§ 1427. Directors

(a) Number; election; qualifications; conflicts of interest

(1) In general

Subject to paragraphs (2) through (4), the management of each Federal Home Loan Bank shall be vested in a board of 13 directors, or such other number as the Director determines appropriate.

(2) Board makeup

The board of directors of each Bank shall be comprised of—

(A) member directors, who shall comprise at least the majority of the members of the board of directors; and

(B) independent directors, who shall comprise not fewer than 2/5 of the members of the board of directors.

(3) Selection criteria

(A) In general

Each member of the board of directors shall be—

(i) elected by plurality vote of the members, in accordance with procedures established under this section; and

(ii) a citizen of the United States.

(B) Independent director criteria

(i) In general Each independent director that is not a public interest director under clause (ii) shall have demonstrated knowledge of, or experience in, financial management, auditing and accounting, risk management practices, derivatives, project development, or organizational management, or such other knowledge or expertise as the Director may provide by regulation.

(ii) Public interest Not fewer than 2 of the independent directors shall have more than 4 years of experience in representing consumer or community interests on banking services, credit needs, housing, or financial consumer protections.

(iii) Conflicts of interest No independent director may, during the term of service on the board of directors, serve as an officer of any Federal Home Loan Bank or as a director, officer, or employee of any member of a Bank, or of any person that receives advances from a Bank.

(4) Definitions

For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(A) Independent director

The terms “independent director” and “independent directorship” mean a member of the board of directors of a Federal Home Loan Bank who is a bona fide resident of the district in which the Federal Home Loan Bank is located, or the directorship held by such a person, respectively.

(B) Member director

The terms “member director” and “member directorship” mean a member of the board of directors of a Federal Home Loan Bank who is an officer or director of a member institution that is located in the district in which the Federal Home Loan Bank is located, or the directorship held by such a person, respectively.

(b) Directorships

(1) Member directorships

Each member directorship shall be designated by the Director as representing the members located in a particular State, and shall be filled by a person who is an officer or director of a member located in that State, each of which members shall be entitled to nominate an eligible person for such directorship, and such office shall be filled from such nominees by a plurality of the votes which such members may cast in an election held for the purpose of filling such office, in which election each such member may cast for such office a number of votes equal to the number of shares of stock in such bank required by this chapter to be held by such member at the end of the calendar year next preceding the election, as determined pursuant to regulation of the Director, but not in excess of the average number of shares of stock in such bank required by this chapter to be held at the end of such calendar year by the respective members of such bank located in such State, as so determined. No person who is an officer or director of a member that fails to meet any applicable capital requirement is eligible to hold the office of Federal Home Loan Bank director. As used in this subsection and in subsection (c) of this section, the term “member” means a member of a Federal home loan bank which was a member of such bank at the end of such calendar year.

(2) Independent directorships

(A) Elections

Each independent director—

(i) shall be elected by the members entitled to vote, from among eligible persons nominated, after consultation with the Advisory Council of the Bank, by the board of directors of the Bank; and

(ii) shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the members of the Bank at large, with each member having the number of votes for each such directorship as it has under paragraph (1) in an election to fill member directorships.

(B) Criteria

Nominees shall meet all applicable requirements prescribed in this section.

Procedures for nomination and election of independent directors shall be prescribed by the bylaws of each Federal Home Loan Bank, in a manner consistent with the rules and regulations of the Agency.

The number of member directorships designated as representing the members located in each separate State in a bank district shall be determined by the Director in the approximate ratio of the percentage of the required stock, as determined pursuant to regulation of the Director, of the members located in that State at the end of the calendar year next preceding the date of the election to the total required stock, as so determined, of all members of such bank at the end of such year, except that in the case of each State such number shall not be less than one and shall not be more than six. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,

(A) except as provided in clause (B) of this sentence, if at any time the number of member directorships so designated as representing the members located in any State would not be at least equal to the total number of elective directorships which, on December 31, 1960, were filled by officers or directors of members whose principal places of business were located in such State, the Director shall add to the board of directors of the bank of the district in which such State is located such number of member directorships, and shall so designate the directorship or directorships thus added, that the number of member directorships designated as representing the members located in such State will equal said total number, and

(B) clause (A) of this sentence shall not apply to the directorships of any Federal Home Loan Bank resulting from the merger of any 2 or more such Banks. Any member directorship so added shall exist only until the expiration of its first term. The Director shall, with respect to each member of a Federal home loan bank, designate the State in the district of such bank in which such member shall, for the purposes of this subsection and subsection (b) of this section, be deemed to be located, and may from time to time change any such designation, but if the principal place of business of any such member is located in a State of such district it shall be the duty of the Director to designate such State as the State in which such member shall, for said purposes, be deemed to be located. As used in the second sentence of this subsection, the term “total number of elective directorships” means the total number of elective directorships on the board of directors of the bank of the district in which such State was located on December 31, 1960, and the term “members” where used for the second time in such sentence means members of such bank.

