Bankers on Fed Boards: Is Good News for the Banks Bad News for the Fed?

Bankers and non-bankers sit on Federal Reserve Bank Boards. In the case of banks, this may create a perception problem since the Fed supervises banks. I examine who sits on Reserve Bank boards and the market reaction to director appointments during the period 1990-2009. I document that Fed directors from the banking industry typically work for large banks. Furthermore, the average market reaction to the appointment of a firm’s officer to a Reserve Bank board is positive only for banks. My results are consistent with the idea that the Fed’s governance structure may continue to expose it to reputation risk.