|
The Federal Home Loan Bank of
Boston ("Bank" or "FHLB Boston") has adopted
the following set of corporate governance principles as a
framework for its corporate governance structure.
The Federal Home Loan Bank System
FHLB Boston is one of twelve Federal Home Loan Banks ("Banks").
All of these entities operate as financial institution cooperatives
and all are established to provide services that aid their
member financial institutions in meeting the housing and economic
development credit needs of their communities. Each Bank is
federally chartered and operates under the Federal Home Loan
Bank Act (the "Bank Act") and the regulations of
the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the "Finance Agency").
The Bank Act and these regulations provide the overall framework
for all of the Banks' required corporate governance structures.
Each Bank is wholly owned by its member financial institutions,
each of which is required to purchase stock in its Bank based
primarily on the extent of the member's use of its Bank's
services. FHLB Boston is owned by more than 450 member financial institutions
in the six New England states.
The Bank is governed by a board
of directors. All directors are New Englanders. The Bank's board of directors is comprised of 10 member directors and seven independent directors who are elected by member financial institutions.
The Bank's corporate governance standards and procedures
fully comply with all applicable legal requirements. In addition,
taking into account the requirements of the Bank Act and regulations
of the Finance Agency and the unique structure of the Banks,
to the greatest extent possible FHLB Boston has made its corporate
governance and disclosure policies and procedures consistent
with the requirements applicable to companies with publicly
traded securities.
Governance Structure
Contemporary corporate governance is based on several critical
principles. They include: an independent, active and engaged
board of directors which has the skill to properly oversee
and direct management; a set of ethical principles to guide
directors, managers and employees in their daily administration
of the Bank's work; the imposition of effective controls and
monitoring systems; and the dissemination of timely, accurate
information to the regulators and the public. The following
addresses how the Bank has integrated all these elements into
its corporate governance structure.
The Board of Directors
The Bank's Board of Directors ("Board") is accountable
to the Bank's shareholders and other stakeholders to ensure
that the Bank is managed in a safe and sound manner and with
an appropriate balance between financial performance and fulfillment
of its public purpose. To fulfill their fiduciary duties,
the Directors must be independent of the management of the
Bank; familiar with the Bank's business and general financial
and accounting principles; and actively engaged in directing
and overseeing management. The Board's primary responsibilities
are to:
(a) Select, employ, and regularly evaluate a highly qualified
President and Chief Executive Officer to provide leadership for the management of the
Bank;
(b) Ensure that the Bank maintains a highly qualified senior
management team committed to fulfilling the Bank's mission
with the highest standards of ethics and integrity;
(c) Oversee the establishment of a strong system of internal controls and monitor its ongoing effectiveness;
(d) Establish appropriate policies for the Bank's safe and
sound management;
(e) Provide strategic direction for the Bank's business;
and
(f) Review regularly the effectiveness of the Board corporate
governance structure and the performance of the Board.
The Senior Management Team
The Bank's Senior Management team is accountable to the Board
to manage the Bank in accordance with the policies and principles
established by the Board and applicable legal requirements.
Senior Management's primary responsibilities are to:
(a) Manage the Bank safely and soundly, and in accordance
with the highest standards of ethics and integrity;
(b) Implement the strategic direction established by the
Board;
(c) Establish and maintain a strong system of internal controls;
(d) Implement the policies established by the Board; and
(e) Ensure the Bank's compliance with applicable legal and
regulatory requirements.
The Bank's Basic Operating Principles
The Bank has designed and implemented an effective corporate
governance structure based on these principles to ensure that
the Bank is well managed and satisfies all legal and regulatory
requirements. In order to carry out these objectives, the
Bank and the Board are committed to operating in accordance
with the following standards:
(a) Directors should be independent and accountable to the
Bank's shareholder members;
(b) Directors' oversight should be active and engaged;
(c) Directors should be knowledgeable about the business
and operations of the Bank;
(d) Directors and employees should act with absolute integrity
and honesty;
(e) The Bank should maintain a strong control environment;
and
(f) The governance and operations of the Bank should be transparent
to its constituencies.
Conclusion
The Bank's corporate governance structure is designed to establish
and maintain an environment in which the highest standards
of ethical business conduct, as modeled by its Directors and
senior management, provide the foundation for its success
in meeting the needs of its members and the public.
|