S7 E6: Bank Nerd Corner: Unpacking Federal Reserve Master Accounts with Julie Hill

Fintech Takes

We have a lot of questions when it comes to Fed Master Accounts. And thankfully, Julie Hill, Vice Dean and Alton C. and Cecile Cunningham Craig Professor of Law at the University of Alabama, is here to answer them!

In this special edition of Bank Nerd Corner, Julie helps Alex and Kiah unravel the many legal mysteries of the Federal Reserve’s Master Accounts. Julie breaks down the history of the Fed’s payment systems and explains how access to those systems (via Master Accounts) impacts banks and fintech companies.

How do these “bank accounts for banks” work? Which banks can get them? And what happens if access to them is taken away?

Kiah, Alex, and Julie discuss the role of the Fed as a payments facilitator, as opposed to a regulator, and unpack why it’s nearly impossible to make money in payments without having a Master Account.

And later, they dive into the troubling report of sexual harassment at the FDIC, and spend a few minutes marveling at (and ranting about) where bank routing numbers come from.

00:01:56 - Understanding Federal Reserve Master Accounts

00:14:19 - Credit Union Applies to Serve Cannabis Industry

00:17:22 - Federal Reserve and American Samoa's Money Laundering Dilemma

00:27:57 - Federal Reserve's Transparency on Master Accounts

00:35:07 - Federal Reserve Announces New Supervision Team

00:45:01 - Federal Reserve's Role in Money Laundering

00:51:31 - FDIC Sexual Harassment Review Findings

00:59:46 - Collaborative Structures Improve Aviation Safety

01:02:55 - American Banking Association Still Provides Routing Numbers

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Follow Julie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hill-15929821/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProfJulieHill

Follow Kiah:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/khaslett

Follow Alex:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson