NATIONAL BANKING UNDER THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
for the purpose of conducting or settling accounts resulting from a
transaction or transactions involving any one of the following:
(a) The shipment of goods between the United States and any foreign country,
or between the United States or any of its dependencies, or between foreign
countries;
(b) The shipment of goods within the United States, providing shipping docu-
ments conveying security title are attached at the time of acceptance; |
(c) The storage of readily marketable staples,’ providing the bill is secured at
the time of acceptance by a warehouse receipt, or other such document con-
veying security title.
In order to be eligible, acceptances for any one customer in excess
of 10 per cent. of the capital and surplus of the accepting bank must
remain actually secured throughout the life of the acceptance. In
the case of acceptances of member banks this security must consist
of shipping documents, warehouse receipts or other such documents,
or some other actual security growing out of the same transaction as
the acceptance.
Although a Federal Reserve Bank may legally rediscount an ac-
ceptance having a maturity at the time of not more than 90 days,
or six months in case of agricultural acceptance, it may decline to
rediscount any acceptance the maturity of which is in excess of the
usual or customary period of credit required to finance the underlying
transaction or which is in excess of that period reasonably necessary
to finance such transaction.
Special conditions of eligibility for rediscount by the Federal
Reserve Bank are laid down in greater detail by the Federal Reserve
Board.
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Bills of exchange, trade acceptances, and bankers’
acceptances purchased in the open market
by the Federal Reserve Bank
The Federal Reserve Banks may, under rules and regulations pre-
scribed by the Federal Reserve Board, purchase and sell in the open
market, at home or abroad, from or to domestic or foreign banks,
firms, corporations, or individuals, bankers’ acceptances and bills of
18ee note, page 74.
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