, McLean, VA 22102-5090.

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Contracts and Procurement  Inquiries regarding the Administration's 
procurement and contracting activities should be directed in writing to 
Contracting and Procurement. Phone, 703-883-4286. Requests for 
proposals, invitations for bids, and requests for quotations are posted 
when open on the Administration's Web site at www.fca.gov.
Employment  Inquiries regarding employment with the Administration 
should be directed to the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. 
Phone, 703-883-4135 (TTY), 703-883-4444. Vacancy announcements are 
posted on the Administration's Web site at www.fca.gov.
Freedom of Information Requests  Requests for agency records must be 
submitted in writing, clearly labeled ``FOIA Request'' and addressed to 
the Office of the General Counsel. Phone, 703-883-4020 (voice and TTY). 
Requests may be submitted through the Internet at www.fca.gov.
Publications  Publications and information on the Farm Credit 
Administration may be obtained by writing to the Office of 
Communications and Public Affairs. Phone, 703-883-4056 (voice and TTY). 
Fax, 703-790-3260. E-mail, [email protected].

For further information, contact the Office of Communications and Public 
Affairs, Farm Credit Administration, 1501 Farm Credit Drive, McLean, VA 
22102-5090. Phone, 703-883-4056 (voice and TTY). E-mail, info-
[email protected]. Internet, www.fca.gov.

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