Overview
As stipulated by the Banking Act of 1935, the President appoints the seven members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; they must then be confirmed by the Senate and serve for 14 years. Once appointed, Governors may not be removed from office for their policy opinions. The chairman and vice-chairman are chosen by the President from among the sitting Governors for four-year terms; these appointments are also subject to Senate confirmation. By law, the chairman reports twice a year to Congress on the Federal Reserve's monetary policy objectives. He also testifies before Congress on numerous other issues and meets periodically with the Secretary of the Treasury.
The current chairman is Ben Bernanke, an academic nominated by George W. Bush and sworn into office on February 1, 2006, for a term lasting until January 31, 2010. He was nominated for a second term by President Barack Obama in 2009, and was confirmed by the Senate in 2010. Bernanke's second term ends on January 31, 2014. Bernanke succeeded Alan Greenspan, who served for more than 18 years during the terms of four U.S. Presidents.
The law applicable to the Chairman and all other members of the Board provides (in part):
No member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System shall be an officer or director of any bank, banking institution, trust company, or Federal Reserve bank or hold stock in any bank, banking institution, or trust company; and before entering upon his duties as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System he shall certify under oath that he has complied with this requirement, and such certification shall be filed with the secretary of the Board.Read more about this topic: Chairman Of The Federal Reserve