The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (informally the Chicago Fed) is one of twelve Federal Reserve Banks that, along with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, make up the Federal Reserve System, the United States' central bank. The Chicago Fed serves the Seventh District, which encompasses the northern portions of Illinois and Indiana, southern Wisconsin, the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, and the state of Iowa. In addition to participation in the formulation of monetary policy, each Reserve Bank supervises member banks and bank holding companies, provides financial services to depository institutions and the U.S. government, and monitors economic conditions in its District. The Chicago Fed was established on May 18, 1914, when representatives from five Seventh District banks formally signed the Chicago Fed's organization certificate. The Bank officially opened for business on Monday, November 16, 1914.

Responsibilities

As one of the Reserve Banks that make up the Federal Reserve System, the Chicago Fed is responsible for:

Leadership

Austan Goolsbee is the current president of the Chicago Fed. He took office on January 9, 2023, as the tenth president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Ellen Bromagen is first vice president and chief operating officer of the Chicago Fed. Anna Paulson is Executive Vice President and Director of Research. The Chicago Fed annually co-hosts in Chicago an international banking conference to examine cross-national banking and finance issues.

History

The Chicago Fed was established on May 18, 1914, when representatives from five Seventh District banks formally signed the Chicago Fed's organization certificate. The Bank officially opened for business with 41 employees on Monday, November 16, 1914. Bankers in Michigan, frustrated by business delays caused by travel time to Chicago, lobbied the Chicago Fed to create a branch office in Detroit (then the second largest industrial area in the Seventh District). The Bank's board of directors agreed to establish a Detroit Branch in a vote in November 1917. By 1919, the Chicago Fed had expanded to 1,200 employees and outgrown its office spaces, which were scattered across various buildings in the Loop. The Bank purchased a lot on LaSalle Street and commissioned the architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White—which also designed the Continental Illinois Building across the street—to design its new headquarters. The landmark Beaux-Arts building opened in 1922. The Bank opened its Money Museum in 2001.

Money Museum

The bank's Charles L. Evans Money Museum is free and open to the public year-round from 8:30am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, except on Bank holidays. All visitors must show a photo identification, walk through a metal detector and have their bags x-rayed before entering the Money Museum. No food or drink are allowed in the museum. A presentation lasting roughly 45 minutes is available at 1pm on Monday through Friday, or by appointment. The rest of the Money Museum is accessible at any time during open hours. The museum includes a free kiosk, which takes a guest's picture in front of a million dollars in $100 bills. A million dollars in $1 bills and a million dollars in $20 bills are on display. The museum has been known for giving out bags of shredded money as souvenirs.

Branch

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago has a branch office in Detroit.

Board of directors

The following people are on the board of directors. Class A directors are elected by member banks to represent member banks. Class B directors are elected by member banks to represent the public. Class C directors are appointed by the board of governors to represent the public. The current chair is Jennifer Scanlon and the current deputy chair Juan Salgado.