Fractional reserve banking is a term used to describe a banking system whereby a. banks hold reserves equal to only a fraction of their deposit liabilities. b. banks hold reserves equal to a multiple of their deposit liabilities; that is, fractional in this case really means multiple. c. individual banks share a fraction of the total funds deposited in the whole banking system. d. banks are required to quote interest rates in fractions. e. banks are required to maintain a certain fraction of their deposits in the form of checkable deposits, a certain fraction of their deposits in the form of savings deposits, etc.

The Federal Reserve System ( popularly referred to as the 'Fed') was created by the Federal Reserve Act, passed by the U.S Congress on the 23rd of December, 1913. The Fed began operations in 1914 and just like all central banks, the Federal Reserve is a United States government agency.

Generally, it comprises of twelve (12) Federal Reserve Bank regionally across the United States of America.

Like all central banks, the Federal Reserve is a government agency that is saddled with the following responsibilities;

I. The Fed controls the issuance of currency in United States of America: it promotes public goals such as economic growth, low inflation, and the smooth operation of financial markets.

II. It provides banking services to all the commercial banks in the country because the Federal Reserve is the "lender of last resort."

III. It regulates banking activities in the United States of America: it has the power to supervise and regulate banks.

In the banking system, fractional reserve banking describes a situation in which a depository financial institution such as a bank, hold an amount of reserves that is typically equal to only a fraction of its deposit liabilities.