Over time, this structure has provided the Federal Reserve with grassroots connections, local insights, and diverse perspectives that few other federal institutions enjoy. We are always looking for opportunities to interact with and learn from community bankers. Events like this one are an important venue for exchanging ideas, as I’ve mentioned, but there are many others.
For example, community bankers sit on our Federal Advisory Council, which meets with the Board of Governors for three mornings each year to discuss developments in the economy and in the banking industry.