Congress created the Federal Reserve System in 1913 to serve as the central bank of the United States and to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible and more stable monetary and financial system. Over the years, its role in banking and the economy has expanded, but its focus has remained the same. Today, the Fed's three functions are to provide and maintain an effective and efficient payments system, to supervise and regulate banking operations, and to conduct the nation's monetary policy. Although all three of these roles ...