12 U.S. Code § 415 - Reduction of liability for outstanding notes by depositing notes and collateral and payment of notes of series prior to 1928; reissue of deposited notes

Any Federal Reserve bank may at any time reduce its liability for outstanding Federal Reserve notes by depositing with the Federal Reserve agent its Federal Reserve notes, gold certificates, Special Drawing Right certificates, or lawful money of the United States. Federal Reserve notes so deposited shall not be reissued, except upon compliance with the conditions of an original issue. The liability of a Federal Reserve bank with respect to its outstanding Federal Reserve notes shall be reduced by an amount paid by such bank to the Secretary of the Treasury under section 4 of the Old Series Currency Adjustment Act.

(Dec. 23, 1913, ch. 6, § 16 (par.), 38 Stat. 267; June 21, 1917, ch. 32, § 7, 40 Stat. 237; Jan. 30, 1934, ch. 6, § 2(b)(5), 48 Stat. 339; Aug. 23, 1935, ch. 614, title II, § 203(a), 49 Stat. 704; Pub. L. 87–66, § 8(a), June 30, 1961, 75 Stat. 147; Pub. L. 90–269, § 5, Mar. 18, 1968, 82 Stat. 50; Pub. L. 90–349, § 5(b), June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 189.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 4 of the Old Series Currency Adjustment Act, referred to in text, which was classified to section 913 of former Title 31, was repealed by Pub. L. 97–258, § 5(b), Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1068, the first section of which enacted Title 31, Money and Finance.

Codification

Section is comprised of the fifth par. of section 16 of act Dec. 23, 1913. Section was formerly comprised of the fifth and sixth pars. of section 16 of act Dec. 23, 1913, before repeal of the sixth par. by Pub. L. 90–269, see 1968 Amendment note below. For classification to this title of other pars. of section 16, see Codification note set out under section 411 of this title.

Amendments

1968—Pub. L. 90–349 added Special Drawing Right certificates to the types of deposits which Federal Reserve banks may use in reducing their liability for outstanding Federal Reserve notes.

Pub. L. 90–269 struck out second par. (sixth par. of section 16 of Act Dec. 23, 1913), which read as follows: “The Federal Reserve agent shall hold such gold certificates or lawful money available exclusively for exchange for the outstanding Federal Reserve notes when offered by the Reserve bank of which he is a director. Upon the request of the Secretary of the Treasury the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System shall require the Federal Reserve agent to transmit to the Treasurer of the United States so much of the gold certificates held by him as collateral security for Federal Reserve notes as may be required for the exclusive purpose of the redemption of such Federal Reserve notes, but such gold certificates when deposited with the Treasurer shall be counted and considered as if collateral security on deposit with the Federal Reserve agent.”

1961—Pub. L. 87–66 provided for reduction of liability for outstanding notes by payment of notes of series prior to 1928.

1934—Act Jan. 30, 1934, struck out “gold” wherever it appeared before “gold certificates,” and inserted “certificates” after “gold” wherever latter stood alone.

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.