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1 1 (April 1, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goveovo0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con gress bnaI Re ear h Service Informing the IegisIative debate since 1914 Updated April 1, 2024 Farm Credit Administration and Its Board Members Overview Congress oversees the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), which is the federal financial regulator responsible for ensuring the safety and soundness of Farm Credit System (FCS) institutions and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac). FCA is directed by a three- member board of directors nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate (12 U.S.C. §2242). Congressional oversight is provided by the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. The most recent authorizing committee hearings on FCS were in the Senate on May 19, 2016, and in the House on November 19, 2019 (with FCA witnesses). The Senate Agriculture Committee most recently held a nomination hearing for a board member in September 2022. This In Focus summarizes FCA and FCS and provides context for current and past terms of FCA board members. Farm Credit Administration FCA sets the policies, regulations, charters, and examinations of FCS and Farmer Mac entities. This includes compliance with laws concerning eligibility and regulations protecting the rights of borrowers in default. FCA is an independent agency that has about 300 employees. It is located in McLean, VA, and conducts examinations from several field offices. FCA reports to Congress on the financial condition of FCS. FCA's operating expenses are paid through assessments on FCS banks and associations. Even though FCA is not funded by congressional appropriation, the annual Agriculture appropriations act places a limit on FCA's administrative expenses ($94.3 million in FY2024). Statutory authority for FCA is in the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. §§2241 et seq.), as amended, notably by the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987. Regulations are at 12 C.F.R. §§600 et seq. Farm Credit System FCS is a privately owned, federally chartered, nationwide financial cooperative that lends to full- and part-time farmers, farming-related businesses, rural homeowners, farmer-owned cooperatives, and certain rural utilities. Borrowers must meet creditworthiness requirements. FCS is not a lender of last resort. Established in 1916 as a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), FCS has a statutory mandate-and limitation-to serve agriculture. FCS is the only direct lender among the GSEs. It receives tax benefits, but FCS operates without any direct federal appropriations. FCS associations are owned by their borrowers, who are required to purchase stock as part of their loans. FCS banks and associations do not take deposits like commercial banks. Instead, FCS uses capital markets to sell bonds that become the joint and several liabilities of all FCS banks, meaning they collectively stand behind the obligations to repay those bonds. FCS is composed of four regional banks that provide funds and support services to 56 smaller credit associations that in turn provide loans to eligible borrowers. As of December 31, 2023, FCS had $398 billion in total loans outstanding to agriculture, agribusiness, rural utility, and other borrowers. Agriculture loans are the largest portion ($228 billion) and provided 46% of loans on the sector-wide farm balance sheet at the end of 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Statutory authority for FCS is in the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. §§2001 et seq.), as amended. Farmer Mac Farmer Mac is a secondary market for agricultural mortgages. It purchases loans from originating lenders and provides other risk management tools. Farmer Mac was created by Congress in 1987 as a privately funded GSE and is an investor-owned corporation that is financially and corporately separate from FCS. As of December 31, 2023, Farmer Mac's total business volume (similar to assets) was over $28 billion. Statutory authority for Farmer Mac is in the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. §§2279aa et seq.). Board Members As a regulator, FCA is directed by a three-member board of directors nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate (12 U.S.C. §2242). Terms for board members are six years in length, fixed when they begin and staggered so that one term begins every two years regardless of whether a new member has been confirmed. Board members may not be reappointed after serving a full term or more than three years of an unexpired term. A board member may continue to serve beyond the end of his/her term until a replacement has been confirmed. This helps maintain an effective board if successors are delayed. Not more than two members of the board may be from the same political party. Qualifications require some background in agricultural economics and financial reporting, finance, law, or financial regulation. The President designates one member as chairman-not subject to further confirmation-who has historically held

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