The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta believes that transparency is important to promote better understanding of the Bank's mission and to maintain public trust. While the Atlanta Fed is not an agency as that term is defined in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552 and is therefore not subject to its provisions, we have elected to comply with the spirit of FOIA.
Nothing contained in this policy is intended to affect the communications or informational services that we routinely provides, nor any obligations to disclose information according to law (for example, Section 1103 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act) or other legal process.
We will handle information requests invoking FOIA according to this policy.
How to make a request for Atlanta Fed records
In writing
Submit a request for information in writing to the Public Affairs Department at the mailing or email address provided below.
Submit requests by mail to:
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Public Affairs Department
1000 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Or by email to: karen.mracek@atl.frb.org
Content
You must include the following information with your request:
- Your name and address, and a telephone number where we can reach you during normal business hours if necessary
- A detailed description of the records you are requesting, including relevant dates
- The name of any pending litigation that relates to your request, if applicable, and the court and location
- An agreement to pay any fees related to your request, or a request for a waiver of these fees. We may grant a fee waiver if we determine that disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest because it contributes significantly to the public understanding of the Atlanta Fed's activities and the disclosure is not in your commercial interest.
We may request that you pay fees in advance as a condition to further processing your request. See Appendix A to this policy for the fee schedule.
We do not need to process any request that does not comply with the content requirements described above and will advise you if your request is inadequate.
Before you file a request for information, please review a list of documents we make publicly available that may meet your request. Verbal or written requests for information that the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta or Federal Reserve System regularly makes available on our website may be handled without the procedures described in this policy, provided any such request does not invoke or cite FOIA.
- Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta financial statements
- Atlanta Fed president's financial disclosures
- Atlanta Fed president's calendar
Contact for media requests: media@atl.frb.org
Response and determination
In response to a request that meets the requirements described above, we will conduct a search of records in existence as of the date we receive the request and review any relevant records. "Search" means a search of the Atlanta Fed's official files that are reasonably likely to contain documents of the kind you request.
We will determine whether to provide the records requested, and will generally make that determination within 20 business days after we receive a request that satisfies the content requirements outlined above. We may extend the time for responding but if we do, we will notify you in writing of the extension and for what reason. Once we have made a determination about disclosure, we will promptly notify you in writing of the decision.
Records not subject to disclosure
The Atlanta Fed may, in its sole discretion, decline to make available records as described in the exemptions below:
- Exemption 1: Records specifically authorized by an executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy
- Exemption 2: Records related solely to the Atlanta Fed's internal personnel rules and practices
- Exemption 3: Records specifically exempted from disclosure by statute or regulation of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Exemption 4: Records containing trade secrets and privileged or confidential commercial or financial information obtained from a person or organization
- Exemption 5: Interdepartment or intradepartment memoranda, notes, or letters consisting of analysis, minutes, opinions, or recommendations and including those records that are privileged and confidential attorney work product, attorney-client communications, predecisional or otherwise privileged and confidential
- Exemption 6: Personal and medical files and similar files or information the disclosure of which could constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy
- Exemption 7: Records related to the Atlanta Fed's security procedures or investigatory records compiled for law enforcement or security purposes. Security procedures include, but are not limited to, records concerning the Atlanta Fed's weapons, antiterrorist devices, security equipment, staffing in its law enforcement unit, surveillance footage, and law enforcement unit procedural manuals.
- 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 that we deem such records to be records of the Atlanta Fed's)
- Exemption 9: Those records related to the specific extensions of credit the Atlanta Fed has made
- Exemption 10: Those records contained in statements of account or which reflect entries made to any account maintained at the Bank
- Exemption 11: Those records containing data, formulas, or other information we use in determining prices for Federal Reserve services
- Exemption 12: Minutes of meetings, as well as related reports and materials, of the Atlanta Fed's board of directors and its committees, the Atlanta Fed's branch boards of directors, advisory councils, and executive leadership committee
- Exemption 13: Any Atlanta Fed records, the disclosure of which would materially interfere with the performance of our responsibilities as mandated by statue or regulation
At our sole discretion, we may disclose otherwise exempt records, which is not a waiver of our right to decline to disclose similar records under the same or substantially similar circumstances in the future.
We will provide segregable portions of records or information not otherwise exempt as listed if we determine that release of that portion will convey meaningful information that is not misleading.
For purposes of this policy, Atlanta Fed records and information do not include:
- Documents not in existence or not in the Bank's possession or control at the time of the request
- Personal files of employees
- Information that does not meet the definition of a record under our record retention policy—for example, drafts, duplicates, and routine messages such as meeting invitations and calendar entries
- Information in the public domain
- Intellectual property
- Documents that we have disposed of in accordance with our established procedures or law
- Documents of federal or state agencies
- Records of the United States Treasury
- Briefing materials or records of or related to the Federal Open Market Committee
- Records of any party for which the Atlanta Fed serves as agent unless expressly designated and authorized by the principal.
Appendix A: Fee schedule
| Service | Fee (in $) |
|---|---|
| Duplication | |
| Photocopy, per standard page | 0.10 |
| Paper copies of microfiche, per frame | 0.10 |
| Duplicate microfiche, per microfiche | 0.35 |
| Search and review | |
| Clerical/ Technical, hourly rate | 20.00 |
| Professional/Supervisory, hourly rate | 38.00 |
| Manager/Senior professional, hourly rate | 65.00 |
| Manager/Senior professional, hourly rate | 65.00 |
| Computer search and production | |
| Operator search time, hourly rate | 32.00 |
| Compact disc | 5.00 |
| PC or mainframe computer output | Actual cost |