(d) Terms; rules and regulations governing nominations and elections

The term of each director shall be 4 years. The board of directors of each Federal home loan bank and the Director shall adjust the terms of members first elected after July 30, 2008, to ensure that the terms of the members of the board of directors are staggered with approximately 1/4 of the terms expiring each year. If any person, before or after, or partly before and partly after, September 8, 1961, has been elected to each of three consecutive full terms as a director of a Federal home loan bank and has served for all or part of each of said terms, such person shall not be eligible for election to a directorship of such bank for a term which begins earlier than two years after the expiration of the last expiring of said three terms. The Director is authorized to prescribe such rules and regulations as it may deem necessary or appropriate for the nomination and election of directors of Federal home loan banks, including, without limitation on the generality of the foregoing, rules and regulations with respect to the breaking of ties and with respect to the inclusion of more than one directorship on a single ballot and the methods of voting and of determining the results of voting in such cases.

(e) Continuation of existing terms; directorship for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

Each term, outstanding on the effective date of the amendment to this section abolishing the division of elective directors into classes, of an elective or appointive directorship then existing shall continue until its original date of expiration, and any elective or appointive directorship in existence on said date shall continue to exist to the same extent as if it had been established by or under this section on or after said date. The Director in its ^[1] discretion may shorten the next succeeding term of any such elective directorship to one year, and may fill such term by appointment. The term “States” or “State” as used in this section shall mean the States of the Union, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Director, by regulation or otherwise, may add an additional elective directorship to the board of directors of the bank of any district in which the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is included at the time such directorship is added and which does not then include five or more States, may fix the commencement and the duration, which shall not exceed two years, of the initial term of any directorship so added, and may fill any such initial term by appointment: Provided, That

(1) any directorship added pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this sentence shall be designated by the Director, pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, as representing the members located in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,

(2) such designation of such directorship shall not be changed, and

(3) such directorship shall automatically cease to exist if and when the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ceases to be included in such district.

(f) Vacancies

(1) In general

A Bank director elected to fill a vacancy shall be elected for the unexpired term of his or her predecessor in office.

(2) Election process

In the event of a vacancy in any Bank directorship, such vacancy shall be filled by an affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining Bank directors, regardless of whether such remaining Bank directors constitute a quorum of the Bank’s board of directors. A Bank director so elected shall satisfy the requirements for eligibility which were applicable to his predecessor. If any Bank director shall cease to have any qualification set forth in this section, the office held by such person shall immediately become vacant, and such person shall not continue to act as a Bank director.

(g) Chairperson and Vice Chairperson

(1) Election

The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the board of directors of each Federal home loan bank shall be elected by a majority of all the directors of such bank from among the directors of the bank.

(2) Terms

The term of office of the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson of the board of directors of a Federal home loan bank shall be 2 years.

(3) Acting Chairperson

In the event of a vacancy in the position of Chairperson of the board of directors or during the absence or disability of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson shall act as Chairperson.

(4) Procedures

The board of directors of each Federal home loan bank shall establish procedures, in the bylaws of such board, for designating an acting chairperson for any period during which the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson are not available to carry out the requirements of that position for any reason and removing any person from any such position for good cause.

(h) Appointment where members hold less than $1,000,000 of capital stock

If at any time when nominations are required members shall hold less than $1,000,000 of the capital stock of the Federal home loan bank, the Director shall appoint a director or directors to fill the place or places for which such nominations are required, and the Director may, prior to the filing of the certificate mentioned in section 1432 of this title, appoint directors who shall be respectively designated by it as appointive directors and as member directors, in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(i) Directors’ compensation

(1) In general

Each bank may pay its directors reasonable compensation for the time required of them, and their necessary expenses, in the performance of their duties, in accordance with the resolutions adopted by such directors, subject to the approval of the board.

(2) Annual report

The Director shall include, in the annual report submitted to the Congress pursuant to section 4521 of this title, information regarding the compensation and expenses paid by the Federal Home Loan Banks to the directors on the boards of directors of the Banks.

(j) Duties of directors

Such board of directors shall administer the affairs of the bank fairly and impartially and without discrimination in favor of or against any member, and shall, subject to the provisions hereof, extend to each institution authorized to secure advances such advances as may be made safely and reasonably with due regard for the claims and demands of other institutions, and with due regard to the maintenance of adequate credit standing for the Federal Home Loan Bank and its obligations.

(k) Indemnification of directors, officers, and employees

The board of directors of each Bank shall determine the terms and conditions under which such Bank may indemnify its directors, officers, employees or agents.

(l) 2 Withholding of compensation

Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a Federal Home Loan Bank shall not transfer, disburse, or pay compensation to any executive officer, or enter into an agreement with such executive officer, without the approval of the Director, for matters being reviewed under section 4518 of this title.

(l) 2 Transition rule

Any member of the board of directors of a Bank elected or appointed in accordance with this section prior to July 30, 2008, may continue to serve as a member of that board of directors for the remainder of the existing term of service.

[1] So in original.

[2] So in original. Two subsecs. (l) have been enacted.

U.S. Code

§ 1427. Directors