204.10—Payment of interest on balances.
(a) Payment of interest.
The Federal Reserve Banks shall pay interest on balances maintained at Federal Reserve Banks by or on behalf of an eligible institution as provided in this section and under such other terms and conditions as the Board may prescribe.
(b) Rate.
Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, Federal Reserve Banks shall pay interest at the following rates—
(3)
For required reserve balances, excess balances, and term deposits, at any other rate or rates as determined by the Board from time to time, not to exceed the general level of short-term interest rates. For purposes of this subsection, “short-term interest rates” are rates on obligations with maturities of no more than one year, such as the primary credit rate and rates on term federal funds, term repurchase agreements, commercial paper, term Eurodollar deposits, and other similar instruments.
(c) Pass-through balances.
A pass-through correspondent that is an eligible institution may pass back to its respondent interest paid on balances held on behalf of that respondent. In the case of balances held by a pass-through correspondent that is not an eligible institution, a Reserve Bank shall pay interest only on the required reserve balances held on behalf of one or more respondents, and the correspondent shall pass back to its respondents interest paid on balances in the correspondent's account. Any passing back of interest by a correspondent to a respondent under this subsection is not a payment of interest on a demand deposit for purposes of part 217 of this chapter (Regulation Q).
(d) Excess balance accounts.
(1)
A Reserve Bank may establish an excess balance account for eligible institutions under the provisions of this paragraph (d). Notwithstanding any other provisions of this part, the excess balances of eligible institutions in an excess balance account represent a liability of the Reserve Bank solely to those participating eligible institutions.
(2)
The participating eligible institutions in an excess balance account shall authorize another institution to act as agent of the participating institutions for purposes of general account management, including but not limited to transferring the excess balances of participating institutions in and out of the excess balance account. An excess balance account must be established at the Reserve Bank where the agent maintains its master account, unless otherwise determined by the Board. The agent may not commingle its own funds in the excess balance account.
(3)
No required reserve balances or clearing balances may be maintained at any time in an excess balance account, and balances maintained in an excess balance account will not satisfy any institution's reserve balance requirement or contractual clearing balance.
(4)
An excess balance account must be used exclusively for the purpose of maintaining the excess balances of participants and may not be used for general payments or other activities.
(5)
Interest shall be paid on excess balances of eligible institutions maintained in an excess balance account in accordance with paragraph (b)(2) or (b)(3) of this section.
(6)
A Reserve Bank may establish additional terms and conditions consistent with this part with respect to the operation of an excess balance account, including, but not limited to, terms of and fees for services, conditions under which an institution may act as agent for an account, restrictions on the agent with respect to account management, penalties for noncompliance with this section or any terms and conditions, and account termination.
(e) Term deposits.
(1)
A Federal Reserve Bank may accept term deposits from eligible institutions under the provisions of this paragraph (e) subject to such terms and conditions as the Board may establish from time to time, including but not limited to conditions regarding the maturity of the term deposits being offered, maximum and minimum amounts that may be maintained by an eligible institution in a term deposit, the interest rate or rates offered, early withdrawal of term deposits, pledging term deposits as collateral and, if term deposits are offered through an auction mechanism, the size of the offering, maximum and minimum bid amounts, and other relevant terms.
(2)
A term deposit will not satisfy any institution's required reserve balance or contractual clearing balance.