The Federal Reserve's History

Stylized text block reading The Federal Reserve System

Begin learning about the Federal Reserve's history in this overview essay

Featured Essay

The Federal Reserve began operating an ACH electronic payment system in the 1970s

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Featured Essay

The Federal Reserve began operating an ACH electronic payment system in the 1970s

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History and Policy

 Learn about the history behind Federal Reserve policy efforts.

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What's New

New: An essay on the Federal Home Loan Banks, which were established to advance funds to home mortgage lenders that historically did not have access to the Federal Reserve System (2024-10-15)

A new essay describes the Fed's response to the financial effects of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (2024-09-10)

Our newest essay explores Federal Reserve transparency (2024-08-05)

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