Storms can have a serious effect on our normal routines, both personal and business. The Federal Reserve Banks have procedures in place to maintain vital financial services in a wide range of crisis situations. The Federal Reserve prioritizes clear communications, through our Service Status application and a variety of other tools, to help maintain operations during a crisis. Whether there is an impending storm surge, tornado, hurricane or other natural disaster, the information below will be helpful any time your organization experiences a contingency event throughout the year.

Pre-storm planning

• Use the Find Your Contacts tool located on the Contact page to create a directory customized to your ABA. Print and distribute this critical contact information, telephone numbers for regulatory agencies and contingency instructions to your staff and senior management. Keep these important resources at hand in the event of power or internet disruptions.
• Test your contingency back-ups, particularly those systems that are most critical for Check, FedACH^®, FedCash^® and Fedwire^® Services.
• Review the Federal Reserve’s Business Continuity Guides for the following services and applications:
  • Accounting Services
  • Check Services
  • FedACH Services
  • FedCash Services
  • FedLine^® Solutions
  • Fedwire Securities Service
  • Fedwire Funds Service
  • Reserve Administration
  • Statistical Reporting
  • Treasury Services

Storm watch

• Monitor the Service Status page to view General Notifications, Alerts and the current operational status of Federal Reserve Bank Services. The Service Status page offers key updates regarding any changes in service and is the best tool to obtain the most current information during a storm watch.
• Organizations that elect to close before a mandatory evacuation order has been issued must provide instructions for handling their checks by contacting FedACH and Check Services Customer Support at (877) 372-2457. 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.
• FedACH customers should contact FedACH and Check Services Customer Support regarding alternative receiving point and sending point arrangements.
• If applicable, utilize your organization’s secondary Virtual Private Network (VPN) device or Wide Area Network (WAN) connection to access FedLine at a contingency site. For more information, visit the FedLine Advantage^® and FedLine Command^® Business Continuity Quick Tips page.
• To discuss special orders or operating needs for currency and coin, please contact your local Federal Reserve Bank.

Post-storm procedures

• Continue to monitor the Service Status page to view General Notifications and the current operational status of Federal Reserve Bank Services. This page is a primary resource to verify if there are any changes to the operational status in the aftermath of a storm.
• Review the latest guidance for depositing contaminated currency. For more information, please visit the Contaminated Currency and Coin page. To discuss special orders or operating needs for currency and coin, please contact your local Federal Reserve Bank.
• If you resume operations at your site or a contingency site, we ask that you provide the current status of your operations and business resumption information. Contact FedACH and Check Services Customer Support with instructions for handling checks and FedACH transactions, and/or contact your local account executive.