Over-the-Counter Sales
Over-the-Counter Sales
Savings bond agents can sell and redeem United States Savings Bonds for their customers. There are now two ways for financial institutions to sell savings bonds:
Fully Automated Internet Method - OTC Direct
With OTC Direct, the process is fully automated with a direct link to us, and payment is made by ACH debit. You can simply add an OTC Direct link to your self-service kiosks and let your customers order savings bonds.
We do not pay fees for OTC Direct transactions.
Full-Service Method - Regional Delivery System
With the traditional, Regional Delivery system, you collect the completed purchase order and funds for the savings bond from the customer and place the order for the bond to be mailed to the customer.
Fees
Many financial institutions participate in the Regional Delivery System (RDS), a program that provides for the purchase and inscription of savings bonds over-the-counter at banks or credit unions. Fees for these services depend on the method used to send the purchasing information to the Federal Reserve Bank.
| Issuing agent is authorized to inscribe bonds sold over-the-counter and report sales in an electronic format. | 85¢/bond |
| Issuing agent participates in RDS and sends paper bond orders to the Federal Reserve Bank for inscription. | 50¢/ RDS order |
| Issuing agent participates in RDS and elects to prepare electronic records of bond purchases to send to a Federal Reserve Bank. | 85¢/RDS bond record |
Learn more about how fees are paid.
Become a Savings Bond Agent
Find out about how to become an agent by reading Savings Bonds-An Easy Addition to Your Financial Services Portfolio.
This informative brochure, published by the Federal Reserve, is for financial institutions interested in becoming savings bond agents.
