Bank Holding Company Data Files FAQ
Q: When does the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago expect to publish bank holding company data files for a given as-of date?
A: Bulk data files will generally be available for download 60 days after the as-of date for the report.
Q: How often are the data files refreshed?
A: In order to capture revised data, 2 years, or 8 quarters, of data are refreshed on a quarterly basis.
Q: If an individual institution revises bank holding company data, when will the update be reflected in the data files?
A: Revisions to bank holding company data are updated on a quarterly basis. Each time a new quarter’s data is uploaded, data for the previous 8 quarters are also updated. This ensures that most prior period revisions are reflected in the data.
Q: Given the potential lag of revision updates in the data files, where can up-to-date financial statement information for individual bank holding companies be found?
A: Individual Bank Holding Company financial statements can be found by doing an "Institution Search" in the section on the National Information Centerwebsite. The Financial statements are posted on a flow basis, and are updated if revisions are made by the reporting institutions. Please see the "Frequency of Updates" section on the home page of the website for more information.
Q: Is more information available on the variables contained in the data files?
A: More information, including definitions for each variable, is available through the Micro Data Reference Manual (MDRM). The data dictionary defines each item (four character numeric portion of the variable), and shows the reporting series on which it is available, while the reporting forms and mnemonics section provides a brief description of each series and the associated mnemonic (four character alphabetic string of the variable).
Q: What nonfinancial information is available for each institution in the data files?
A: A list of available variables is included on our website under Structure and Geographical Variables. These items are a selected set of demographics and attributes for each institution, such as name, location information, and other regulatory institution IDs.
Q: Why does the number of reporting BHCs vary from quarter to quarter?
A: The number of observations varies from quarter to quarter because the Y-9SP is collected on a semiannual basis (in June and December). Because BHCs that file this report are included in those quarters, there is a significant increase in the number of observations for June and December. The March and September quarters only include the BHCs that file the Y-9C and Y-9LP.
Note: Effective March 31, 2006, the FRY-9C and the FRY-9LP filing threshold was increased from $150 million to $500 million or more and the reporting exception that required each lower-tier bank holding company with total consolidated assets of $1 billion or more to file the FRY-9C was eliminated.
Q: Does the Fed offer data for financial institutions other than bank holding companies?
A: For financial information on other types of financial institutions, please refer to the Central Data Repository's (CDR) Public Data Distribution, which provides thrift financial reports in addition to commercial bank call reports. Beginning with the call report for March 31, 2010, the CDR will be the only source for this data.
Q: Who do I contact regarding bank balances at the Fed?
A: There is an 800 number setup for account services questions that you can call for balance information. The number is (800)309-6156; it's a general number for multiple Federal Reserve Banks. The list of account services primary and backup contacts by district is available online.
Q: Who do I contact with questions pertaining to financial reporting?
A: For questions regarding financial reporting, there is a toll-free number or e-mail address available. The toll-free number is (877)597-5371 and the e-mail address is financialreporting@chi.frb.org.
