Transparency is essential to maintaining public trust and promoting a better understanding of the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in alignment with the other Federal Reserve Banks, share a common policy as a commitment to transparency and to provide for the disclosure of certain Bank records.
The New York Fed administers this policy, the Transparency and Accountability Policy, through its Freedom of Information Office. The New York Fed is not an agency and is therefore not subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, the New York Fed is committed to complying with the spirit of FOIA and has had a Freedom of Information Policy or related practice for decades. Given this long history, the New York Fed will continue to respond to requests for information related to records from prior to the adoption of the Transparency and Accountability Policy in January 2024.
Any request for information should be submitted in writing to the Freedom of Information Office of the New York Fed.
Each request must contain the following:
- The requester's contact information, including a phone number;
- A detailed description of the records requested, including relevant dates, in the body text of the written request - attachments will not be reviewed;
- The name of any pending litigation to which the request relates and the court and its location; and
- The agreement of the requestor to pay the Bank for any fees owed in accordance with the Fee Schedule contained in Appendix A of the New York Fed’s Transparency and Accountability Policy, or a request for waiver of such fees (see Sections 3.7, 3.8 and 3.9 of the Transparency and Accountability Policy).
Requests can be submitted by mail:
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
33 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10045
Or by email:
The New York Fed may decline to make certain information available under eight different exemptions defined below.
- Exemption 1: Those records specifically authorized by an Executive Order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and are in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive Order;
- Exemption 2: Those records related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of the Bank;
- Exemption 3: Those records specifically exempted from disclosure by statute or regulation of the Board;
- Exemption 4: Those records containing trade secrets and those records containing commercial or financial information obtained from a person or organization that is privileged or confidential, including records related to specific extensions of credit made by the Bank; records related to accounts maintained at the Bank or transactions processed by the Bank; or commercially sensitive information related to the provision of financial services;
- Exemption 5: Memoranda, notes or letters, consisting of analysis, minutes, opinions or recommendations, including those shared within the Federal Reserve System or with government agencies, that are pre-decisional or privileged, including attorney work product, attorney-client communications, and material that is otherwise privileged;
- Exemption 6: Personnel and medical files and similar files or information the disclosure of which could constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
- Exemption 7: Those records that are related to the security procedures of this Bank or are investigatory records compiled for law enforcement or security purposes; and
- Exemption 8: Those records contained in or related to examination, operating, or condition reports related to the regulation or supervision of financial institutions (to the extent such records are deemed to be records of the Bank).
For more information, see the New York Fed's Transparency and Accountability Policy.
