A Great Moral and Social Force: A History of Black Banks

A Great Moral and Social Force: A History of Black Banks is written as a historical reference on Black community banks, and serves as a guide to help all Americans think differently about our relationships with banks. The goal of the latest volume of the Kansas City Fed's historical book series is to move across eras and examine some of the communities where banks played a dual role in establishing both economic opportunity and social equality.
By Tim Todd.

Let Us Put Our Money Together: The Founding of America’s First Black Banks

The history of America’s earliest African American banks is something that is not widely known. These banks served as an important source of credit while also offering innumerable other benefits to the consumers and communities that they served.
By Tim Todd.

Educators can access a companion, high-school level lesson plan, Progress Through Parity: How Minority Banks Changed the Financial Landscape, External Linkhere.

State Banking and the Dawn of the U.S. Economy

Today’s community banks continue a tradition that is as old as our nation. Read about the first U.S. financial institutions in the new book State Banking and the Dawn of the U.S. Economy.
By Tim Todd.

A Corollary of Accountability: A History of FOMC Policy Communication

The revelation in the early 1990s that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) had privately maintained policy meeting transcripts for years created a substantial political challenge for the Federal Reserve. But it also opened the door to a new era of policy transparency that would have been unimaginable through much of the Fed’s history.
By Tim Todd

Highways of Commerce: Central Banking and the U.S. Payments System

Explore the history behind the Federal Reserve's current roles as overseer and participant in the payments system and the often contentious debate over the central bank's responsibilities.
By Bill Medley

In Late August: The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium

The Bank's Economic Policy Symposium has provided a unique forum for the exchange of ideas on important policy issues of interest to central banks around the world. This book tells the history of the symposium through the years.
By Tim Todd and Bill Medley

Under Pressure: Politics and the Federal Reserve During the 1990-1991 Recession

During the U.S. recession of 1990-91, the Federal Reserve came under intense pressure from political forces seeking to influence monetary policy. This book examines the role of politics on the Federal Open Market Committee at that time and highlights the importance of the Fed's independence and decentralized structure.
By Tim Todd

The Balance of Power: The Political Fight for an Independent Central Bank

This book provides an overview of the relationship between the Federal Reserve's political and independent elements.
By Tim Todd

Confidence Restored: The History of the Tenth District's Federal Reserve Bank

This book offers a detailed look at the Kansas City Fed's history through the leaders and innovation that shaped our organization into what it is today.
By Tim Todd

Integrity, Fairness and Resolve: Lessons from Bill Taylor and the Last Financial Crisis

This brief biography focuses on the leadership of the Fed's long-time head of banking supervision during the financial crisis of the 1980s and the parallels to today's turmoil.
By Tim Todd