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Title 12 — Banks and Banking

Chapter 2 — National Banks

§ 90. Depositaries of public moneys and financial agents of Government

Statutory text

All national banking associations, designated for that purpose by the Secretary of the Treasury, shall be depositaries of public money, under such regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary; and they may also be employed as financial agents of the Government; and they shall perform all such reasonable duties, as depositaries of public money and financial agents of the Government, as may be required of them. The Secretary of the Treasury shall require the associations thus designated to give satisfactory security, by the deposit of United States bonds and otherwise, for the safe-keeping and prompt payment of the public money deposited with them, and for the faithful performance of their duties as financial agents of the Government: Provided, That the Secretary shall, on or before the 1st of January of each year, make a public statement of the securities required during that year for such deposits. And every association so designated as receiver or depositary of the public money shall take and receive at par all of the national currency bills, by whatever association issued, which have been paid into the Government for internal revenue, or for loans or stocks: Provided, That the Secretary of the Treasury shall distribute the deposits herein provided for, as far as practicable, equitably between the different States and sections.

Any national banking association may, upon the deposit with it of any funds by any State or political subdivision thereof or any agency or other governmental instrumentality of one or more States or political subdivisions thereof, including any officer, employee, or agent thereof in his official capacity, give security for the safekeeping and prompt payment of the funds so deposited to the same extent and of the same kind as is authorized by the law of the State in which such association is located in the case of other banking institutions in the State.

Any national banking association may, upon the deposit with it of any funds by any federally recognized Indian tribe, or any officer, employee, or agent thereof in his or her official capacity, give security for the safekeeping and prompt payment of the funds so deposited by the deposit of United States bonds and otherwise as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury for public funds under the first paragraph of this section.

Notwithstanding chapters 1 to 11 of title 40 and division C (except sections 3302, 3307(e), 3501(b), 3509, 3906, 4710, and 4711) of subtitle I of title 41, the Secretary may select associations as financial agents in accordance with any process the Secretary deems appropriate and their reasonable duties may include the provision of electronic benefit transfer services (including State-administered benefits with the consent of the States), as defined by the Secretary.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. R.S. § 5153

    Enacted · 12 U.S.C. § 90

    R.S. § 5153

    Unresolved: No Public Law or Statutes at Large citation in the Code source.

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    R.S. § 5153

  2. Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1979

    Pub. L. 96–153 title III § 323(f) · 93 Stat. 1101

    Added · 12 U.S.C. § 90

    Pub. L. 96–153 added third par

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 96–153 added third par.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (f) Section 5153 of the Revised Statutes is amended by adding at the end thereof the following paragraph: “Any national banking association may, upon the deposit with it of any funds by any federally recognized Indian tribe, or any officer, employee, or agent thereof in his or her official capacity, give security for the safekeeping and prompt payment of the funds so deposited by the deposit of United States bonds and otherwise as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury for public funds under the first paragraph of this section.”.

  3. Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act of 1996

    Pub. L. 104–208 div. A title I § 101(f)(s2)(1) · 110 Stat. 3009

    Added · 12 U.S.C. § 90

    Pub. L. 104–208 added fourth par

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 104–208 added fourth par.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    Sec. 101. (a) For programs, projects or activities in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, provided as follows, to be effective as if it had been enacted into law as the regular appropriations Act:

2 of 3 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 unresolved

Editorial Notes

Codification

In text, “chapters 1 to 11 of title 40 and division C (except sections 3302, 3307(e), 3501(b), 3509, 3906, 4710, and 4711) of subtitle I of title 41” substituted for “the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended” on authority of Pub. L. 107–217, § 5(c), , 116 Stat. 1303, which Act enacted Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works, and Pub. L. 111–350, § 6(c), , 124 Stat. 3854, which Act enacted Title 41, Public Contracts.

R.S. § 5153 derived from act June 3, 1864, ch. 106, § 45, 13 Stat. 113, which was the National Bank Act. See section 38 of this title.

Amendments1930–1996 · 4 rounds

1996

Pub. L. 104–208 added fourth par.

1979

Pub. L. 96–153 added third par.

1950

Act , permitted national banks to accept and give security for deposits of funds made by agencies or governmental instrumentalities or States or political subdivisions thereof and by their officers, employees or agents.

1930

Act , added second par.

Credits

1901–1996 · 9 acts
  1. R.S. § 5153
  2. 1901Mar. 3, 1901, ch. 871, 31 Stat. 1448
  3. 1907Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2913, § 3, 34 Stat. 1290
  4. 1913Dec. 23, 1913, ch. 6, § 27, 38 Stat. 274
  5. 1914Aug. 4, 1914, ch. 225, 38 Stat. 682
  6. 1930June 25, 1930, ch. 604, 46 Stat. 809
  7. 1950Aug. 18, 1950, ch. 754, 64 Stat. 463
  8. 1979Pub. L. 96–153, title III, § 323(f), , 93 Stat. 1120
  9. 1996Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(f) [§ 2(1)], , 110 Stat. 3009–314, 3009–386.
Show as published

(R.S. § 5153; Mar. 3, 1901, ch. 871, 31 Stat. 1448; Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2913, § 3, 34 Stat. 1290; Dec. 23, 1913, ch. 6, § 27, 38 Stat. 274; Aug. 4, 1914, ch. 225, 38 Stat. 682; June 25, 1930, ch. 604, 46 Stat. 809; Aug. 18, 1950, ch. 754, 64 Stat. 463; Pub. L. 96–153, title III, § 323(f), , 93 Stat. 1120; Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(f) [§ 2(1)], , 110 Stat. 3009–314, 3009–386.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc12.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-07-23

USLM identifier /us/usc/t12/s90