About the Fed
Business Continuity

Emergency Preparedness and Contact Information

Dallas Federal Reserve Website

The Bank's website (www.dallasfed.org) will serve as the primary location for all Dallas Fed emergency-related information. This site will be used as potential emergencies are identified and as emergencies are under way, such as flooding, hurricanes, pandemic, regional power outages, terrorist activity, etc., and for follow-up action when the emergency subsides. The site will be updated as new information becomes available. If the Dallas Fed's website is unavailable, institutions can use the Federal Reserve's national financial services website (www.frbservices.org) for information on Checks Services, FedACH®, FedCash® and Fedwire®.

Web Information Sources

• Dallas Federal Reserve website
  www.dallasfed.org
• National Financial Services website
  www.frbservices.org

General Information

• If your institution elects to close before a mandatory evacuation order has been issued, you must provide instructions for handling the presentment of your checks. Contact the National Check Customer Support Center at 877-FRB-CHKS.
• Please note that accounting and settlement dollars for those transactions will continue to flow to your account even if the work is held or redirected. Therefore, it is important to monitor and maintain sufficient balances in your account.
• If you resume operations at a contingency site, please provide instructions for handling your checks and receiving your Check 21 files, as well as business resumption information, by contacting the Customer Support Center and/or your local account executive.
• For paper check presentments, we work with contracted check couriers to evaluate accessibility of roads, determine alternate deposit times and locations, and monitor undeliverable work.
• Account monitoring may be performed via FedPhone® or FedLine Web®. Please ensure that your FedPhone users and codeword lists for Funds and Securities Transfers are updated and on hand for contingencies. Additionally, formalize FedLine Web certificates and FedLine Advantage® token procedures for activation at contingency sites.
• To discuss special orders or operating needs for currency and coin, please call Cash Customer Support at your servicing Federal Reserve Office.

Emergency Preparations

• Review the business continuity guide. Become familiar with the Federal Reserve's National Business Continuity Guide at www.frbservices.org (see listing on left side of homepage under Business Continuity). There you will learn about our National Business Resilience and Business Continuity Plans for each of our services. Print and distribute to your staff critical telephone numbers and contingency instructions.
• Verify, update and test your procedures. Verify accuracy of agreements and test your contingency backup plans, particularly for service areas most critical for FedCash®, FedACH®, Fedwire®, and Check Services. Be sure that your procedures have been updated from those for the FedLine® DOS environment to those for FedLine Advantage®.
• Keep contact lists handy. Senior management should keep telephone numbers for the Federal Reserve Customer Support Center, your Federal Reserve account executive, and regulatory agencies at hand, as access to these resources is particularly critical during times of emergency. Use the helpful tool My FedDirectory® to create a list of financial service contacts customized for your institution. You can do this at www. frbservices.org/contacts/index.jsp. You may want to keep a copy of these contact numbers in a location outside of your institution, such as your home or car, in case your building is inaccessible.
• Communication is critical. Assess and refine your capabilities for getting in touch with your staff before, during and after an emergency situation. Some institutions have added call-in lines and special webpages for staff to use in an emergency.