Title 12 › CHAPTER 11 — FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANKS › § 1436
Federal Home Loan Banks must put part of their profits into reserve accounts as their boards decide. A federal Director can require extra reserves or write down bad assets. Banks may only pay dividends from saved earnings or current profits after they set aside required reserves, cover charge-offs, buy required Financing Corporation capital certificates, and make required Funding Corporation payments. The reserve money must be invested mostly in safe mortgage- and government-related securities, including U.S. government obligations, FNMA and GNMA instruments, securities sold by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and investments allowed for trust funds in the bank’s state. If the Director finds severe financial trouble that threatens member banks, the Director can temporarily let banks stop the regular reserve set-asides and pay dividends from undivided profits. If a bank has losses from buying Financing Corporation stock, and the Director finds an urgent need for member banks to get dividends, and the bank has already cut its other reserves to zero, the Director may allow dividends from undivided profits or the required reserve account. Any rules that apply to the bank’s Financing Corporation investment still stay in effect.
Full Legal Text
Banks and Banking, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
12 U.S.C. § 1436
Title 12, Banks and Banking
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110