Title 12, Banks and BankingRelease 119-102

§302 Number of Members; Classes

Title 12 › CHAPTER 3 — FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM › SUBCHAPTER VII — DIRECTORS OF FEDERAL RESERVE BANKS; RESERVE AGENTS AND ASSISTANTS › § 302

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The board has nine members serving three-year terms, split into three classes (A, B, C) of three. Class A are chosen by stockholding banks. Classes B and C are public — B elected, C appointed by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. All must be chosen without discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, or national origin, and B and C must consider agriculture, commerce, industry, services, labor, and consumers.

Full Legal Text

Title 12, §302

Banks and Banking, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Such board of directors shall be selected as hereinafter specified and shall consist of nine members, holding office for three years, and divided into three classes, designated as classes A, B, and C. Class A shall consist of three members, without discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, or national origin, who shall be chosen by and be representative of the stockholding banks. Class B shall consist of three members, who shall represent the public and shall be elected without discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, or national origin, and with due but not exclusive consideration to the interests of agriculture, commerce, industry, services, labor, and consumers. Class C shall consist of three members who shall be designated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. They shall be elected to represent the public, without discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, or national origin, and with due but not exclusive consideration to the interests of agriculture, commerce, industry, services, labor, and consumers.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section is comprised of pars. 9 to 12 of section 4 of act Dec. 23, 1913. For classification to this title of other pars. of section 4, see Codification note set out under section 301 of this title. Provisions of section which related to appointment of Class C directors when the necessary subscriptions to the capital stock have been obtained for the organization of any Federal Reserve Bank and which required the organization committee to exercise the powers and duties appertaining to the office of chairman in the organization of such Federal Reserve Bank pending the designation of a chairman, were omitted as obsolete. Another section 202 of Pub. L. 95–188 enacted section 225a of this title.

Amendments

1977—Second par. Pub. L. 95–188, § 202(a), required Class A members to be chosen without discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex or national origin. Third par. Pub. L. 95–188, § 202(b), substituted requirement that Class B members represent the public and be elected without discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, or national origin, and with due but not exclusive consideration to the interests of agriculture, commerce, industry, services, labor, and consumers for prior requirement that such Class B members, at the time of their election, be actively engaged in their district in commerce, agriculture or some other industrial pursuit. Fourth par. Pub. L. 95–188, § 202(c), required Class C members to be elected to represent the public, without discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, or national origin, and with due but not exclusive consideration to the interests of agriculture, commerce, industry, services, labor, and consumers.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

section 203(a) of act Aug. 23, 1935, changed name of Federal Reserve Board to Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

12 U.S.C. § 302

Title 12, Banks and Banking

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102