Supervision & Regulation

The Federal Reserve is responsible for supervising--monitoring, inspecting, and examining--certain financial institutions to ensure that they comply with rules and regulations, and that they operate in a safe and sound manner. Supervision of financial institutions is tailored based on the size and complexity of the institution.

Regulation entails establishing the rules within which financial institutions must operate. This includes issuing specific reg­ulations and guidelines governing the formation, operations, activities, and acquisitions of financial institutions. The Federal Reserve offers numerous resources to assist banking organizations and the public understand these rules and related expectations.

The Federal Reserve reviews applications submitted by bank holding companies, state member banks, savings and loan holding companies, foreign banking organizations, and other entities and individuals for approval to undertake various transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, and to engage in new activities. The Federal Reserve also takes formal enforcement actions against regulated institutions for violations of laws, rules, or regulations, unsafe or unsound practices, breaches of fiduciary duty, and violations of final orders.

The Federal Reserve and the other federal banking agencies collect, maintain, analyze, and make available to the public a wide range of financial and banking structure data. These data are essential to formulating and conducting bank regulation and supervision and for the ongoing assessment of the overall soundness of the nation's banking system.